The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Edible Centerpieces

Grandma Dawn's picture
Grandma Dawn

Edible Centerpieces

After years of baking bread I started making fun shapes.  My first attempts were using the entire batch of dough to make one large "Fun Bun". 

I made a frog for the neighbor girls.

Then a mouse for my backdoor neighbor.

I tried a pig next.

Then a lizzard???

For Easter . . .

Decided to try bread stick dough and came up with an octopus and starfish, using sesame seeds for details -

Using sweet roll dough, dried fruits, and frosting, came up with Mr. Caterpiller.

I used caraway rye dough to give the color and texture I needed for Super Bowl Sunday.

Then a grand daughter asked for a monkey.  For this I used a regular rye bread dough and the caraway rye bread.

Can't forget Santa . . .I took a picture of the before baking and after to show that some distortion occurs during rising.

For the ladies I needed a flower.

My daughter-in-law likes a glass of wine so I created a cheese bread "grape cluster" for her.  I really like this one because #1 you can make different sizes and #2 the bun is so tasty that you don't need anything to go with it. 

So, these are my edible centerpieces.  I have since gone to making as many as 12 "fun buns" out of one 3 C. (flour) dough recipe.  I'll post pictures of those and then share how to's.

 

Comments

RonRay's picture
RonRay

Dawn, you have created a great collection of wonderfully imaginative creatures. I love them, and will no doubt have a smile on my face whenever I think of them.

Well done, and please keep making them !

Ron

Grandma Dawn's picture
Grandma Dawn

Thank you for the kind words.  Next week I plan to post pictures of the small "fun buns" I make.   I appreciate the encouragement!  - Dawn

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

My daughter just found out that she got accepted to a summer 2-week long ballet intensive which will cost a small fortune to attend.  

This blog of yours has just given me a wonderful way to help her do her fund raising!  I was going to offer 'a loaf a week' for people interested in helping her out as it would fit right into my baking routine without any extra stress and now I have a way to make it even more fun for me to do.....

Hope you don't mind me stealing your ideas but they are too good to pass up and I have a cheese bread recipe that is just waiting to be made into a bunch of grapes!

Thanks for the great idea and for the pictures too!

Janet

Grandma Dawn's picture
Grandma Dawn

Janet -

You go girl!  Glad you liked them and will be making some.  I press the stem of the grape cluster with a fork to make lines, use an oak leaf cookie cutter (I only use part of the cutter) for the leaves, and try to get the vine tendrils to be very thin so they don't raise too much and lose their look.  Have fun!  - Dawn

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

I was wondering how I was going to make leaves as nice as yours are.  Hadn't thought about cookie cutters but I have a box full of them downstairs from my dog biscuit making days and you have just opened up a whole new way to put them into action again.  In fact I have one of a ballerina which I can use on boules that will be very appropriate!

I assume you used cookie cutters  for the flowers on the boule? 

Thanks for letting me know how you did the stems - nice simple idea!

People I have approached with my idea are very receptive and, if all goes as planned, the baking begins in June.  Just in time for summer heat......timing isn't the best but oh well.....

Thanks again for the extra ideas :-)

This is going to be so much fun!

Janet

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Morning Dawn,

No leaf cookie cutters in my collection big enough to use so I am going hunting today.....a fun outing in the rain.

A question about the sheen on a couple of your creations - the flower, Santa and the grapes all look like you used an egg wash or milk wash on them before baking.

Will you please let me know which you used?  It adds a nice touch but I haven't used washes much on any of my loaves thus far so I am not familiar with which type produces what results and I would like a bit of a glossy look for what I have in mind for some of my loaves.

Thanks!

Janet

 

 

Grandma Dawn's picture
Grandma Dawn

Janet -

I, too was reluctant to brush the bread with anything.  But, I experimented and liked the sheen, even used it to contrast sometimes -- brush some parts, leave others plain.  For the sheen I use an egg white.  I might give it a little stir but don't whip it because that causes bubbles and an uneven gloss.  It really shows up so you have to cover all exposed area or it looks bad.

Best wishes with your project!

- Dawn

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Dawn,

Thanks for the pointer on how to apply the gloss.  I just made a challah loaf and the recipe called for an egg wash but it used the whole egg.  The recipe also called for egg yolks - had I know I could have used the whites instead of the whole egg...

I have made a mental note for next time...

I got some leaf cookie cutters on Sunday.  I was glad you had said you hadn't used the whole cutter when making your leaves because it gave me a way to look at the other cc and I got a couple that I can take parts of for flowers or sun bursts or where ever my fancy takes me :-)

I am not sure I will be doing this for the loaves I bake for my daughter though as it may be a bit too much labor when I have a lot of loaves to bake in one day.....but who knows.....I have about a week to experiment....

Janet 

Syd's picture
Syd

They look lovely!  Very creative. :)

Syd

Grandma Dawn's picture
Grandma Dawn

Thank you.  Look for more "fun buns" next week.

tomsgirl's picture
tomsgirl

Wow how creative. I love the progress your Santa and Flower are really amazing i'm sure anybody who recieve's one of you "fun buns" has a huge smile on their face. Fresh baked bread alone is a wonderful gift but to shape into beautiful scluptures ir really really cool and so personal . I can't wait to see more pics. Thanks for sharing.