Hello bread and grain lovers,
Happy 2018! Hope you all closed out last year with cheer and are off to a good start. Looking forward to sharing good food with you in the coming year.
Here’s what’s on the menu this week:
Mama Bread
This week’s Mama bread is made with whole organic spelt flour. Spelt is a close relative of wheat, and was first used by the Greeks. They considered it a gift from the goddess Demeter. People who have a hard time digesting common wheat (Triticum aestivum) report better results with Spelt (Triticum spelta). It bakes like a dream and I love the way the loaves turn out with this grain.
Organic Sandwich Loaves
The sandwich bread this week is made with triple-sifted Edison from Camas Country Mill. Edison wheat was developed by a local breeder who wanted to make a wheat that grows well for Northwest farmers. Especially unique is the fact that this wheat was bred as much for flavor and nutrition as it was for high yield. This triple-sifted version is what I use as my “all-purpose” flour, but it couldn’t be more different from what you find on grocery store shelves. For one, it’s stone ground, therefore, the whole seed is crushed at once rather than separated and milled in parts. This is significant because then when the larger bran particles are sifted out, much of the germ and small particles of bran remain. Much more nutritious than white flour. To this, I added a bit of malted barley from Carolina Ground, an innovative small mill that collaborates with farmers and uses regional grains in North Carolina.
Seedy Mountain Rye
This is my version of dense Scandinavian brown bread. It uses 100% Rosen rye, a heritage flour from Palouse Heritage. This loaf combines an organic seedy blend into the mix, including pumpkin seeds, flax, as well as a hefty dose of butter corn from Ayres Creek in Oregon. This is a hearty bread that is the perfect foil for all that holiday eating you’re trying to recalibrate. This one freezes really well and will last about a month.
Levain Crackers
The goal is to waste nothing in the kitchen, and that’s how these crackers were born. These are made with the spent levain that I save from feeding my starter each day. To the mix, I always add a little bran back, which I purchase from millers whenever I buy high-extraction flour. This is my way of keeping the whole grain in my family’s diet even though we have bits of high extraction breads here and there.
To place an order, email me to let me know what you want and what day in the coming week you would prefer to get it. You are always welcome to drop by for espresso & morning toast, or we can work out delivery or pick-up via email. I have a limited amount of each item, so the earlier in the week you let me know, the better your chances of getting what you want. For the more spontaneously-minded types, drop me a line whenever and I’ll let you know what I have on hand. Oh, and if you want to pay for the bread on-line, here is the link. Of course, I’m always open to trade…
Savor your week with madcap delight and untamed gratitude,
