Organic Einkorn Dragon Bread - Sourdough Hawaiian Style

Organic Einkorn Dragon Bread - Sourdough Hawaiian Style

Michaelmas Dragon Bread

This All Organic and non-gmo adaptation from the Jovial Blog is an absolute MUST for the upcoming Michaelmas festivities. Whether you're a Waldorf Mom, Teacher, or Family who just wants to get into the Dragon spirit, this recipe is my favorite by far. 

Dragon bread is a beloved modern Michaelmas tradition in many Waldorf-inspired homes and schools. It is not an ancient medieval bread; rather, it is a living, handmade ritual—a soft, golden loaf shaped into a dragon, baked for a harvest table, and shared in the spirit of courage and community.

In the older Christian imagery of Michaelmas, Saint Michael confronts and defeats the dragon. In many contemporary Waldorf-inspired celebrations, the dragon can also represent fear, doubt, anger, distraction, or untamed inner energy: something to meet with courage and guide with care.

Making dragon bread gives that idea a physical form. The dough begins soft and lively. With patient hands, it is shaped, rested, baked, and shared. The result does not need to be perfect. A crooked tail, puffy feet, or uneven spikes are part of its character.

Recipe credit: I used Kerenza De Freitas’s Sourdough Sweet Hawaiian Rolls recipe for Jovial Foods as the base dough for this Michaelmas dragon bread. Jovial’s Sourdough Sweet Hawaiian Rolls.

The instructions below are my tested adaptation for shaping, proofing, baking, and serving the dough as one dragon-shaped centerpiece loaf.jovialfoods

for full ingredients and product listing, visit my AZ curated storefront

The two-day rhythm

This is a two-day bake. Begin the stiff sweet starter in the early morning, mix and ferment the dough in the afternoon, refrigerate overnight, then shape and bake your dragon the following day. *Full Process time is 22 hours with active prep at 1 hour 15 minutes, and actual bake time is 30 minutes.

Time What to do
Day 1, 7:00 a.m. Mix the stiff starter from the original recipe.
Day 1, about 3:00 p.m. When the starter is doubled, puffy, and spongy, make the tangzhong and mix the main dough following Jovial’s method.
Day 1, afternoon Rest the dough, incorporate butter, complete three gentle coil folds, then continue the warm bulk fermentation.
Day 1, about 9:00 p.m. Cover well and refrigerate overnight.
Day 2, 7:00 a.m. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it relax briefly while still cool.
Day 2, about 7:20 a.m. Shape the dragon on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Day 2, about 7:50–10:50 a.m. Cover and proof until expanded, puffy, jiggly, and visibly aerated.
Day 2, about 11:00 a.m. Brush with egg wash and bake at 375°F.
Day 2, about noon Brush with honey butter, let rest 20–30 minutes, and serve warm.

Use the dough’s appearance rather than the clock as your final guide. In my test bake, the final proof took about three hours, and the thickest part of the dragon reached 200°F after 30 minutes at 375°F.

If you would like a full step by step time schedule to print, this is my ideal schedule for our afternoon school celebration. Michaelmas_Dragon_7AM_Starter_Schedule.pdf

Shape the dragon

Once the cold dough has relaxed for 15–20 minutes, turn it onto a lightly oiled surface. Einkorn dough can be delicate and sticky, so handle it gently. Use a bench scraper, lightly floured hands, or a little oil as needed.

Prepare the pan. Line a baking sheet with parchment before you begin. Shape directly on the parchment so you will not need to move the dragon after its details are attached.

Build the body. Shape the main portion of dough into a long U-shaped body. Rather than rolling it back and forth, gently stretch and tuck the underside to create surface tension while preserving the dough’s air.

Create the head. Form a triangular head at one end of the body. Pinch and tuck the connection gently but firmly. You may shape a small opening for a mouth with scissors later.

Add two legs. Shape two short legs from dough taken from the body or a reserved portion. Attach them securely beneath or alongside the body. Keep them broad and simple; fine details will expand and soften during proofing.

Taper the tail. Pull or shape the other end into a tapering tail. Curve it gently so it fits on the pan and has room to rise.

Make dorsal spikes. With clean kitchen scissors, cut shallow V-shaped snips along the back. Keep the snips shallow enough that the body remains intact. Add small horns or other features if you wish.

Decorate simply. Add edible eyes only if they are pressed deeply into the dough. Pumpkin seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, or cloves can work well. Almond slices and slivers make great scales and spikes. Keep decorations minimal; the golden shape and soft texture are enough.

Cover for the final proof. I covered my dragon with an inverted roasting pan as a protective hood. A lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap or another roomy cover can work as well, as long as it does not touch the dough.

Know when it is ready

Do not wait for the dragon to double exactly. A shaped enriched dough can lose fine features if over-proofed. Look for these signs instead:

  • The body is visibly larger and softly rounded.

  • The dough has a gentle jiggle when the pan is moved.

  • Small air bubbles are visible beneath the surface.

  • The dragon still holds its overall shape.

  • A light fingertip press springs back slowly and leaves a slight impression.

When it is nearly ready, open your oven and move your wire shelf to the middle of the oven. begin preheating the oven to 375°F.

Bake and finish

Whisk one whole egg with a teaspoon of water or milk, then brush the dragon with a thin, even layer of egg wash. Bake at 375°F for approximately 30 minutes.

Begin checking the thickest part at 30 minutes. My successful test dragon reached 200°F internally at that point. If the head, horns, or dorsal spikes darken before the center is baked, tent those areas loosely with foil, but this was not necessary for my dragon.

Brush the hot dragon with pineapple honey butter. Allow it to rest for at least 20–30 minutes before cutting into slices.

Set the Michaelmas table

Serve the dragon warm with salted butter, apple butter, honey, a harvest soup, roasted squash, cheese, or a bowl of apples. A simple table can include a naturally dyed cloth in gold, or red; gathered leaves and seed pods; an autumn flower; and a candle or lantern.

Traditionally Aster Flowers and Blackberries are included.

Before sharing the bread, invite everyone at the table to name one small act of courage or care for the new season. For children, that might be trying something new, helping with a task, speaking kindly, apologizing, or asking for help.

Dragon bread is not meant to be flawless. It is meant to be made, shared, and remembered: a warm, flour-dusted ritual for entering the darker season together.

 

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Einkorn Dragon Bread - Sourdough Hawaiian Style

Maria Calderon

Servings

13

Prep Time

1 hours

Cook Time

30 minutes

Calories

244

Full Process time is 26 hours with active prep at 1 hour 15 minutes, and actual bake time is 30 minutes.

Einkorn Dragon Bread - Sourdough Hawaiian Style

Ingredients

  • Stiff Sweet Starter
  • 30g (2 tablespoons) sourdough starter
  • 60g (½ cup) Jovial All-Purpose Einkorn Flour
  • 30g (2 tablespoons) water
  • 12g (1 tablespoon) sugar
  • Tangzhong
  • 30g (¼ cup) Jovial All-Purpose Einkorn Flour
  • 120g (¼ cup) milk
  • Main Dough
  • 440g (3 ⅔ cups) Jovial All-Purpose Einkorn Flour
  • stiff sweet starter (from above)
  • Tangzhong
  • 1 egg
  • 50g sugar (¼ cup)
  • 28g cream cheese softened (2 tablespoons)
  • 60g milk (¼ cup)
  • 120g pineapple juice (½ cup)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 28g butter, softened (2 tablespoons)

  • 1 Egg

  • 1 tsp water
  • Honey Butter
  • 1 tbsp Honey
  • 1 tbsp Butter

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, combine the stiff starter ingredients. Mix with a fork and continue to bring together until you form a dough ball. Cover with cling wrap for 8-10 hours.
  2. Make the Tangzhong: In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk the flour and milk until it forms a thick paste and reaches a temperature of around 150° F. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with cling wrap, and set aside to cool. You can place it in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling.
  3. In a medium or large bowl with a Dough whisk (or stand mixer with the dough hook attachment), add all the main dough ingredients except the butter. If using stand mixer, Turn the mixer on low and mix until it all comes together, or hand mix with dough whisk until all dry ingredients are incorporated. This may take 1 -2 minutes with a stand mixer. 4 minutes by hand. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  4. Turn the mixer back on low and slowly add the softened butter a little at a time, or begin hand mixing with dough whisk while adding. Continue mixing after all the butter has been added for approximately 5 minutes with a stand mixer, or 7-8 by hand.
  5. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough from the mixer into the bowl. If hand mixing, prepare an additional large bowl to transfer. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to help remove the dough. Cover the bowl and rest for 30 minutes.
  6. After the 30 minutes, perform a coil fold (see notes) then rest again for 30 minutes. Repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 coil folds. Cover the bowl after the last coil fold and continue to ferment in a warm area for another 3.5-4 hours.
  7. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator for 8-10 hours.
  8. Line an 12 x 24” baking pan with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge and empty onto a lightly oiled work surface. Use a bowl scraper to help remove the dough.
  9. Begin to elongate your dough without compressing it. create a long U or circular shape on your parchment, stretching the tail side to where it gets smaller, but not too thin, as it will burn.
  10. begin to shape the head into a triangular shape, pressing in the space by the eyes, and nostrils at the tip. Optional dried fruit eyes, or nostil holes.
  11. begin to cut 1/4 inch cuts with scissors along the spine all the way down the back of the dragon to the tail, cut our 4 legs 1/2 way from the middle on all 4 sides and pull the legs away from the body. Put 4 almond slivers in each foot.
  12. begin to put almond slivers along the side of the spine where you made your 2 rows of cuts, going all the way down to the tail. every 1/2 inch, or to your desired aesthetic.
  13. Tent the Dragon with cling wrap, or use a large dome lid from a roasting oven, and cling wrap all openings to seal in moisture. Let it rise for 3-4 hours or until about doubled and puffy.
  14. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the dough rolls with egg wash
  15. bake for 30 minutes or until internal temperature is 200 degrees. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with the honey butter.
  16. Serve Warm, or Enjoy same day for fluffiest texture
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