Hello Bread and Grain friends,
Welcome to 2022! It started out with a new Lunar month and a crazy new phase of this pandemic. Sigh. That’s all I have to say for now. I’m still baking and I hope you are, too.
Here’s what’s on the menu this month:
Mama Bread
This month’s Mama bread is made with leftover whey or buttermilk from my dairying adventures, plus a base of organic white wheat milled by Camas Country Mills in Eugene, Oregon. I’m also adding a scratch of streaker barley to the mix. This makes for a hearty loaf that will carry me through these cold winter mornings.
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 Cinnamon Currant Bread
Winter seems like the perfect time to bring back my cinnamon currant loaves. I love the smell of this bread as it toasts in these darker mornings before school. There’s just something homey about sending people out the door with a sweet treat. This bread uses organic Artisan Bread flour from Cairnspring Mill in Skagit Valley. I add a bit of organic barely malt from Tuality, and Ceylon cinnamon from Diaspora Co.
Whole Wheat & Oat Sandwich bread
This bread calls to mind the bread they served in my grade school cafeteria, with its soft, tender crumb that makes for good sandwiches. It’s made with whole milk, as well as milky oats, and organic red wheat. As usual, all the flours and grains are local and freshly milled. I’ve also been using my oat flaker to roll these Hayden oats fresh. I think it adds a sweet, cerealy note that’s hard to beat.
Seedy Einkorn & Rye
100% whole grain hearty goodness. I grind all of the grains myself and diligently toast and soak the seeds, and it’s so worth it! The rye comes from Tuality Plains and the organic einkorn, from Bluebird Grain Farms. I pack it with organic flax seeds and Anson Mills Sea Island benne seeds. I also include sprouted pumpkin seeds. As one friend put it, a slice of this bread is a meal unto itself.
With delight and gratitude,
Other news from the world of grain:
-Do you know about the substack newsletter written by Mo Cheeks? It’s called Bread & Justice, and I highly recommend following his bread journey, and also his news and involvement in social justice causes. You can sign up here.
-I’m super excited to try this new tortilla flour blend from Hayden Flour Mills in Arizona!
– I am hosting a monthly Zoom meeting as a free resource for all bakers who want to ask questions and share ideas. It will be the first Sunday of each month, and you can join the first one on Sunday November 7th from 10am to 11:30am PST by going to this link. Hope to see you there!
-For information about the Flour Hour experience on Airbnb, go here.