Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! Yertle the Turtle Rolls

We love Dr. Seuss around here.  I've done Dr. Seuss themed lunches before in honor of his birthday.  I've done Green Eggs & Ham - two ways!  I've made oobleck - edible and non-edible.

This year, I'm participating in the Bento Blogger & Friends Dr. Seuss Blog Hop!  And... the kids are on vacation!  What's a Seuss lover to do?

Make Yertle the Turtle bread, of course!

I based my bread recipe on this recipe from King Arthur Flour,  with a couple changes, as noted below.

Yertle the Turtle Bread

1 1/3 c warm water
4 Tbsp oil
1/2 c dark amber maple syrup (real, please.  If you don't have syrup, use honey)
2 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 3/4 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 c Harvest grains blend (optional)
2 1/2 tsp yeast

Combine ingredients in bread machine in the order specified by your machine.  Set to dough cycle.

Upside down turtle

When the dough is ready, form your turtles.  Make a palm sized "shell" piece, and small balls for legs and tail, along with a slightly larger oblong piece for the head.  Attach the appendages to the bottom of the shell using a dab of water on each piece.

Slash designs into the top of the shell using a lame or a very sharp knife.   Place on a baking sheet.  When all your turtles are shaped, cover with a cloth and allow to rise for at least 40 minutes, or until slightly puffy.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the turtles shells sound hollow when tapped.  Spray the finished rolls with butter flavored baking spray (or rub with butter), then wrap in a towel and put into a bag to cool.  This will keep them soft.

And now that you've seen my turtles, hop on over to Crystal's Ramblings and then onward to the whole group of Bento Bloggers & Friends fun tributes to the genius that is Dr. Seuss!