Hello bread and grain friends,
I am writing this from a hotel on my way to Roanoke Virginia to meet my new niece. She was born early in the year, as our family mourned the passing of her grandfather, my sister’s father, on the very day of the birth. I got the news freshly back from an engagement celebration (where I’d been able to take a quick detour to visit my mom and step-dad; the first visit in years since Covid; and sadly the last time I’d ever see him again). I am now back from another wedding celebration, and en route to meet my new niece. Whew! If anything, this year has reinforced the importance of family. It’s not a cliché to say “hug your people and tell them you love them.” This phrase comes up because it’s the truism that we all take for granted until something forces you to dwell in the beautiful fragility of it all. It’s like a hum in the back of your mind and then you’re forced to spout it everywhere to spare others the fate of crashing into it unaware. But who am I kidding? I’m not sparing anybody anything. Life happens and it’s rarely something we can prepare for. Just keep on breathing and moving through what life brings at us. And keep making bread. That’s what our species has done for thousands of years, so far be it for me to stop now.
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.
Walnut-Currant Loaves
I just got a fresh batch of currants, and I’ve been craving more walnuts, hence, this bread was born! It’s the newest bread in my line-up of whole grain loaves that I leaven with einkorn. This one is dark and sweet, mixing whole grain emmer with the einkorn base.
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.