• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • about Dom in the Kitchen
  • contact me
  • pr & demo’s
  • Private Dining

Dom in the Kitchen Homepage

Recipes from my Lincolnshire kitchen

  • Home
  • Chicken Thighs
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Eggs
  • Vegetarian
  • Everything else

beetroot, cheddar and pecan bread

3 September 2014 by Dominic Franks

… and just as autumn took its grip on the UK, we turned into September and the sun came out again like it was summer… in fact i’m sitting here writing this post in my shorts, my legs desperately clinging on to the last vestiges of an Italian tan as I moisturise furiously – now there’s an image for you.  I’m not sure quite how short lived it will be – the good weather, not my shorts which are short enough, so it’s best that we make the most of it whilst it’s here and autumn finally slams its fist down on the year.  You won’t hate me will you if I tell you that The Viking and I are planning another little getaway for our birthday on the 24th… I know that it will mean my 3rd holiday of the summer but we’ve been busy boys and it looks as though we have a busy few winter months ahead so we’re going away.  Not sure where yet.  Any recommendations gladly accepted.  Obviously somewhere with fabulous food and amazing weather is a plus… in the meantime here’s some pretty pink bread…

beetroot, cheddar and pecan bread
i’d seen quite a few beetroot breads on the internet recently.  I was particularly inspired by Karen’s Beetroot and Walnut Rolls and Lucy’s Beetroot Loaf, so when it came to using up a bunch of ageing beetroot that had been languishing in the back of the fridge for quite some time I thought i’d have to give beetroot bread a go… plus was really intrigued to see if the colour would stay bright and vividly pink.  I’ve included a really strong but glorious cheddar and some pecans that have been in my larder since Christmas and the combination is exceptional… to be honest you can’t really taste the beetroot and my colour is more orangey pink that hot pink like Lucy’s but I doubled my bread recipe without increasing the beetroot amount so I knew the colour wouldn’t be quite so intense… the bread also toasts beautifully, so i’m more than happy…

… again i’ve used my low-knead method.  The dough is very wet but have patience and stick to the low-knead technique and you’ll be fine.  I’ve added a 4th knead to my usual 3 kneads as I think the dough benefits from this, plus the first rising time is way over 2 hours so be patient.

makes 2 loaves of any shape:

500g raw beetroot – peeled
800g strong white bread flour
2 teaspoons fast active dried yeast
2 teaspoon salt (not table)
100g strong cheddar – finely grated
50g pecan nuts – roughly crumbled as you add
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
400ml liquid, either water or the water you boiled the beetroot in plus some of the squeezed out juice – you may need less, you may need more depending on how wet your beetroot is

extra virgin olive oil

scrunch some parchment then line your loaf tin or baking tray… saves heaps of time!

cut your beetroot into cubes and boil until tender and set aside to cool, reserve the water, then blend the beetroot into a pulp with a stick blender, squeeze out the juice and add to your liquid measure.

place all the ingredients except for the oil, in a large bowl and bring together with a rubber spatula, it will be very wet but once combined set aside, cover with a tea towel and leave for 10 mins for the yeast to do its magic.

decide which hand you will knead with and which hand you will keep oil free… I use my right hand to knead… spill a little oil on your work surface, spread it around with the flat of your hand and then using your oiled hand grab the dough from the bowl and place it on the oil. Then swiftly drizzle a little oil into the bowl and wipe around using your oiled hand.

now turn to the dough and give it 8 ‘kneads’. This should take no longer than 30 seconds and you should already be able to feel the softness and air in the dough. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a towel and set aside for 10 mins.

repeat 3 more times then cover the bowl with cling film and let the dough rise for at least an hour or until doubled in size

once doubled oil your work surface with your hand again and punch the dough into an oval on it, then starting at one end, roll the dough tightly into a sausage, tuck in the ends and plop into your prepped loaf tin. Pre heat your oven to 200C and set aside for 30 mins till risen.

Place the tin in the oven and bake for 10 mins then turn down the heat to 180c and bake for a further 20 mins. Remove loaf from tin then bake on the naked oven shelf for five more mins.

Set aside till completely cooled

eat and of course, enjoy!

Share this post:

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on E-mail

Filed Under: Bread Tagged With: beetroot, cheddar, cheese, flour, loaf, pecan

Previous Post: « random recipes #43 – random recipes – lavender sugar swiss roll with strawberries and cream
Next Post: dark brown sugar cake with apples and dried figs »

Reader Interactions

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Comments

  1. Danny Kingston says

    3 September 2014 at 6:59 am

    This looks goooood Dom (and plus I need to find ideas to use up all the beetroot I've grown)

  2. Jane Willis says

    3 September 2014 at 7:08 am

    This looks gorgeous! Wonder how much beetroot there is left in the garden? Now about your holiday, if you are looking for peace and quiet, a glorious setting and beautiful sea, I suggest the hideaway boutique hotel Bordubet in Turkey. The food is excellent too, but not in a haute-cuisine way – in a bursting-with-freshness salads, freshly grilled fish and freshly baked bread kind of way. But if you like bars and night life it isn't for you as the nearest are about an hour's drive away. There are several posts about the place on Mark's blog. I think Exclusive Escapes are the only UK travel agent that takes people there.

  3. Kate Glutenfreealchemist says

    3 September 2014 at 1:12 pm

    Wow…. That bread is such a beautiful colour! Inspired!!!

  4. manu says

    3 September 2014 at 2:37 pm

    What a beautiful pink colour!!!
    xox

  5. becky3086 says

    3 September 2014 at 3:30 pm

    Interesting! I have never seen any bread made with beets before. I do love different kinds of breads and I just might have to pick up a few beets and see how well I like this.

  6. Mark Willis says

    3 September 2014 at 6:10 pm

    Ah, I now see the significance of the comment about beetroot you left on my blog… BTW, Jane didn't mention the fresh figs and honey at Bordubet, served with local cheese – or the freshly-made flatbreads, or the Lamacun, or, or, or. We loved the place!

  7. Susan Lindquist says

    3 September 2014 at 8:10 pm

    I agree with all the other folks … gorgeous color on this bread! Alas, I am not a fan of beets, but SB is! Perhaps a gift of some bread this weekend … after I make Monkey Bread for a special breakfast!

  8. Rebecca Subbiah says

    4 September 2014 at 2:18 am

    this looks so good great use of beetroot hope the warmth stays for a while for you

  9. Katie says

    4 September 2014 at 5:52 am

    Wow what a fabulous colour. I love the sound of adding pecans too. Bet it tastes great with a nice chunk of cheese.

  10. Fiver Feeds says

    7 September 2014 at 10:06 pm

    Which ingredient gives this lovely colour?

  11. Karen S Booth says

    8 September 2014 at 2:36 pm

    OH! I nearly missed this post Dom! Thanks for the mention and what lovely BUNS you have my dear! No, seriously, these look great and the colour is fab too! Karen

Primary Sidebar

About Dom In The Kitchen

My name is Dominic, I am a cook, food writer and creative event producer. I write the food blog Dom In The Kitchen and also write a monthly recipe column for Lincolnshire Life Magazine and Good Taste Magazine. I also run creative event production company The Persuaders, producing global events for brands since 1997. I am based both in the small village of Belleau in Lincolnshire and the smaller village of London! Read More…

Subscribe

Get new posts by email:
Powered by follow.it
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Archives

Tweets by @DomInTheKitchen

as featured in Lincolnshire Life Magazine

Lincolnshire Life

creatively managed by

The Persuagers
Belleau Cottage

Footer

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

&copy 2010 - 2021 | All rights reserved | Website by Peckish Digital