Hello bread and grain friends,
Oh my, what a month! Covid finally came to visit my household, and what a weird month it’s been. It hit me the hardest, and althought I’m testing negative, I still have those lingering symptoms, like diminished smell and fatigue. Did any of you have it, and did you lose your sense of smell? It’s disorienting. When it first hit, I could hold aromatic plants up to my face and had zero smell. Yikes! Luckily, it’s slowly returning and I’m relishing in every aroma that wafts my way. I even took my car in this morning and was so excited to smell the motor oil and brake fluid smells.
Have a good month everyone!
Here’s what’s on the menu this month:
Mama Bread
This month’s Mama bread is made with whole organic spelt flour, purple barley, and red floriani corn. I like keeping a diversity of grains in rotation, and these three pair well together. All the grains for this bread come from Camas Country Mill.
Fennel & Currant Loaves
I just had a hankering for this flavor combo. I have a stash of wild fennel seeds, and I roasted them a bit and added them, along with a hearty handful of currants, to my basic mama bread loaves, and baked them in pans.
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.
Sesame Einkorn
I got a new batch of Einkorn grain and I’ve been playing with it to figure out the hydration of the new harvest. In the meantime, I’m craving that alluring sesame crunch. I grind the grains and toast and soak the seeds the night before, and it’s so worth it! The einkorn comes from Bluebird Grain Farms and the sesame is Anson Mills Sea Island benne seeds.