#dragon bread

Dough:  50 g active yeast  1,5 dl (0,5 cups) rapeseed oil  5 dl (2 cups) milk (I used rice milk to give the bread a lighter texture)  A pinch of salt  2 tesp vanilla sugar  1 dl (0,4 cups) caster sugar  About 14-15 dl (6 - 6,5 cups) flour 

Filling:  100 g soft butter or margarine  1 dl (0,4 cups) caster sugar  3 tesp vanilla sugar or the seeds from one vanilla pod 

Start by making the dough. Crumb the yeast in a bowl, mix with the oil and milk untill the yeast has dissolved. Add salt, sugar, vanilla and gradually add the flour untill combined to a smooth dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave to ferment for about 1 - 1,5 hours, untill the dough has doubled in size. 

I know in similar recipes, people heat the liquid before mixing with yeast, but I always use cold, since it develops more flavour that way. But of course, that means the dough has to ferment for longer. But in my opinion, it’s worth it.

When fermented, dust a clean surface with flour and move the fermented dough there. Cut away about a quarter of the dough to make the feet and head and set aside. Roll the rest of the dough flat with a rolling pin dusted with flour. 

Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla to a smooth paste for the filling, and spread over the sheet of dough, like on the picture below. 

Then, roll the edge over and fold it over, like a chelsea roll or cinnamon bun untill you have a roll. I don’t really know how to explain this better, and I apologize if I don’t make sense, but just roll untill you have a roll. When you have a tight roll, CAREFULLY move it to a baking tray dressed with baking paper. Roll a head and four little feet out of the rest of the dough you saved from earlier, like on the picture under. 

Starting to look like something, eh? Well, now comes the fun part. With the help of a sharp pair of scissors, cut the spike pattern on top of the dragon. 

Then do the same with the head and use a knife to cut the feet into toes. I also cut a mouth with the help of a sharp, small knife. For the eyes on Vanilla Porrelth Hungry the Third, I used dried kidney beans. 

Let your dragon ferment for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat an oven to 175 ºC (350 ºF) When fermented, throw it into the oven. 

There’a Vanilla Porrelth Hungry the Third, just chilling in the oven, getting nice and baked. After about 30 minutes, I covered my dragon with some aluminum foil, because the spikes were starting to burn. 

Bake for a total of 45-50 minutes.