The Hunger Games: Peeta’s Raisin and Nut Bread
By the time I reached home, the loaves had cooled some- what, but the insides were still warm. When I dropped them on the table, Prim’s hands reached to tear off a chunk, but I made her sit, forced my mother to join us at the table, and poured warm tea. I scraped off the black stuff and sliced the bread. We ate an entire loaf, slice by slice. It was good hearty bread, filled with raisins and nuts.
THE HUNGER GAMES
The Hunger Games: Peeta’s Raisin and Nut Bread
The Hunger Games: Peeta's Raisin and Nut Bread
A recipe for Peeta's raisin and nut bread from the book and movie series, The Hunger Games.
Ingredients
- .5oz / 15g - yeast
- 1 cup / 8oz / 227g - water
- 6 oz / 180g - sourdough starter
- 1 pound / 480g - bread flour
- .5oz / 15g - salt
- 1 cup - walnuts roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup - raisins
Instructions
- Warm 2oz of the water to 110F. Mix in the yeast and set aside for 10 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl fitted with a dough hook, combine the rest of the water, starter, and 10oz of the bread flour, Mix until the mixture comes together forming a soft dough.
- Add the salt and the remaining flour. Knead the dough on medium high speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Check the dough for gluten development with the window pane method. If the dough doesn't tare, it's ready for the next step. If not, knead for a few more minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead in the chopped nuts and raisins. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the dough in a warm area for one hour or until doubled in size.
- Gently punch the dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into what shape your prefer. For the loaf, flatten the dough into a rectangle and fold the top third of the dough down towards the center. Fold the bottom third to the center as well. Tuck the end of dough on the right in. Roll the top of down towards the work surface closest to you. This will create a new seam. Pinch the dough together to seal the seam.
- Proof the bread with the seam side up. Be sure to generously flour your bread basket or sheet pan to prevent any sticking.
- Preheat the oven to 500F. Place a large dutch oven in the oven to heat along with the oven. When the oven is hot, quickly remove the cast iron form the oven and carefully tip the bread into the cast iron. Make sure the seam is on the bottom.
- Score the top of the bread with a sharp knife or lame. Place the lid back on and place it back into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes and remove the lid of the dutch oven. Bake for another 20 minutes until the loaf is golden brown.
- To determine if the bread is cooked, it should have a nice golden crust and it should hollow when tapped on the bottom. Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing.
- To make it just like Peeta's loaf for Katniss, burn one end with a torch until you achieve the desired effect.
