Small Batch Cupcakes and Halloween Decorating: Spider Webs

I had a spark of creativity! I’m going to do something a little different in the way of the metaphysical in this one. I’m talking about the energy of spiders. No, we’re not cooking with actual spiders; don’t worry. Being that Halloween is almost upon us I decided I wanted to decorate some cupcakes with spider webs and the idea struck that this would be a fun and new way to add correspondences to kitchen witchery. I’m sure I’m not the first to bring animal correspondences to decorating but it’s a fun little twist on the idea of sigils and is a little more undercover. So stay tuned below for a little information about spider energy and symbology.

For those of you here just for cooking though I have a small batch recipe of cupcakes. I really like finding small batches of baked goods because I don't really have a sweet tooth but sometimes I just get that craving. Below we will go through making cupcakes, icing and the easiest way to decorate cupcakes with spider webs!

SMALL BATCH CUPCAKES
Yields: 5 cupcakes

Ingredients

Batter:

1/2 cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 large egg
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup milk, 2% or higher recommended

Icing:

¾ cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp milk
Food colouring

Directions:

We’ll start with our cupcakes. Preheat your oven to 350.

Combine flour, salt, baking powder.











In a separate bowl whisk together your egg and sugar for about 30 seconds. Work quickly to avoid burning your egg (yeah, sugar and egg reacts to create a weird burnt taste!) Add in your vanilla and melted butter and whisk until well combined.

Add half of your dry ingredient mix and stir just until combined. Add in the milk. Stir just until combined. Add the rest of your dry ingredients and, you guessed it, stir just until combined. Resist over mixing.

**witchy tip** You have so many opportunities to stir in your intentions with this one. Maybe think about breaking your intention into smaller pieces and really focusing on a single aspect with each stir.

Divide the batter evenly between 5 muffin tin cups that have either been lined or generously greased. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cool completely on cooling rack before icing!







While we wait for those to cool we can make out icing. We’re going to need 2 different colours to make the webs. One of those colours can obviously be white.

** witchy tip ** choose colours that match your intention to add a little extra oomph


Beat butter and sugar together until smooth. I do most things by hand including this but you can definitely, and maybe should, use a mixer.

Add vanilla extract and one tsp of milk. Beat until light and fluffy. If using a mixer I suggest medium speed for several minutes. For those of us doing git by hand it will take a little longer but it's a great arm workout! At this point you can adjust the consistency if need be by adding more milk to thin it out or more sugar to thicken it up. we want a relatively loose icing for what were doing for decorating.

Split your icing into two small bowls at about 1 third and two thirds. The colour you are using for the web strings will be the smaller amount. Colour accordingly. Keep in mind adding too much food colouring will affect the consistency of your icing. If you have piping bags and tips they will come in handy but if not don’t fret! You can make your own with a plastic bag, plastic wrap or wax paper. Simply cut a small hole or roll up into a cone and tape a sheet of plastic or wax paper.




Once cooled ice the tops of your cupcakes with the base colour making sure the tops are relatively smooth and flat. The next step is to use your piping bag and small tip to create a bullseye. You want the center to be about a ¼ inch thick and then the rest of the circles around it to be the width of the tip about an ⅛ inch across. You can put the other circles at whatever distance you want depending on how dense you want your webs to be. Finally you are going to draw the other lines. This is the fun part. You can use a toothpick, the point end of a decorating nail or simply a fork tine or butter knoe. Staring at the center, drag your point through the icing all the way out to the edge. This should transform your loves into those tell tale curves of a spider web. Continue around the whole bullseye again at the density that you want.

And there you go a small batch of cupcakes ready to go for Halloween.

Onto the witchy stuff!

Spider energy! Spiders are already associated with the “mundane” holiday of Halloween but it's Spider energy! Spiders are already associated with the “mundane” holiday of Halloween but its oddly perfect for this time of year in the metaphysical department too. She is associated with our shadow self and we are entering the dark half of the year which is often a time of introspection and healing.

Spiders web specifically reminds us of how everything is intertwined: in our personal lives, our spiritual lives, the state of the world and across time and space. It reminds us that there is a connection between past and future (within our current lives as well as past lives and our ancestors before us) but that we also have the chance to make our own decisions and change our destiny. When paying attention and working with this energy we can be more aware of what lies ahead, both positive and negative, the way a spider can feel her prey struggle on her web.

While spiders are generally associated with female (yin, cold) energy she, like a nurturing mother, can switch from still and patient to a lightning strike of ferocity in an instant. She can be both gentle and vicious. She reminds us that there is a balance between the past and the future, masculine and feminine, delicate and strong.

Spider is associated with the number eight both for her eight legs as well as the shape of her body which is similar to that of figure eight, also the infinity symbol. Which in numerology is associated with life cycles, beginning to end and repeating.

Her elaborate weaving skills while symbolically can be seen as that great web of fate can more tangible be seen as beautiful natural art. So she is also connected to our creative selves.

So call upon spider energy when you are feeling in a rut, especially if that rut is a creative block. Remember her when you are trying to manifest your life long dream. Ask her to guide you to your destiny and find the strength to make those necessary changes. Ask her to help you rid yourself of the things from your past that are holding you back and to instead find strength in them, to utilize your past lessons.

Get out there and get creative! Begin a new journey! And don’t forget to tell me about your experience following Spider across her magnificent web of Fate!

SABBAT SERIES: Samhain -- Apple Roses

I'm so excited for another holiday! While a lot of us wont be celebrating Halloween the way we usually do that doesn't mean we cant celebrate. Along with Zoom pumpkin carving parties and watching scary movies we can celebrate the thinning of the veil with Samhain (pronounced Sah-wen;) also called All Hallows Eve and as mentioned before Halloween is celebrated on the same day and, following on November 1st is All hallows day/ All Saints day. Farther down I'll explain a little bit more about Samhain but first on to the recipe!

These apple roses can be used as a dessert or garnish. Are super simple and super versatile (which is a theme in my kitchen if you haven't noticed.)

I got a little lazy with this one and used pre-made pastry dough even though I've been telling myself I want to try making my own for a while now. I'll get to it and show you along the way when I do! But if you have your own recipe feel free to substitute that for the dough i used.

APPLE ROSES

Ingredients:
(These will yield about 4 roses so definitely double or triple if you're feeding many or serving it as a main dessert.)

1 tube croissant (or comparable puff pastry)
1 lrg/ 2 small apples (I used 2 Macintosh for reference, I think something sturdier like Delicious or Granny Smith would handle this recipe better)
water for boiling
~ 1tbsp fruity preserve of your choice (I went with a delicious cherry and coffee jam from a local company)

- other ingredients may include cheese and herbs and spices

Directions:

Cut your apple into quarters around the core. Slice into very thin slices ensuring you have a round side on the long side of your slice. (see picture for what i mean)









Bring a small pot of water to a boil then turn to medium heat keeping it at a simmer. Boil your apple slices just until pliable, working in small batches. I'm hesitant to give a time because it will depend on your apple as well as the thickness of your slices but they could be ready as early as 1 minute so don't walk away! You want soft not mushy.







Remove the slices (I used what I call a pierogi spoon but it's a flat slotted spoon, you can also use a colander or sieve) to a baking sheet to cool. They should cool pretty quickly being on a metal surface.

Preheat your oven according to the instructions on your pastry dough (Mine was to 375 and suggests 10-12 minutes.)






Roll out your pastry dough. Depending on what you can your measurements will be different. I flattened my dough a little more and got strips about 1.5 inches wide and 10 inches long. The width is more important than the length.









Place a very small amount of your jam in the center of the strip. We want to be stingy because we don't want the jam squirting out of the rose and destroying the aesthetic. Line your apple slices along one edge, curved edge sticking off the side and overlapping slightly. Fold your dough in half encasing the slices but leaving that rounded edge out. Pinch off the edges and roll creating your rose shape with ease.

**pro tip** to fancy these up or make them less dessert, add thinly sliced cheese and/or savory herbs to the inside of your rolls. Along this line your preserve could be a pesto rather than a jam!

Place in a lightly greased oven tin to keep its shape. Once all have been rolled place in your oven for the time allotted by your tube or recipe. check them. if they aren't quite golden brown a little extra time may be needed.

Et voila!

If serving as a dessert I suggest serving with a compote, swish of jam and/or ice cream.

On to Samhain! The thinning of the veil and for many witches and pagans the end of the year. The reason it is viewed as the end of the year is that it symbolizes the last harvest (because I used to really BE the last harvest.) It is the first holiday of the dark half of the year and is one of two holidays where we see the thinning of the veil; the other being Beltane. While just like Beltane the veil thins between all realms we generally focus on the spirits and out ancestors at Samhain but that doesn't mean the Fae aren't very close to us too.

Other than the thinning of the veil we focus on the following: bereavement and veneration of those passed, survival and preparation for the winter and darkness, love, release and renewal.

As always seasonal food is important but to zone in a little further Samhain usually revolves around apples, pickles and other preserves, squash, hazelnuts, corn, cider, herbal tea and meats. I want to point out 2 things specifically as they relate to the preparation for winter and that is the meats and pickles and preserves as they really send home the idea of getting rid of perishables and saving them any way we can before the winter hits.

I have a few things that I will be doing to celebrate but i want to share with you one of them: the dumb supper. Traditionally this meal is served backwards and in complete silence (hence "dumb.") You place a plate at the table for your ancestors or other spirits that may pass through. I am making one change that during my supper I won't be quiet but will be reminiscing about memories of the past as well as doing a "catch up" conversation. You know how around the holidays you get together with your extended family and you tell them what been going on throughout the year since you last saw them at Easter? Same deal with those that have passed. Not is the easiest time to visit and they want to know what you've been up to!

Anyway, the only real correspondence to look at here is Apples. And then what ever jam or other fun stuff you add to your roses but that's for you to research (and tell me abut!) Like I said with the cider recipe, apples are probably one of the most mentioned fruit in mythology but I want to keep it short and sweet for you!

Apples: love, fidelity, fertility, marriage, beauty, vanity, wisdom, the soul, the afterlife and immortality

Quite a fitting correspondence methinks.

Let me know what you come up with and tell me if you have yourself a dumb supper; I'd love to hear about it!

Short and Gritty

Ingredients:

1 tube croissant (or comparable puff pastry)
1 lrg/ 2 small apples (I used 2 Macintosh for reference, i think something sturdier like Delicious or Granny Smith would handle this recipe better)
water for boiling
~ 1tbsp fruity preserve of your choice (I went with a delicious cherry and coffee jam from a local company)

- other ingredients may include cheese and herbs and spices

Directions:

1. Quarter apple around core and slice very thin ensuring a long curved edge
2. Boil slices just until pliable, over cooking = mush
3. Cool on baking sheet
4. Preheat to pastry guidelines on tube or in recipe
5. Roll out pastry, cut into strips
6. Put a small line of preserve along the middle of strip,
7. Lay slices along top edge slightly overlapping with curved edge hanging off
8. Fold pastry, pinch edges and roll into roe
9. Place in lightly greased muffin tin and bake according to pasty instructions. check and let cook a little longer if not golden

Home-cooked Comfort: Lasagna

Lasagna! A favourite for people of all ages. Something that can easily be adjusted and even given a twist! We’re going super classic but I would love to delve into some of the more fun recipes too like white lasagna and Tex-Mex lasagna at a future date.

I actually used to not like lasagna very much. I know; it’s just pasta in cake form. I don't know what turned me off of it. There were a few of those plain, every kid loves them things that I just wasn't a fan of that I love now! This one is very plain so feel free to add whatever vegetables and spices you’d like (or go with a pre-made Italian seasoning) to it; I won’t be offended. You can also switch the cottage cheese to ricotta and you can use pre-made pasta sauce if you like.

**pro tip** add a little water to your pre-made (or your favourite recipe) sauce because the lasagna noodles are going to soak up some moisture and the last thing we want is a dry lasagna!

LASAGNA

Ingredients:

1 small cooking onion (I use yellow or Spanish)
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp oregano
½ tbsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
salt and pepper to taste
1lb ground beef (or any other ground meat you like)
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water

About 14 Par cooked lasagna noodles
1 tub cottage cheese

2 cups shredded cheese of your choosing (I used old cheddar but a blend of mozzarella and Parmesan is magnifique)

Directions:

So first we’re going to make out sauce.warm a tbsp of cooking oil in a pan. Dice your onion and mince your garlic. Add to the heated oil and cook until translucent. Add your spice mix and cook for another 2 minutes. Add in your beef and cook thoroughly breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Add your tomatoes and water, bring to a simmer and turn off the heat.




Lightly oil your baking dish. Put a very small amount of sauce along the bottom to ensure your noodles will get moisture from all sides. Lay down your first layer of noodles. Mine fit 3 across and a half one on the end.







Spread about a third of your cottage cheese across the noodles, followed by about a ¼ of your sauce better to be a little generous. Lay down your next layer of noodles and follow the same steps. You should get 4 layers of noodles.







When you come to the last layer you will not use any cottage cheese and it’s okay if you have a little less sauce than the other layers. You will top this with shredded cheese (layers should go noodle, cottage cheese, sauce, noodle, cottage cheese, sauce, noodle, cottage cheese, sauce, noodle, sauce, shredded cheese.)







Cover your dish with tinfoil. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake another 5 to 10 minutes to get that lightly browned cheese top.

The only thing left to do is fight over who gets the corner piece!

Rather than sounding like a broken record and telling you what the herbs I’ve used are used for (again...) I want to talk about the two ways we can look at lasagna as a whole. I am planning on setting up a master list of ingredients, so stay tuned for that!

The obvious use for lasagna being as a comfort food. You can expand this to courage building, anxiety calming, or illness soothing. (of course don’t use comfort foods over medical intervention. I am not a doctor and i am not a psychologist or psychiatrist.)

The other is getting to the bottom of something. Whether it be revealing lies, secrets or just a mystery you can view the layers of the lasagna as peeling back the layers on your predicament.

Of course you can stray from either of these ideas and focus on ingredients and/or simply using the layers to really pack in whatever intention you’re focusing on. With each layer repeat your intentions and you are bound to have some very magical food in your oven.


SHORT AND GRITTY

Ingredients:

1 small cooking onion (I use yellow or Spanish)
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp oregano
½ tbsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
salt and pepper to taste
1lb ground beef
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water

About 14 Par cooked lasagna noodles
1 tub cottage cheese

2 cups shredded cheese of your choosing

Directions:

1. Sautee diced onion and minced garlic until transparent
2. Add spice blend and cook another 2 minutes
3. Add ground beef and cook thoroughly
4. Add tomatoes and water, bring to a simmer and turn off the heat
5. Lightly oil baking dish and put a small amount of sauce in the bottom
6. Layer as follows: noodle, cottage cheese, sauce, noodle, cottage cheese, sauce, noodle, cottage cheese, sauce, noodle, sauce, shredded cheese
7. Bake covered with tin foil for 30 - 35 minutes at 350
8. Remove tinfoil and bake another 5 - 10 minutes
9. Fight over the corner piece

Intention Before Correspondence; You are the Power: Kitchen Witchery Basics Part 3

Intention before correspondence. This is a concept that I think is really helpful and important for beginners. What you put into your work is far more important than trying to find the perfect correspondence. In addition to this sometimes you want to look at the parts and sometimes you want to look at the whole. You may see basil as a use for money drawing but lasagna might feel more like a spell to reveal secrets rather than an abundance spell. It’s not going to cloud your intention as long as you are clear with what you want. That's why it’s okay that most ingredients have 5 or 6 or 20 different associations. It’s also okay if you don't have the correspondences you think you need. You can ignore correspondences all together and use just your intention: stir it in, fold it in, visualize, breath, use your own energy.

Your intentions and associations will always trump whatever books and websites tell you. Through life experience you are going to make connections of your own so if they don’t line up with the correspondences you find in research that is okay. Listen to your intuition. If you’ve made an association with something that's always going to end up overpowering the traditional ideas because at the end of the day it is your energy that is being used to catalyze your spellwork. This is especially important if your association has the opposite effect. For example, if you despise the taste and smell of cinnamon but you try to use it for it’s love associations, that spell is probably going to fail. And likewise if you have a loving memory of a recipe where the primary flavour was lemon that’s maybe not going to be the best thing to use in a hex despite its sour taste.

Witch craft is a personal thing. That's really what it comes down to. You don't need to feel pressured to follow anyone else’s correspondences if you don't resonate with them. That being said there’s a reason there are traditions. So I am also not saying to completely disregard anything you read either. In fact there are a lot of correspondences that have their roots in mundane effects. Ingredients that help with heart health are also usually associated with love, the heart chakra and, well, a healthy heart. Ingredients that help with nausea are often associated with calming anxiety, the sacral chakra and, well, digestive issues. Ingredients that are known to help you have better sleep are often associated with divination, the third eye or crown chakra and, well, a good night's sleep (and maybe even protection from nightmares!) I think it’s important to use your intuition but it’s always handy to follow it up with a little research. Witchcraft is a practice after all and we should always be learning new things.

** extra tip ** Tradition also tells us that there are simple substitutes: for any herb you can use rosemary; for any colour, white; for any crystal white, quartz; and for any flower, rose.

So, tradition shouldn’t be completely disregarded and it may help you learn more about yourself too. Which brings me to intuition. I spoke a little on this in my 3 Can Casserole post (and I will do another post which delves a little deeper into it) but basically it goes like this: you’ve been drawn to use an ingredient in some fashion or have noticed you've been grabbing one a lot lately, just like food cravings there's probably a reason! It’s time to sit down and think about what you associate with it and then also do a little research. Keep notes and see if you notice why spirit has drawn you to this ingredient. If you notice a pattern this is called a synchronicity (another term that I guess I should do a post on!) It’s just something to pay attention to. The energies might be trying to tell you something. Not everything is a sign but that doesn't mean ignore everything that could be!

So get out there and do a little soul searching. Here’s two exercises to expand your learning! One, sit down and think about the ingredients you use most often and what you would associate with them and then research them and see what you “got right” and what new ideas you brought to the table. Two, walk into the kitchen and let your intuition guide you to 3 ingredients and do the same and see if you can find anything in your life that lines up (right now and within the next and the last few weeks) with these correspondences.

Let me know in the comments if you try either of these exercises and how they worked out for you!

You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, through email, and Pinterest. All can be found in the sidebar or comment below!

Autumn Favourites: Apple Cider

Another Autumn favourite coming at you! I made this one for the first time last year and not only does it taste delicious it makes your house SMELL amazing!

Apple Cider at its core consists of 3 ingredients (and water) apples, cinnamon and cloves. Beyond that though there are many things we can add into it. A very popular addition is orange to add a little extra sweet, tart and that telltale citrus flavour. I usually do this but my next grocery trip isn't until this weekend. But because I think this is almost a necessary addition I’m going to throw it into the recipe even though I didn't get to do it this time around. As well as the addition of orange there are a bunch of other spices that compliment the flavours and elements of apples namely nutmeg, allspice and ginger. I always prefer whole spices in a recipe like this but dried works too.

**pro tip** if using dried spices I highly recommend cheesecloth over a sieve (or both!) to really separate out the grit of the spices.

You can play around with these spices for different flavour profiles as well as matching your correspondences to your intent a little more pointedly. I know it’s a little early, and I’ll have a Samhain post coming out closer to the date, but this is a great recipe for the holiday. In that vein I suggest adding allspice to your pot as it is specifically associated with Samhain.

I wanted to make this easy to make a batch for just your family as well as a larger batch to serve at gatherings especially with the current state of the world, many of us will not be having a thanksgiving or Halloween gather this year but that doesn't mean we cant have a tiny celebration with our household or get festive with a zoom call!

Ingredients

water
5 apples (a variety of your choosing, I'm using Macintosh)
1 orange
1 cinnamon stick
15 whole cloves

optional
to taste, sweetener (brown sugar, maple syrup etc)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 in slice fresh ginger
1/2 tsp whole allspice

* all spices more or less depending on your preference, WARNING be careful with nutmeg. As I've said before it can cause some health problems if over consumed

Quarter your apples and oranges and place in a stock pot. You should be able to cover your fruits with water plus 2 to 3 inches to avoid boil over.

Add your spices and cover with water. Bring to a simmer on high heat and then lower the heat to medium-high.

 

 

 

Simmer for about 2 hours or until the apples are soft. Grab a wooden spoon or potato masher and squash the hell out of the fruits. This will release the flavours. Simmer for another hour or so.



 

 

Give your cider a taste. If it is to your liking in the spice flavour it's time to strain out all that gunk. Using a fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth (or both!) to do this. You will probably have to move the mixture around a bit to allow the liquid to drain but dont push it down. There will be pulp, you cant get rid of it entirely but you can always double strain it.

 
*pro tip* keep this mash and use it in baking! It's like apple sauce just a little more fibrous. I'm going to use it in muffins in place of the oil so I'll let you know how it turns out (but you'll have to follow me on Instagram)!
Taste your cider again and adjust the sweetness if necessary.

Serve warm now or store in a sealed container in the fridge and heat it up when ready (you can enjoy cold but it's oh so much better warm.)

Bonus points if you enjoy outside under the autumn leaves! I want to see pictures!

Apples: love, fidelity, fertility, marriage, beauty, vanity, wisdom, the soul, the afterlife and immortality.

Cinnamon: spirituality, success, healing, adds energy, protection, prosperity, good luck, love, happiness, and money

Clove: Protection, clarity, banishing evil, love, stopping gossip, money, clairvoyance, keep good friends close, good luck, prosperity exorcism, purification

A cool thing to point out about these correspondences is that the spices are all associated with fire and apples with water so they really come together to balance the elements. I find so many of the ingredients I use are fire based so its refreshing to be able to balance that out with the water element in the apples.

But onto the spellwork...

Since the main ingredient here is apples you may want to use this as a love potion especially with the addition of things like cinnamon and nutmeg, which of course is a great direction to go. I wanted to focus more on the spiritual aspect of these correspondences. (I can't help but be excited for the thinning of the veil and approaching Halloween/Samhain day, especially with the blue moon landing on the 31st.) The other main correspondence of the apple is its attachment to the afterlife, the soul and wisdom. We see apples in a lot of religious stories both Abrahamic and Non-Abrahamic. They make great offerings to the dead as well as a perfect ingredient to add into spellwork to get more in touch with the spirits around you and your ancestors. In addition to apples, cloves and nutmeg can definitely add to this intention with their association with clairvoyance and clarity. So stir in your intentions and sit down in a quiet, safe place and enjoy a meditation focused on contacting your loved ones on the other side.

And let me know if this recipe helped you feel closer to your loved ones, living or passed!

You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, through email, and Pinterest. All can be found in the sidebar or comment below!

DOUGH!: Shapes and Flovours, the basics

It's gonna be kind of a short one today but I think it's a fun one and I really hope everyone can get their creative juices flowing because I would LOVE to see what kind of things you can make.

We're bring dough back again and making it fancy while keeping it relatively simple still. I'm going to lay the foundation work for a few other things I have up my sleeve that build off the idea of different shapes and flavours. So if you haven't already read the DOUGH post go check it out! I'll place the Short and Gritty here for those of you that have a handle on the recipe but need a little refresher:

The Short and Gritty:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp Salt

2 1/2 tsp Yeast
1 1/2 tsp Sugar

2 tbsp Oil
1 cup Warm water

Directions:

1. Mix first two ingredients.
2a. If you're using active cry yeast include the next two ingredients.
2b. If you're using traditional yeast mix last four ingredients together and let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Add wet to dry, mix in the bowl until it comes together into a ball.
4. Turn out onto floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes adding small amounts of flour when it becomes too sticky.
5. Place in greased loaf pan and cover with a clean tea towel. Allow to rise for 40 minutes and then begin preheating your oven to 350.
6. The dough should double in size by the time you put your loaf in the oven. About 10 to 20 minutes after you begin your preheat.
7. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. the loaf should sound hollow when knocked on.
8. Remove to a cooling rack and it is ready for eating.


So what kind of shapes and flavours can we use to make our bread a little more special? The most basic things are buns and herbs. Once I got the hang of making my own bread and stopped buying any form the store i decided to branch out and make most of my bread items at home too. So hamburgers buns, hot dog buns, dinner rolls... I stopped buying those too! The actual fancy part of all of this is being able to add flavours to your bread. the easiest, and honestly the best, way to do this is with dried herbs. Most people have these laying around the house already so it's super easy to walk over to your spice rack and grab something. And this can be ANYTHING.

Before I jump into my favourites lets talk about how to actually do this.

If your going to be flavouring you'll want to add your dried herbs in before you add your wet ingredients. I have tried it both ways and I found that trying to knead them in after is difficult and you end up with clumps of herb. I'm going to be honest with you, I almost never measure my herbs. I kind of just sprinkle until my soul says stop, but I measured while making my bread last night. I did 1 1/2 tsp of dill and I probably could have gone with a little bit more. So, my suggestion in between 1 and 2 tsp per batch of dough.

Next we want to talk about shapes. After you've kneaded your dough you'll want to roll it into a sausage shape and use a pastry cutter or non serrated knife to cut it into equal sized portions. For things like sandwich buns, hamburger buns and hot dog buns I find 6 to be a good yield and dinner rolls around 10 or 12 for one batch of dough. For regular buns roll them into balls or sausages depending on what shape you are going for. But also try out other things! you can shape your dough into anything (triangles and hearts would be fun to play round with) just remember to exaggerate the shape because it's going to expand as it proofs.

Everything else is the same from here except that you'll be baking them on a cookie sheet instead of in a loaf pan. So, lightly oil your pan and place your buns; they will need room to proof so keep that in mind but if they end up touching at the end thats okay they will easily separate after cooking. Let proof for the same amount of time, until the about doubles in size. Then bake for 20 minutes at 360. Just like with your regular sandwich loaf you can brush with oil, butter or egg wash and you can choose to score them or not.

**witchy tip** sigils and scoring are great friends. If you wan to add a little extra magic to your bread scoring your favourite sigil into it is a great way to do it.

I have a fancy tool on my wish list right now so I'm hoping to get it soon and do a whole bunch of scoring to really show you guys what it can look like. Follow me on Instagram for those pictures!


What you've all been waiting for, my favourite herbs and herb mixes to use in my breads.

Rosemary- My absolute go-to. I don't know why but something about rosemary bread just feels right. Sometimes I'll sprinkle a little kosher or sea salt on top of my wash, MMM.
**witchy tip** the all purpose herb, can be substituted in for ay other correspondence.
**witchy tip** home blessing (especially against thieves), faithfulness, exorcism and purification, memory, stop gossip.


Oregano- I'll often throw in oregano when I'm making pizza dough. Sometimes I add a little black pepper and/or garlic powder too. It just adds even more of that Italian flavour.

**witchy tip** happiness, tranquility, luck, health, protection and letting go of a loved one. It can also be used in spells to deepen existing love.


Dill- This one I used for the first time this week and it was amazing! I'll definitely be doing this again for you guys so stay tuned for this specific recipe. It's cheesy!
**witchy tip** Love, money drawing, protection, mental and emotional balance, good luck, dispel jealousy and bad dreams.


Cinnamon or Chai Mix (You can even use that Pumpkin Spice we talked about at the beginning of the month)- this bread is the bomb for breakfast especially French toast. And you can do it one of 2 ways, you can make it like the cinnamon rolls but don't cut it and use a loaf pan or you can mix it in like any other herb or spice.
**witchy tip** healing, home protection, love and lust, money drawing, spirituality, success and speeding up your magick


Okay, that's all for today. I can't wait to see the creations you come up with! Show me over on Facebook or Instagram links in the sidebar!