Naturally red: Beet bread

Forget additives, here's a pretty bread made red naturally with beets. 

• 

  Pretty and redder than most: Beet bread.

• 'Real red bread'
  Forget the red additives. Here’s a pretty bread made red naturally with beets.

• Ingredients:
  ¾ cup warm water
  1 1/2 cups raw beet puree (approx. 2 1/2 peeled medium beets)
  3 ½ to 4 ½ cups flour
  2 Tablespoons olive oil
  2 teaspoons salt
  1 teaspoon sugar
  2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast.

• Instruction:
  Make the beet puree by peeling the beets and chop them into pieces. Puree in a food processor with ½ cup milk until smooth and lump free).
  In a small bowl combine yeast, sugar, and water. Let rest 5 minutes.
  In another bowl, combine flour and salt and yeast, beet puree and olive oil. Mix until just combined.
  Knead well for about 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
  Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
  Preheat oven to 375 F with an empty broiler pan placed on the rack beneath where you'll put the baking stone or sheet.
  Before baking the bread, sprinkle the top with a little flour and make an X shape on the top with a knife. Place the bread in the oven and pour 1 cup hot water into the broiler pan, closing the oven door immediately. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the bottom center of the loaf reads 190 degrees F.
  Allow bread to cool before slicing or serving.