Before May slips away from us I want to share one of my favorite spring recipes with you. A drippy, dippy egg is one of the loveliest ways to start any weekend morning. Here, thick matchsticks of Homemade Matcha Honey Wheat Bread are dunked into perfectly cooked 4-minute eggs. Served with a mélange of aromatic cut herbs, this humble yet elegant meal celebrates spring’s freshest flavors.
Instead of regular store-bought toast, I make a Matcha Honey Wheat Bread that has a heartier flavor and texture than regular white bread. To enjoy it with Dippy Eggs, you’ll need to plan on making the bread ahead of time, ideally the day before.
When enjoying this light meal, I typically follow a double dipping process where a toast bread stick first takes a plunge into the eggy pool of liquid sunshine before getting lightly pressed into a mound of fresh herbs. Whichever herbs look the most vibrant and fresh at the market will work great here, just be less generous with adding stronger tasting herbs (like rosemary) so that the flavors stay light and bright.
My other favorite herbs to use in this recipe are tarragon, thyme, and even basil. Cut the herbs finely with a super sharp knife so that they are easily picked up by the moistened bread sticks. A light sprinkle of smoked French sea salt makes a tasty finish.
For those of you not feeling the making bread from scratch bit, you can simply slather store-bought, toasted bread with softened salted butter and then top it with a generous sifting of matcha green tea powder. Cut the bread slices into matchsticks (i.e. soldiers) and you’re all set to start dipping!
Dippy Eggs with Matcha Toast Soldiers
Ingredients:
Matcha Honey Wheat Bread (see recipe below)
eggs
chopped herbs (I used a mix of chopped dill, chives, and rosemary)
sea salt to taste (I used Maldon Smoked Sea Salt)
Equipment:
small pot
slotted spoon
egg holder
sharp knife
Directions:
1.) In a small pot, bring water to a full boil (enough water to completely cover eggs). Cut the Matcha Sandwich Bread into long sticks, about 1″x 5″, to make Matcha Toast Soldiers.
2.) Boil eggs for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the bread sticks.
3.) Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the hot water, then carefully place them into the egg holders. Use a sharp knife to slice off the top of the eggs, then sprinkle the eggs with sea salt. Serve immediately with the Matcha Toast Soldiers and chopped herbs on the side.
Matcha Honey Wheat Bread
Makes 1 large loaf.
Ingredients:
1 cup + 2 Tbsp lukewarm water
2 1/4 tsp SAF instant yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups bread flour
2 Tbsp matcha, sifted
2 Tbsp flax meal
3 Tbsp honey
2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp melted butter or non-stick spray, for coating bowl and pan
Equipment:
large stand mixer with dough hook attachment
large bowl
plastic wrap
work surface
pullman loaf pan (13″ or 12 cup capacity)
serrated bread knife (if slicing)
cooking thermometer (optional)
bread slicer (optional)
Directions:
1.) Make the Dough. Place the yeast, whole wheat and bread flours, matcha, flax meal, honey, salt, and butter in the mixing bowl of a large stand mixer. Turn the mixer on low-speed, then add the water. Increase the speed to low-medium, then continue to mix for 10 minutes.
2.) First Rise. After 10 minutes you should get a soft and supple ball of dough. Place the dough in a bowl lightly greased with melted butter or nonstick spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then place it in a warm, draft free place to rise until doubled in volume.
3.) Shape the Loaf. After doubling in volume, place the dough on a work surface, then give the dough a few light kneadings. Lightly pull/press the dough to make an evenly thick 8″ x 11″ rectangle (like a piece of paper). Fold the left and right sides over lengthwise to meet in the middle (the sides should overlap). Square off the edges, then pinch the seams closed. Tuck, pinch, and seal off the ends under the long loaf.
4.) Second Rise. Place the cylinder-like loaf seam side down, into a pullman pan greased with melted butter or nonstick spray. Let the dough rest in the pan for about 5 minutes (covered with plastic wrap), then use your fingers to press the dough into the pan as evenly as possible–this will help to assure squared off edges on the loaf when it bakes. Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap, then place in a warm, draft free place until it rises to 1/2″ under the top edge of the pan.
5.) Bake, Cool, and Slice! About a half hour before the loaf has finished rising, place an oven rack in the middle of your oven, then heat the oven to 450 degrees F. When the dough has risen (1/2″ under the rim), slide the greased top of the pullman loaf pan on. Bake the loaf for about 40 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown or registers an internal temperature of 190 degrees F on a cooking thermometer. Wait until the bread completely cools before slicing with a serrated knife.
This brings us to the inevitable discussion of high tea vs. afternoon tea. Which of these meals would you serve pasties at? Well, the honest answer is that if they are small and cute enough, you could get away with serving them for afternoon tea. But, strictly speaking, pasties are traditionally served for high tea, also known as meat tea. 
Because they are so delicious, pasties have managed to bridge the gap between high tea and afternoon tea. But make no mistake…anytime a food item is homely, humble, and about the size of your head, it’s a good sign that it might be better served at high tea. When it comes to afternoon tea, miniature (and elegant) is generally the name of the game.
If you love brunch as much as I do, then you absolutely must check out my friend 
The secret ingredient in these crêpes is Lapsang Souchong tea steeped in milk, which adds a layer of smokey flavor to the creamy chicken filling. The tea adds depth and richness to a butterless, olive oil roux-based white sauce. With the use of pine-fired tea and fresh chives, the recipe balances darker winter flavors with lively spring ones.
Thirsty for Tea 
