Lembas Bread
Lembas bread made as the rich honey shortbread the books actually describe: brown sugar, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and almond extract, rolled into a round, quartered and scored with the X from the films. Fifteen minutes of mixing and twelve in the oven, with no yeast and no rising time.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp (4 g) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (2 g) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp (2.5 g) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) honey
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) almond extract
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Rolling Pin
- Sharp knife
Instructions
Mix the Dough
- Whisk the dry ingredients: Heat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl so the spices are evenly distributed.
- Blend in the butter and sugar: Add the brown sugar and the softened butter in pieces and blend on low with a mixer until the bowl looks like coarse streusel. Stop there; this is not creaming.
- Add the liquids: Pour in the cream, honey, vanilla and almond extract, switch to a fork, and mix only until the dough gathers. It should be thick and just short of sticky.
Roll, Cut and Score
- Roll it out: Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a rough round about half an inch thick on a floured board. A bench scraper is the easiest way to move it.
- Halve each round: Cut straight down through the middle with the scraper or a large knife, without dragging.
- Cut into quarters: Cut across the first line to give four even pieces from each round, 8 in total. Lift them onto the lined sheet with space between.
- Score the X: Draw a shallow X across each piece with the tip of a sharp knife, about a third of the way through, pulling toward you in one movement rather than sawing.
Bake and Cool
- Chill, then bake: Put the tray in the freezer for 10 minutes so the butter firms and the scoring stays crisp, then bake for about 12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the tops are set.
- Cool completely: Move the pieces to a rack and let them cool all the way through before serving. They firm up considerably as they cool.
Notes
Make-ahead: the cut and scored pieces keep on their tray under plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Bake straight from cold and add a minute.
Freezing: freeze unbaked pieces flat, then bag them, and bake from frozen at the same temperature for about 15 minutes. Baked pieces freeze for up to 3 months with parchment between the layers.
Storage: an airtight tin at room temperature keeps them 4 to 5 days. Do not refrigerate baked pieces; the cold dries the crumb faster than the counter does.
Substitutions: maple syrup can replace the honey, orange zest can replace the almond extract, and a cup-for-cup gluten-free blend works with an extra tablespoon of cream.
Doneness: the edges are golden while the tops are still pale, and the middle of a piece feels firm with no give underneath. Pull them a shade early, because they carry on cooking on the tray.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 126mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 0.8mg