My First Loaves

We're hooked. Hooked, I tell you!

A couple days ago I posted about some changes I hope to make in the kitchen, and one of my 3 first steps is to make our own bread. I've been doing some hunting and reading (picked up Nourishing Traditions at the library) to find a good recipe to start with. I finally landed on Summer Harms' French Bread recipe. I was sold when she promised "this bread will empower you." 

However, I had been reading a lot about the benefits of soaking (here's a good resource), and I really wanted to give that a try too. So, I followed her recipe, but I substituted for 1 cup of wheat flour, and soaked that in 1 cup of the warm water and a tablespoon of vinegar for about 17 hours before starting the recipe. And you know what? It was super simple! Huzzah!

And oh wow. As soon as these loaves came out of the oven, Paul and I were at the kitchen table with our knife and butter ready in hand. Paul kept saying things like "oh mmmm this is so good!" And I mean, what better satisfaction is there than your honey thoroughly enjoying the fruits of your labor?! 

Not only does the bread taste amazingly fresh and good, but we know exactly what's in it, and I really like that. It's good for us and has no unnecessary additives or preservatives. I decided we probably wouldn't eat both loaves fast enough before they start to go stale and mold, so I double wrapped one and stuck it in the freezer to thaw later. The other is already almost half eaten since we enjoyed a sneak fresh out of the oven and again with our chili last night. Mmmmmm. Still, I'm hoping at the end we have some going-stale bread to make some yummy french toast. 

I can't wait to make try more breads! My next goal is a sourdough with my cast iron pot, a recipe found here. (Mom, can I have that back? I promise to make you delicious amazing bread!)