•• Lembas (Elvish Waybread) Recipe
"Lembas. One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man." - Legolas
And he's right. I was on my fifth bite and I was actually full from it.
Here's a really simple and tasty Lembas recipe that every LotR fan should have. The result is delicious and you don't need to be an expert at cooking to be able to make this ;-)

And just before you start, maybe you ought to grab yourself a little background information about this Elvish lembas. 'Lembas' is a Sindarin word. It mwans 'way-bread'. In Quenya, 'lembas' is called 'coimas'. 'Coimas' means 'life-bread' in Quenya, for those who don't know. The name came from early Elvish 'lenn' (journey) and 'mbass' (bread). So lembas (or coimas) is the waybread of the Elves, formed into thin cakes, each of which was enough for a day's journey. Lembas could be kept fresh for many days if it was kept unbroken in its mallorn leaf wrapping. The recipe was originally a secret held by Melian the Maia of Doriath, but she passed it on later to Galadriel. It is an Elvish variation of the Men's cram, but probably much tastier and filling. It is believed that Tolkien's lembas was inspired by soldiers' hardtack. Lembas is what was given to the Fellowship by Galadriel when they left Lórien, and what Melian gave to Beleg when he left to find Túrin.

Ingredients:
• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 8 tablespoons of cold butter (1 stick)
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup/honey
• 2/3 cup of milk/heavy cream (or more, if necessary)
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celcius (425 degrees Fahrenheit).
2) Mix the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
3) Add the butter and mix with a fork or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles fine granules.
4) Add the sugar and cinnamon, and mix them thoroughly into the mixture.
5) Add the milk/cream and vanilla and stir them in with a fork until a nice, thick dough forms.
6) Roll the dough out about 1/2 in thickness.
7) Cut out 3-inch squares and transfer the dough to a cookie sheet.
8) Criss-cross (DO NOT cut all the way) each square from corner-to-corner with a knife.
9) Bake for about 12 minutes or more (depending on the thickness of the bread) until it is set and lightly golden.

(the recipe makes about 10-12 pieces of lembas)

Bon appetit!

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