Let's talk about color before Saturday.

⭐

🔥

A few of you have reached out this week about the marbled loaf colorants, and I want to address it now so nobody's scrambling Friday night.

Here's the situation: butterfly pea flower powder, activated charcoal, and red sweet potato powder are specialty ingredients. They're gorgeous in the loaf. But if you can't find them locally, you still have options.

𝗕𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗮 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 (𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲/𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗹𝗲): This one's the trickiest to substitute because nothing else naturally gives you that color without affecting flavor. If you can't find it, blueberry powder is a solid backup. It'll give you a softer, more muted blue-purple. Fresh or frozen blueberries reduced to a paste also work. The color won't be as vivid, but the swirl will still be beautiful.

𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗹 (𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸/𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘆): This is actually the easiest swap. Cocoa powder, especially Dutch-process, will give you a deep, rich dark swirl. It adds a subtle chocolate flavor, which most people consider a bonus. If you want purely black without chocolate flavor, squid ink works if you have access to it, but cocoa is the move for most home bakers.

𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗱𝗲𝗿 (𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗸/𝗿𝗲𝗱): Beet powder is your best friend here. You'll find it at Whole Foods, health food stores, or online. Same deep, earthy pigment. Ann, this one's for you specifically. Beet powder will work beautifully for what you're after.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄: These colorants go into your dough layers, not the enriched base. Mix each colorant with a tablespoon or two of warm water to make a paste before incorporating. That keeps distribution even and prevents dry pockets.

One more thing: the color will shift in the oven. Butterfly pea turns more grey-lavender. Beet can fade. That's normal. The marbling pattern is what makes this loaf stunning, and that comes from how you layer and roll, not just the color intensity.

Drop your questions below. If you're still hunting for any of these ingredients, tell me where you're located and I'll help you find the fastest path to a solution before Saturday morning.

We're almost there. Saturday's going to be a good one.

Henry ⭐🔥

12 comments