White Clover Bread

I have found that when you begin your foraging journey that you also begin accumulating ingredients for which you have no recipes and are not sure what to do with. However, as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention.  You begin experimenting and find things you and your family like. Strangely, by the end of winter you stare at an empty jar that was once clover flower flour and can't wait for the plants to reemerge so you can collect more! What was once strange is now desirable.

Recently I watched a BBC documentary about WWII. By the end of the war there was a young

generation that had never seen a banana and did not even know how to eat one. It had been an import that stopped due to the war. When they finally got them back, the children thought them strange and did not like them.  It goes to show that food is what you are accustomed to having and that can be changed.  Bananas weren't bad just different.

This is a great recipe to use clover flour (dehydrated and ground clover flowers). I served it at a recent foraging meet-up and it was a success! It is a great way to stretch your more traditional flour if ever circumstances put you in that position, and if you are more concerned with health, it's a great method to add nutrition and enjoy it.

White Clover Bread

Ingredients:

3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
3 T of butter
1 3/4 t of salt
3 cups of flour
1 1/4 cups clover flour
2 3/4 t of yeast

1 egg white (to paint loaf before baking)

Directions:

Place all ingredients, except egg white, in bread machine, liquids first, dry ingredients, then yeast. Set to dough cycle.

When dough cycle is complete, turn oven on briefly to just warm (not hot). You are creating a warm environment for your bread to rise.

Remove dough from machine and shape into desired loaf. I prefer to make two braids. To do this, cut dough into half. Cut each half into three. Some people prefer to roll their dough on a floured surface. I prefer to use oil on the work space and my hands to prevent sticking. Use what ever method works best for you. Roll out dough to long strands. Take three strands and press ends together. Braid and tuck ends under. Repeat with the other three strands. For an alternative braiding method and a more even braid, start braiding in the middle and then finish each end.

Place loaves on stoneware pizza pan (regular pan works fine too). Loosely cover with Syrian wrap. Put in warmed oven for 25-30 minutes to rise.

After rise is complete, paint the loaf with egg white. Put back in the oven and bake at 340 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.