Bread Recipe

For the last four years we have made most of our bread at home.  At first we used a bread machine, but when that bit the dust we started making it by hand.  Besides the fact that I can't leave the house during the process, I don't find it any harder.

Because our kids don't eat meat and they are on the picky side, we use the bread to add foods to their diet that they would otherwise turn up their noses at.  Each child has a favorite type of bean and they all eat peanut butter, but that doesn't seem like enough protein variety to me.  Since we generally stock cooked beans in the fridge I make sure that I rotate the type of bean we use in our bread recipe.  Same story with nuts and seeds.  Monday's bread might feature chick peas and walnuts and Wednesday's bread could have black beans and pumpkin seeds.  If I have almond flour on hand I usually sub some of that in, too, in place of regular wheat flour.

Each recipe makes two small boules.

10 ounces warm water
1 cup beans
1/2 cup nuts or seeds

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup of ground flax
scant tbsp bread machine yeast
1 tsp table salt
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp blackstrap molasses or honey

Blend the first three ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.  Add to other ingredients and knead in the bowl for 2 to 3 minutes.  Cover with a warm damp cloth for 30 minutes.

Knead the dough another 2 to 3 minutes, split in two and shape into boules.  Oil a baking sheet and sprinkle cornmeal on it.  Place the boules on the baking sheet and cover with a damp cloth for 45 minutes.

Uncover the dough and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Once the oven is hot, bake the bread for 40 minutes.

I find that this recipe makes a hearty, reliable sandwich bread.  I always feel better about the kids eating bread when we make it ourselves and can control for things like oil and preservatives.  The only trouble is not eating it all myself.  ;)

Noms

Just some pictures of what meals are looking like around here.  Our farm share started about a month ago and I couldn't be happier with it.

Carrots in looove...

Literally eating my salad out of a serving bowl.

Salad and homemade bread with this tahini dressing.  I never use oil in it.  I sub in extra lemon, water or veggie broth.

The kids have been bagel obsessed lately.  I joke a lot that we're glutenarians.

Anniversary Weekend

Last weekend my husband and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary with a trip to Vermont.  My mother and stepfather gave us two nights in a hotel with some travel points that they had accrued, and they took the kiddos for two nights.  Sometimes I can't believe how lucky we are.

So Friday we handed the kids over and hopped in the car.  We used the Happy Cow website to hunt down a vegan restaurant in Burlington and we were so happy with the one we found.  Revolution Kitchen is a small, maybe 10 table place, with delicious, local veggie food and we loved our Friday night dinner so much we ate there again on Saturday.  Two words.  Maple.  Cake.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early and trekked up Camel's Hump mountain.  We took the Forest City trail up and Burrows down for a roughly four and a half mile round trip hike.  The day was perfect and the views were gorgeous.  I bet we only saw twenty other hikers all day, which was a refreshing change from Mount Washington, which we typically do once a year.  Climbing four hours and then waiting in line with the bus tourists for a bathroom stall is so anti-climactic.  In light of how nice it was to have some mountain time to ourselves, I think we'll change our Mount Washington plan this August and try a less popular spot.

Driving back home we were hatching schemes to move up to Vermont and I have to be honest, I've been head-in-the-clouds daydreaming about old farmhouses and giant vegetable gardens for days...