B is for Breadmaking!

If you have been following my posts for a bit, you know that making bread is one of my all-time favourite things to do!  I can wax poetic about making bread - what is not to like about a fresh loaf of bread that is golden, warm, and aromatic right out of the oven?  It is so relaxing and nourishing for the soul and later, for the empty nook in our stomachs.

I have been making bread it seems forever.  I made bread occasionally when I lived at home with my  parents and continued to make it when I lived alone.  My mother  made wonderful bread that still makes my mouth water thinking about it. I find it easier to make a quick loaf of bread than to run to the grocery store (that is four blocks away) to buy one.  (truly not logical!)


Using olive oil gives a wonderfully moist bread.  I have tried many different types of oils but have found that the olive oil gives a much nicer loaf of bread.   Your dough should feel soft but not sticky and dry but not hard.  You will know that you have it right when it feels like on of those soft stuffed toys that flatten out easily when you squish them.  The other reason I don't use exact measurements is because flour can be drier or moister depending how fresh it is and the amount of humidity in the air.

And yes, there are days that the bread just won't rise properly for love nor money - I personally think it has to do with the barometric pressure but who knows?   Thank goodness those days come only once every year or so.

 There are so many types of breads out there - from limpa to flat bread to oatmeal bread.  I generally make a simple white or oatmeal bread because it is quick and I can just whip it up.  I recently taught a breadmaking session to a group of teachers.  It was a lot of fun and I think they all came away with a good feeling about making bread.

The measurements are not exact measurements because making bread is a pleasure not a science. It is also remarkably forgiving.  I prefer smaller loaves so it will fit into my toaster after it is sliced.

Here are the instructions for a wonderful loaf of bread:

Basic Bread Dough Instructions for one loaf 

You'll need:

warm water
sugar
traditional Fleischman's yeast
salt
olive oil
flour

Pour about 1 cup or so of warm water into a large bowl - it should feel like a good warm bath but not hot.

Add about 1 tsp. sugar - you can also use honey.

Add about 1-2 tsp. traditional Fleischman's yeast.

Proof for about 10 minutes or until you see most of the yeast has "bloomed," or risen to the surface.


Using a fork, stir lightly.

Add about 2-3 tbsp. olive oil, 1 small tsp. salt, and start adding flour.  Mix enough in so that when you stir it it becomes like a super thick pudding.

(If you want, you can add about a handful or so of barely warm cooked oatmeal at this point.  Dry oatmeal will make your bread dry out quicker because it will absorb the moisture from your bread - cooked oatmeal won't do that.)

Clean  your fork off well under running water.  (It will adhere like concrete if you don't clean it right away.)

Continue to add flour and start to knead the dough while in the bowl until it  has a soft but not sticky or tacky consistency - you don't have to do this for a long time.  If your dough is too moist, you will get a large air bubble just under the crust - just add about 1-2 tbsp more flour to correct this.  If it is too dry, it will feel hard to knead -in this case, make a hole in the dough and add about 1-2 tbsp of water and gently knead it in.  It will be gross and sticky, at first, then will incorporate itself in.

Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise in the same bowl for about 1/2 - 1 hour - more or less. If time is an issue, this first rising can be shortened up as much as 40 minutes without much effect on the final product.

Punch down the dough and form into a loaf.

Drop into a well-greased breadpan, cover with clean tea towel, and let rise about an hour.  An hour or slightly more is the most desirable during the second rising as it will make your bread nice and light - if the room is cool let it rise a bit longer.  You don't want it to rise so much that it is wobbly though because it will not have enough strength to do it's final rising in the oven.

Preheat your oven just before the hour is up.  (350F)

Bake about 20 minutes for white bread and a bit longer for whole wheat.  Check it when the top is a nice very light golden colour.

Remove from oven if it sounds hollow when tapped and when the bottom is lightly browned. Bread is best if it is not over-baked and hard.

Place on wire rack and brush with butter.  Buttering the top and covering it will create a nice soft, flavourful crust.  Cover immediately and let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing.  (If you can!)


Note:
This bread can also be baked on the barbeque by heating one side of it and placing the bread pan on the unheated side.  I would lower the temperature to 325F because barbeques seem to run hot, at least mine does. Also - rotate it once so that the side adjacent to the barbeque burner doesn't burn.  Making it into two small loaves will also shorten the cooking time, which is best for the barbeque.

Enjoy!

Shave for the Brave Cancer Support

Canada is blessed with a population is that is incredible when it comes to helping a worthy cause.  There are so many wonderful folks out there that take time to organize, find pledges, and do many kindhearted things to help others out.

I would like to introduce you to one such individual - Laurita Miller.  Anyone who has had cancer or whose heart has been touched by someone with cancer should check out Laurita Miller's newly renamed site Calling Shotgun .  She has a huge heart and has collected an enormous amount of pledges for youth cancer.  On top of all that, this kindhearted woman and her equally kind son have joined together to show support by shaving their hair all off!

Enough said.  This deed speaks volumes for itself. Check it out - it is so worth your time!

Picture Perfect

The cedars in my front yard.

Under the huge cedar tree at my front entrance.

I think I have fallen in love with taking pictures - there are just so many exquisite, beautiful things to enjoy in my world. The pictures allow me to rediscover them even when the season is past.

Looking up into our maple trees in the backyard.

 
My lovely yard offers me so much.

In their winter frost.

 I love the textures of things that have braved the elements.

Bricks waiting to become part of our cabin.

Nature's backyard leaf art.

The really neat thing about these pictures is that none of these has been doctored (except for adding my name to the leaf art picture), this is exactly how I took these pictures and how they have come out.  The natural world doesn't need visual doctoring - it just needs to be appreciated for how wonderful it already is.

Don't you love the texture of our firepit?  It looks so tactile! 

On top of our firepit in the backyard.

Pain

I thought I should throw a bit of fiction out, for a change. I seem to documenting my life instead of writing like I originally intended to...this piece is called:

"Pain"

She was devastated when she got it, even a little confused. It was beyond her understanding this little piece of paper. Although she knew that it would have to be done sometime, she assumed that she would get a call or an email from them not a bill from the church announcing that it would happen the weekend coming up. It was less than five days away; she just couldn’t get her head around it.

She was still heartbroken from when he passed. God, she missed him so much. She missed visiting him, and chatting with him. She missed his big warm hands that held hers while they sat together in the common room at the home a few times a week over the years. Despite his infirmities, they always had a nice time visiting. Him, quiet and gentle while she was more outgoing and chatty. They were good friends and respected each other in their own quiet ways. She would ask him what he wanted to do with this or that whenever issues came up or if it was ok to change something or if she needed help with Mom. He was good that way and would let her know if that was fine or not, he liked that sort of thing.

He had had such a hard time; his body gave him no rest and robbed him of whatever dignity he tried to maintain. She would pretend that she didn’t notice anything and he would pretend that nothing happened. It was their way of caring. They both knew that time was getting shorter and shorter and that each day was a gift. He never complained or took it out on her. Whenever there was a problem, she would quietly talk to the nurses before leaving, out of sight from him, letting them know if he was having difficulties. She didn’t want to embarrass him; he had so little left that was his.

When her mother-in-law passed, he held her hands and mourned the loss along with her knowing how much she had loved her. He told her, choking on his emotions and words, saying “It’s ok my girl, she is resting now.” He was showing how much he loved her by trying to soften the pain, the only way he knew how. He wept with her and she loved him all the more for it. He had always been this way with her, always gentle. That was why it was so devastating to get the bill -no one had told her that they were going to bury him the next weekend.