Lembas recipe from The Lord of the Rings
Lembas
At one point in Tolkien's trilogy The Lord of the Rings, the group of heroes
assigned to destroy the One Ring encounter the kingdom of elves in Lothlorien, led by
their queen, Galadriel. Among the many gifts given to the Fellowship before they
depart Galadriel's realm are parcels of the elvish waybread, lembas. Akin in design
but better tasting than the dwarfish creation known as cram, lembas was
created for long journeys to places where food cannot be found or expected.
and is said to keep indefinitely, so long as the cakes remain intact,
wrapped in the mallorn leaves which comprise their usual Middle-Earth
packaging, Alas, we live in a far less magical time and place, but a close
approximation can be made of the bread that sustained Frodo and company to
the very slopes of Mount Doom.
2 1/2 cups flour (white, whole wheat, combination, doesn't matter)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup sugar, honey, molasses or maple syrup
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Blend all dry ingredients in a single bowl.
Cut in butter or margarine with a pastry blender, fork, two knives used
scissor-fashion or a clean hand until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Form a "well" in the middle of the mixture & add liquid ingredients.
Stir together only until the dough is formed. Do not overknead.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out to 1/4 inch
thickness. Use a large round (minimum 2 1/2 inches in diameter) or leaf-shaped cookie
cutter or glass or cup to cut out each lembas. Score each with a sharp knife
almost, but not through the lembas, into quarters if round or, if leaf-shaped, to
follow the "veins" of the leaf. Brush tops with milk or butter.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes
or until tops are firm and light golden brown.
Yields vary with the flour used and the size of the cutter used: count on at
least 12 to14 per batch if using a full-size teacup for cutting. These should keep
as well as any biscuit with similar care. The scope for variation with this
recipe is enormous.
