Hello bread and grain friends,
I hope you’re enjoying the height of summer. I was out walking last night and reveling in the last slip of sun hanging in the sky. It made a gorgeous silhouette for the massive firs watching over my neighborhood, and then I realized that it was after 10pm, and I felt that stirring that only comes with the long days of summer.
Here’s what’s on the menu this month:
Mama Bread
This month’s Mama bread is made with whole organic spelt flour. I was inspired when flipping through a book of art history, and I spotted a loaf of bread in a painting from the 1500’s that looked a lot like my mama bread. 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.
Baguette Au Levain
Gregg gifted me this book in French (does he know me, or what?), and I decided it’s time to start putting baguette into our rotation. What better way than to follow along, while also strengthening my French language skills. I’m well into my third year of a daily streak of practicing French on Duolingo, and it’s super fun to be able to follow a recipe while practicing my language skills.
Cacio e Pepe Focaccia
My friend Charlene brought me a huge, and I mean huuuuge, block of pecorino romano cheese. I watched a movie and grated it all up and shared it around. I’m making a few batches of focaccia with T65 Glacier Peak flour from Cairnspring Mill and topping it with a generous shower of pecorino cheese and fresh ground pepper. This will make for an easy weeknight meal served alongside a batch of Lentil soup or cold gazpacho.
With delight and gratitude,
Other news from the world of grain:
-The Kneading Conference was announced for this summer. Check it out here.
– 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.