Lavender Butter Bread

Prep Time

3 Hours

Cook Time

50 Minutes

Total Time

3 Hours 50 Minutes

Yields

1 Loaf

Ingredients

Note: This is not a sweet lavender bread. The lavender flower buds provide a delicious aroma and very subtle notes of lavender.

Purple Dough Ingredients:

200 g warm milk, any kind
35 g sugar
3 g active dry yeast
18 g olive oil
3 g salt
290 g bread flour
7 g purple carrot powder

Green Dough Ingredients:

200 g warm milk, any kind
35 g sugar
3 g active dry yeast
18 golive oil
3 g salt
290 g bread flour
7 g matcha

Lavender Butter Ingredients:

58 g butter, softened at room temperature
10 g sugar
2 g (¼ tsp) salt
1½ tsp lavender flower buds

Equipment Needed

Stand mixer with a dough hook attachment
9 x 4x 4 inch bread pan

Instructions

Prepare purple dough: Place warm milk, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and set aside until the mixture is frothy. Mix in olive oil on low speed for 10-15 seconds. Mix in all remaining ingredients on low speed (or at the mixer recommended speed for dough) until the dough comes together and is no longer sticking to the walls of the bowl.
Remove dough and form a dough ball. Place the dough ball in a clean bowl, cover and set aside.
Prepare green dough: Follow steps 1 and 2 and prepare the green dough.
First proof: From the time you cover the second dough, proof both doughs for 60 minutes.
Lavender butter: While the dough is proofing, prepare lavender butter by mixing all ingredients until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
Deflate and roll dough: Lightly oil the inside of the bread pan and set aside. Punch the air out of the purple dough and using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a long rectangle, approx. 20-24” in length and 4-6” in width. When working with dough, dust some flour on your work surface as needed.
Follow step 6 and deflate and roll the green dough, ensuring both dough rectangles are approximately the same size.
Assemble dough: Place the green dough over the purple dough and using your hands, gently stretch the dough out around the edges to ensure both doughs are stacked evenly and are the same size. Using a rolling pin, gently roll both doughs together. Spread lavender butter evenly over the green dough, leaving ½ to 1 inch of space around the edges.
Assemble dough log: Starting from one end, roll the dough inwards forming swirls with every completed rotation. Pinch the dough together ensuring the dough log is properly sealed and doesn't open up.
Cut and braid dough log: Leaving 1 to 1½ inches on one end, cut the dough log length-wise forming two strands. Braid the two strands and pinch the loose ends together.
Second proof: Place the dough in the bread pan with the crease side facing down. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for 45-60 minutes.
Bake: When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Optional: After 35 minutes, cover the bread pan with aluminum foil and continue to bake. Once ready, the top of the loaf should be golden-brown and should sound hollow when you tap on it.
Cool: Allow the loaf to cool in the bread pan for 15 minutes. Remove the loaf from the bread pan (the loaf should slide out when the bread pan is tilted) and allow it to cool to room temperature on a wired rack before slicing.