Beet Bread

From Tablespoon’s “Taste for Adventure” website. Makes one round loaf

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 cups raw beet puree (about 2 1/2 peeled medium beets)
• 3 ½ to 4 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

1. Make the beet puree – peel 2 large or 2 ½ medium beets and chop into 1/4-inch pieces. Puree in a food processor with 1/2 cup milk until mixture is smooth and free of lumps.
2. In a small bowl, combine yeast, sugar and water. Let rest 5 minutes.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Add in yeast mixture, beet puree, and olive oil. Mix until just combined.
4. Knead (by hand or with stand mixer fitted with the dough hook) about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
5. Remove risen dough from bowl and shape into round ball. Place dough on baking stone or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cover loosely with lightly greased piece of plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place an empty broiler pan on the rack beneath where you'll put the baking stone or sheet. Before baking the bread, sprinkle the loaf with a little flour and make an X shape on the top with a serrated knife.
7. Place the bread in the oven and pour 1 cup hot water into the broiler pan, closing the oven door immediately. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the bottom center of the loaf reads 190 degrees.8.Allow bread to cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing or serving.

Be sure to wear gloves when handling the beets and the dough or you might literally be caught red-handed!