Let me give you a back story if you don't mind..
Our family became vegan in the last few months. Bear and I did the master cleanse to "clean out" the system and get on track with proper eating. Bear lost 20 pounds during the fast and I wavered somewhere in the 10 pound range.
I have been staunch about buying mostly organic for some time but now we are more strict. I buy pretty much 100% organic EVERYTHING and the only time we have to deal with conventional is when we eat out.
We both feel so much better even though we had (have) a love of meat and dairy. It's a price to pay, but well worth it in the end.
So basically, my quest to find kick-arse recipes is priority! I have fallen head over heels with several sites, books, and You Tube videos that I think we are set in our mission for now.
In my quest, I came across this killer bread recipe:
5 tsp yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups hot water
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups flour
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cups flour
Have ready 3 cups of flour in a large bowl and 3 cups in another.
Put warm water in a bowl with 5 tsp of yeast and the 1/4 of warm water. Set aside and do not stir. Mix the honey and salt with the 2 C of hot water and stir until everything is dissolved. Pour the honey and water mixture over the 3 cups of flour in the large bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is incorporated. On top of that, pour the olive oil and the yeast mix. Dump the other 3 cups on the top. I use my Kitchen Aid just to get it well mixed. Then I dump it out on a floured counter and kneed a few times. It doesn't call for kneeding, but I do it for a little good measure.
Make it into a large ball and divide in half. Place each half back into the bowls, cover with warm towel, and allow it to rise for 45 minutes. After the first rise is complete, shape them into loaves for pans or just simple rounds on a cookie sheet will do. Make sure they are far enough apart that they won't come together. Let rise for another 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375* and cook loaves for exactly 23 minutes!
Another way to mix it up a bit that we LOVE is:
4 cloves of garlic - chopped (I like a bit more sometimes)
zest of one lemon
3 T of fresh rosemary
Sprinkle this on when you add the oil and the yeast.
It's very simple for kids of any age to help out with. Teenager and Little Bear helped (OK fought) and there is more rising in the oven as I type. I use it as a homeschooling tool. Kids should learn how to cook and understand some of the science behind it, so we talked a lot about measurements and the actions of yeast.
Tonight it will accompany a wonderful Tuscan Bean dish with Italian Sausage. Yummy!
Considering it's snowing at the moment, I think it's befitting. (Yesterday's high was 83 - Sigh.)
