Sunday, December 30, 2012
Do you ever wonder what kinds of
ingredients are going into the store bought food you eat? Even if you
read the labels who could understand half of what's included on the
packaging? One product in particular that continues to baffle me is
store bought white bread. Basically, if a loaf of bread can be left
out at room temperature for more than a few days without developing
mould then I start to ask questions.
I'm not keen on ingesting whatever
mysterious additives and preservatives are included in these products
so I decided to try my hand at homemade bread today. It seemed like
an appropriate activity for a lazy Sunday morning and now I have fresh baked bread!
The recipe below only requires a total
of 5 ingredients and can be made in less than an hour, including the
baking time (thanks to Food.com for the inspiration). Plus it's an
easy and cost effective way to get 100% organic whole wheat bread.
Try baking it with the kids one afternoon for a bit of family quality
time.
Here's what you'll need (makes one loaf):
- 3 cups of whole wheat flour (preferably organic)
- 4 teaspoons of baking powder (preferably organic)
- 1 teaspoon of fine ground sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup virgin olive oil
Here's how to make
it:
- Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder & salt) in a medium to large sized bowl.
- Mix the liquid ingredients (oil & water) in a measuring cup and add them to the dry ingredients.
- Stir together with a rubber spatula until there is no more dry flour mixture. Be careful not to overwork the dough (it should be moist but not sticky).
- Shape the dough into a ball or oval with oiled hands and place onto a clean baking sheet.
- With a sharp knife score an X onto the top of the loaf to prevent the crust from splitting and top with seasoning of choice (I used sea salt and oregano for one and oatmeal for the other).
- Bake for 40 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 400°F.
Variations:
For
a sweeter bread replace the water with fruit juice or add a
tablespoon of honey to the dough. You can get as creative as you want by adding chopped fruit, seeds or
even sun dried tomatoes to the mix.
The
end result is a flavourful and dense bread that goes great with homemade
jam or perhaps a bit of cheddar cheese. It's a bit crumblier than
store bought bread so make sure to cut the slices nice and thick. And
don't forget to remove your bread from the pan once it's out of the
oven otherwise it will keep on baking. Enjoy!
Are you into all things organic? Check out StylishOrganicFamilyLiving.com for eco-friendly women's apparel, men's apparel, children's apparel, pet products, home furnishings & decor for the conscientious consumer.
Are you into all things organic? Check out StylishOrganicFamilyLiving.com for eco-friendly women's apparel, men's apparel, children's apparel, pet products, home furnishings & decor for the conscientious consumer.
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