Bread Turkey Vegetable Tray

You may have seen or made my Bread Bunny Vegetable Tray. It’s so fun to make every Easter. I hadn’t been able to think of other variations until I thought of a Thanksgiving version. Here’s a simple bread “turkey” that makes for a cute and scrmptious centerpiece for raw vegetables–what we all need more of in the winter when special-occasion treats abound. I believe it will get gobbled up at your gathering–it always does wherever I take mine!

Below I give you step-by-step instructions for shaping this turkey made of bread dough. You can use any bread recipe you like. I used sourdough that had been chilled so it was easier to shape (cold dough is key for sourdough which is wetter and stickier than yeast bread dough). If you need a simple whole wheat bread recipe to make this turkey with, you can use this Easy 100% Whole Wheat Bread recipe. If using that recipe, shape this turkey after the first rise, then let it rise again after shaping before baking.

What to do with this Bread Turkey Vegetable Tray

You could make this as a healthy gift for someone to say, “I’m thankful for you!” Who wouldn’t be delighted to get it?

This platter can fill the place of rolls and vegetable platter at your Thanksgiving meal all in one! It can even fit the occasion if someone insists on having turkey at Thanksgiving but you don’t want to make real turkey. Wink wink.

Make this for any potluck in the month of November, or just as a fun baking project at home as a family. Munching on hummus, vegetables, and homemade bread seems like a pretty good lunch or dinner to me.

Bread Turkey Vegetable Tray

Make a cute turkey surrounded with vegetables and a tummy filled with dip!

Author: Faith Ralphs

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 1 tray

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 loaf of bread dough, any kind, ready to shape
• 1 TBSP almond milk
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 2 raisins
• 1 piece orange peel or carrot
• dip of choice, vegetables of choice

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven according to bread recipe (unless your bread needs to rise first, which I recommed for yeast bread). I used sourdough bread dough that was already risen and ready for shaping. If using sourdough, make sure it has been chilled in the fridge for at least an hour so it's easier to shape.
• Divide the dough into thirds. Use one third to shape the main body into a round ball, pulling the dough under and creating tension on the surface. Place it on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet in the center. Pat it flat a bit.
• Take about a quarter of the dough that's left to shape the head. Create a ball (make sure it's smaller than the body) and set aside in some flour so it doesn't stick.
• Take a golf-ball sized piece of dough (a little smaller) from the mass that's left and divde it in half to create two legs. Roll into logs about 1.5 inches long, and press the end flat, then cut twice into three toes. Tuck these legs under the body.
• Take another tiny piece of dough and create a waddle. Place it on the head to one side.
• With all the remaining dough you will make the feathers. Weigh the dough if you have a scale, and divide that weight by 5. Create 5 equal pieces and create oval rolls by pulling the dough under to create a smooth surface. Arrange them around the top of the body on the baking sheet.
• Place the head on top of the feathers. Push in two raisin eyes.
• Mix the milk and maple syrup together to create a wash. You can also whisk up an egg if you use eggs. Brush this over the whole turkey with a pastry brush. This creates a beautiful brown glossy surface after baking.

  If using yeast dough, let the turkey rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. Sourdough has already fermented and had a bulk rise and that is enough, so it can go straight into the oven cold.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, until brown. If making sourdough, I put a pan of water on the bottom rack to create a steamy oven and a soft crust.

  Let cool completely.
• Transfer it to a serving tray if you'd like, or tuck big lettuce leaves around it to cover the baking sheet and create a pretty background for vegetables.
• Cut a triangle out of a piece of orange peel or a thin slice of carrot. Set it by the waddle for the beak, securing with a bit of hummus or peanut butter under it if needed.
• Cut a circle out of the body with a sharp serated knife, remove the bread, and fill with ranch dip, hummus, or other dip of choice. You can line the hollow with a piece of lettuce if you think the bread might get soggy.
• Surround the turkey with a variety of vegetables. I was sparse on vegetables the day I made this, but I recommend a lot of variety of vegetables and color! Pepper strips in every color, peas in the pod, cucumbers, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes. A few pomegranate arils or cranberries sprinkled around add a festive touch, too.
• Enjoy within 1-2 hours of adding the vegetables and dip to the bread.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!