How To Make Dandelion Flower Bread from early spring dandelion flower petals, lemon and banana, for a moist quick bread.
Dandelions – The Wild Edibles
Suddenly after a long winter’s sleep, early spring arrives and dandelion flowers are popping up everywhere.
Everyone is breaking out the deck and porch furniture to enjoy the spring greens and fresh air.
I can’t think of a better way to welcome this occasion then with loaf cakes made with these sunshine yellow petals!
Eat Your Greens – Dandelion Greens That Is!
Having grown up alongside of the Greek community, I was aware that they made a delicious dish of dandelion greens.
I found their flavor much like the Green Bean Bundles I make, with enough substance when not cooked to long.
The dandelion greens I’ve eaten throughout my life were cooked in olive oil, lemon, fresh oregano and garlic, always garlic.Â
So delicious and abundant in vitamins, such as A, C, K, folate and iron.
Who Knew You Could Eat Dandelions
Fast forward to my regular trips to the grocery store now, and there they are!
Expensive bundles of dandelions greens.
And to think of the cost folks spend to kill these, ‘so called’ weeds, in their yard.Â
I was intrigued enough to embrace this lovely weed in my kitchen, and experiment for myself.
Health Benefits Of Dandelions
Apparently the dandelion leaves, roots, and flowers may offer health benefits.
And that bright yellow flower that first visits us in spring before turning in a sphere of blowable seeds, indicates the presence of lutein, an antioxidant that boosts eye health.
Garden To Table
Before I owned a home in the countryside, I spent the early months of spring and summer at garden shops.
Besides the inspiration plants and herbs gave me for creating recipes, I simply enjoyed the smell of earth.
Now, I live in a home with plenty of earth surrounding me and I have begun to learn how to grow all the things I want to cook with.
This has become my new Garden To Table lifestyle, and I can tell you, I’ve never felt healthier!
Having adopted a passion for Edible Flowers, I rarely grow any flower unless it is edible!
Dandelions Are Good For Your Lawn
As difficult as the roots are to pull up from the lawn, I was curious to find out if those stubborn roots were doing the yard good.
Sure enough, much like earthworms, the wide-spreading roots loosen hard-packed soil and aerate the earth.Â
Bees And Dandelions
When bees first emerge from hibernation in early spring, they are ready to go to work.
Pollinating is what they are ready to do, well… eat something too.
The flowers of the dandelion are an important food source for pollinators, such as the bees and butterflies.
Foraging For Dandelions
It’s amazing the things growing in our backyard we never think to forage.
Early one autumn, my grandkids and I foraged acorns, boiled, roasted and made cookies! Obviously, if you have a yard, you have dandelions.
Foraging these wild flowers is as easy as clipping them at the base to use both the greens and the flowers.
Additionally, you could dig up the entire plant, transplant them in pots and have dandelions condensed in one spot for cooking.Â
What Do Dandelion Flowers Taste Like?
When I think of eating various flower petals, I am reminded of how much I enjoy the gentle sweet taste of camomile tea.
For me, dandelion flowers taste similar to camomile, as does Butterfly Pea Flower, which I make homemade bread with.
Some of the petals are sweet, while others can have a bitter taste, so just take a taste while foraging.Â
It’s important to harvest dandelion flowers as soon as they open, for the sweetest floral flavor.Â
Dandelion Lemon Banana Bread
Certainly I was a bit apprehensive at first, so I played it safe and paired the dandelion flower petals with bananas. After all, who doesn’t like banana bread!
Additionally, the sunshine yellow flowers inspired me to go a little further with ‘yellow’ in this recipe.
And so I chose tart lemons and sweet bananas to marry in this dandelion bread, because honestly, if it’s possible for something to be too sweet, lemons certain calm that down.Â
What Type Of Bread Is Dandelion Bread?
Perhaps you might consider this bread to be more like loaf cakes, or quick bread, using baking powder instead of yeast for a no-rise time preparation.
Using a sweet ripe banana, helped to tone down the sometimes bitter notes in the yellow petals; and the riper the banana, the sweeter.Â
However, I will attempt to use the dandelion flowers in a yeast bread next, just to compare, quick vs yeast.
How To Prep Before Making Dandelion Bread
First thing we want to do is forage the dandelion flowers, wash them, dry them and pick the petals from about six flowers.Â
I like to have my refrigerated ingredients at room temperature before mixing the batter. This helps the batter to blend more efficiently.
Second thing I do when baking a loaf cake or quick bread is prepare the loaf pan in a quirky way that always works.
The video below will show you quickly.
In short, a wide strip of parchment paper is placed across the short width of the oiled pan, with overhang.Â
When it is baked, the overhang acts as handles and the bread lifts right out.
Assembling The Dandelion Flower Bread Batter
As you have often heard me say, when baking muffins from my 52 Muffin Collection cookbook:
- Mix the wet ingredients
- Separately mix the dry ingredients
- Whisk the two together
- You’ve got a quick and easy quick bread batter
Simply do the same for this recipe and in less than an hour you will have a beautiful, early spring dandelion flower bread!
Equipment Needed
- Loaf pan – makes for the perfect size and this heavy duty cast iron loaf pan is my favorite for both breads and meats.
- Parchment paper – just a wide strip across the center of the pan with overlapping ends for easy removal.
- Mixing bowls – while there are a variety of mixing bowl types, good ole Pyrex is still my favorite because of their multi-purpose use, from mixing, rising or serving in.
- Measuring cup and spoons for accurate ratios.
- Whisk, hand mixer or food processor
- Oven – conventional or countertop oven for small kitchen spaces or when the conventional oven is in use.
Ingredients Needed
- Dandelion flower petals – best picked in early spring when the flowers are tender and sweet.
- Ripe bananas – the riper the better and sweeter.
- Olive oil – yes olive oil for this delicious bread.
- Milk, any type – almond milk or dairy milk.
- Lemon – both the zest and the juice.
- Eggs – room temperature for easy blending.
- Sugar – good quality cane sugar will offer more caramel flavor.
- Flour – unbleached and sifted.
- Salt – because salt makes sweet, sweeter.
- Baking powder – for a lovely rise without yeast.
- Powdered sugar (optional)
How To Make Dandelion Flower Bread
Equipment
- Loaf pan
- Mixer or whisk
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 6 Dandelions flower petals
- 2 Bananas really ripe
- 1/4 cup Olive oil extra virgin
- 1/2 cup Milk any type
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice and zest
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 cups Flour any type
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- Powdered sugar optional for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350
- Brush a little olive oil inside of a loaf pan and place a wide strip of parchment paper across the narrow width of the pan, with overhang.Â
- Cut the top dandelion petals from the flowers that have been washed and dried, and set aside.Â
- In a food processor or large mixing bowl and a hand mixer, whisk the ripe bananas with the sugar. Add the eggs and whisk.Â
- Slowly pour in the olive oil, milk, lemon juice and zest. Add the flower petals.Â
- Whisk in the flour, salt and baking powder until the batter is creamy. Transfer to the prepared baking pan.Â
- Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove and cool.Â
- Once cool, a little powdered sugar can be dusted across the top. Lift the bread from the pan, using the overhang strips of parchment paper, slice and serve.Â
Video
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.