Dandelion Bread

Dandelion bread isn’t what most people think it’s going to be like. It’s a dense bread, like pound cake, actually – with a light, slightly sweet flavor. Other than the actual gathering of the dandelion petals, the recipe is very easy to make. If you’re awash in a sea of yellow outside, turn those weeds into treats!

Last fall, a friend gave me this recipe, and I’ve been wanting to try it ever since. Imagine my joy when one fine morning my lawn had turned completely yellow with dandelions. The original recipe was published online by Walnut Acres, but that website keep redirecting me away from the page to a dubious domain-parking site. So, rather than send you there, I will give them credit and keep the recipe here.

Be sure to pick flowers well away from driveways or roads, and avoid areas that have been sprayed with pesticides or other chemicals.

Clean enough dandelion flowers to make two cups of dandelion petals. It’s important to remove the petals, leaving behind all green parts of the flower. To learn more about my own method of doing this, read my previous post, It’s Dandelion Day!

Walnut Acres Dandelion Bread

This recipe makes two small loaves, using 8″ x 4″ x 2-1/2″ loaf pans.

Preheat over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease your bread pans. I used melted, unsalted butter.

Sodium Note: I cut the recommended salt amount down to 1/2 tsp as this is a low-sodium house. I’ve left the original recipe unchanged here, though. Using a sodium-free baking powder will also remove a lot of sodium.

Dry Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 – 2 cups dandelion petals Note: I recommend using the full 2 cups

Wet Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 2-2/3 cups milk

In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir with a large spoon until very well blended and the petals have been evenly distributed.

Pour the batter into your two greased pans, dividing it evenly between them. Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue baking for another 20 minutes. Test with a toothpick or cake tester to be sure the batter is set in the center. Bake a little longer if needed, watching over the breads carefully.

Cool the bread in the pans. A good trick is to tilt the pans on their sides for even cooling all around. This helps the bread come out of the pans easily after its cooled, too.

With its sweetness and density, I’ve been thinking that this bread might also make a nice coffee cake. If I can gather another two cups of petals before the season passes, I’ll be experimenting with that. I think adding golden raisins would compliment the sweet lightness of the bread, and perhaps an orange flavored glazed drizzle-topping would be fun.

If you like to experiment with recipes and need to change the pan size, here’s a handy pan sizing chart. Once you know the volume of the recommended pan, you can substitute another sized pan that holds the same amount. If you don’t change the depth, you probably won’t need to adjust the cooking time. If you do change the depth, be prepared to stay close and keep a sharp eye on your bread.