Hello bread lovers, and happy holidays!
In my house, we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas, plus Shabbat every Friday and a big southern New Year’s feast of black eyed peas and collard greens. We are definitely one of those big, blended American families who weave together many childhood traditions and make new ones of our own. What do you celebrate?
And of course, this year, we’re doing all of this celebrating alone (but together-alone), keeping as many of the traditions as we can so our kids will have things to look forward to.
Whatever you are up to this time of year, I wish you the best of it. May these traditions bring a little joy to your life as you keep marching forward, and hopefully baking a bit along the way.
Here’s what’s on the menu this month:
Mama Bread
This month’s Mama bread is made with White Spelt from Carolina Ground in North Carolina. In their words: “This white spelt is a high extraction cold stone milled, with just 15 parts larger bran removed. Lovely in both bread and pastry application. Grown on organic acreage in Halifax, PA, Oberkulmer variety.” I’m excited to try this one!
Naturally Leavened Challah
One of my favorite weekly rituals is making challah bread on Friday for my family’s Shabbat dinner. I always use stone-ground flour, usually a little sifted, and source a special honey for the week’s treat. This bread also has an abundance of local eggs, and is either swirled with cinnamon & currants or topped with honey & sesame seeds. These are rich loaves packed with beloved ingredients to make a sacred place of the table.
Organic Sandwich Loaves
The sandwich bread this month is made with T85 Sequoia wheat from Cairnspring Mills. This type of flour basically means that 85% of the ash content is still in place after processing, while 15% of the grain was removed with milling. Sequoia is grown by a Washington farmer who dry farms his land and helps regenerate soil through as few inputs as he can manage. While not certified organic, I vouch for this flour as a sustainable option when needing something that acts very much like white, all-purpose flour. To these loaves, I’m adding a bit of malted barley flour from Tuality Plains in Forest Grove, Oregon. The barley adds a hint of cereal sweetness and boosts the browning capabilities.
Shokupan
My kids are teens now, and as such, their tastes are growing and changing. One thing they’ve always asked for is soft white sandwich bread, and after a stint of watching Midnight Diner my penchant for wanting this kind of bread is strong now, too. Back in the early aughts, I worked on the Saveur 100 issue and fact checked a story about Shokupan, Japan’s version of Wonder Bread, but better. I decided to try my hand at this soft & fluffy Japanese milk bread and see what happens. I’ll keep you posted.
Cherry-Hazelnut Einkorn & Rye
It dawned on me that I could use my einkorn starter to make a mostly-rye bread, and it’s become a regular in my repertoire with a seedy version. Well, this month I stocked up on hazelnuts from My Brother’s Farm and organic cherries from Chukar Cherries. What a delight to add them to this dense rye bread and enjoy a hearty winter breakfast this month. I’m using Bono rye in these loaves that comes from Fairhaven Mill; and the organic einkorn is from Bluebird Grain Farms.
I am happy to share any of my formulas with you if you reach out. I hope whatever you are baking is inspiring your day!
With delight and gratitude,
Other news from the world of grain:
–This is an interesting article about sourdough during the pandemic.
-I can’t wait to try this recipe from The Perfect Loaf.
-For information about the Flour Hour experience on Airbnb, go here.