On 29 September, we celebrate Michaelmas, a festival of courage, strength and facing your own inner ‘dragon’. And what could be a better match than a real dragon bread? 🐉 Sharing and eating this fierce dragon bread together has become a beloved tradition in many Waldorf schools. But of course, you don’t have to wait for the school celebration: with this step-by-step guide by Ilona Gerretsen-Barata, you can make your own fiery dragon at home!
Step 1
Gather everything you need and prepare the dough according to the bread recipe of your choice (at the very bottom of this blog you’ll find the recipe we use!)
Step 2 - Base shape
Once the dough has risen, you can start shaping the dragon’s base form. Make sure you have enough space to work and form the dragon directly on the baking tray. This way, you won’t need to move it later.
Divide the dough into five pieces: four small, equal, elongated shapes for the legs, and one larger, elongated shape for the body. At one end of the body, use a little extra dough to form the head. Let the other end gradually taper into a narrow, pointed tail.
Assemble all the parts into one whole. Place the front legs just under the neck and gently bend them in a curve towards the head. Position the back legs just before the start of the tail and angle them towards the tail.
Step 3 - Mouth and nostrils
Make a ball of aluminium foil to keep the dragon’s mouth open during baking. You can lightly grease the foil or dust it with a little flour, so it’s easier to remove afterwards.
Use scissors to cut the mouth open and place the foil ball inside. Then make two smaller balls of aluminium foil for the nostrils. Press these into the dough above the mouth and shape the head until you’re satisfied with the form.
Step 4 - Eyes and teeth
Press two olives into the widest part of the head to form the eyes. Use almonds as teeth and press them into the mouth. Make sure to leave enough space to remove the ball of aluminium foil from the mouth later.
Step 5 - Spikes and toes
By making small cuts in the dough, you create beautiful spikes. Add spikes along the back and the tail. The deeper you cut, the larger the spikes will be. On the back, you can make smaller snips, while on the tail you can cut a bit deeper in a single row to create larger spikes.
You can also shape the legs with the scissors. Make two cuts in each leg to form three toes. After cutting, gently shape the toes into points.
Step 6 - Decorate with seeds
To finish the dragon, press pumpkin seeds or small pieces of almond into the dough. You can use the seeds as scales, but also as claws. Decorate the dragon however you like, let your imagination lead the way!
Step 7 - Into the oven!
And then comes the exciting moment: the dragon is ready for the oven! Bake it according to the temperature and baking time of your chosen bread recipe. Keep a close eye on it while baking. Every oven is different, and since the dragon doesn’t have a standard shape, it may need a little more or less time. You may also need to turn the baking tray once during baking for an even result.
Let the bread cool slightly after baking, then carefully remove the aluminium foil from the mouth and nostrils. Sometimes the teeth may feel a bit loose after removing the foil, gently press them back into place if needed.
Now it’s time to defeat the dragon… enjoy!
Multigrain dragon bread recipe
Ingredients:
- 600 g wheat flour
- 300 g wholegrain flour
- 100 g rye flour (or 100 g extra wholegrain flour)
- 14 g dry yeast
- 20 g salt
- 2 tbsp honey or syrup
- 660 ml lukewarm water
- 100-150 g seeds of your choice
Method:
- Place all ingredients except the water in a large bowl.
- Add 660 ml lukewarm water.
- Knead for 5-7 minutes.
- Leave the dough to rise, covered, for 60 minutes.
- Shape and decorate the dragon.
- Leave the dough to rise again for 40–50 minutes.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 220°C (top and bottom heat).
- Reduce the temperature to 200°C and bake for another 20-25 minutes.