It's Time to Bake Bread

"The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight."

The Art of Eating, M. F. K. Fisher, (1908-1992)

For a long time now I have wanted to make my own sourdough spelt bread.  Yet I have no experience in bread baking - my aunty used to bake bread but stopped before I was old enough to learn from her.  Baking bread was something my mother never did in my memory.  She did make a loaf in the bread maker however.

My husband has assumed the bread making role in our family regularly baking spelt bread in our bread maker.  He makes a lovely loaf which my children enjoy.  So do I in recent times as I am unable to buy the lovely spelt sourdough loaf I regularly purchased at Dough at the Adelaide Central Markets before we moved.

However my goal is still unachieved - baking my own spelt sourdough.  I still haven't found a blogger who has found success to this end.  So I'll have to keep searching.  I have however made a couple of friends who are experimenting with sourdough bread baking so I look forward to some baking days with them.  I don't they think are using spelt but at least I will progress further in my quest to bake sourdough bread.

Today, thanks to the inspiration of Rhonda's post yesterday on Five Minute Bread and a Spelt Bread Recipe published by Four Leaf, I have two loaves of spelt bread in the oven.  We are eagerly anticipating a lunch of hot bread dripping with butter and/or olive oil along with some delicious Potato and Leek Soup.  The smell of my home is divine today and while I don't actually feel hungry yet, I am beginning to salivate with the fragrance tickling my nose.

The mix started to be seemingly a little dry, yet I persisted.

After time to rise, punching back and rising again (which I did in a preheated oven turned off due to our cold weather today),

the loaves were kneaded lighty, placed in warm pans and ready to bake.

Just look at the results.  The girls are were very eager to have our lunch when it was ready.

Luscious Lentils

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
Virginia Woolf.

The days are cooling rapidly which signals the emergence of warm soups for lunch to me. I have a favourite! Warm, nourishing lentil and vegetable soup speaks volumes to me. It was given to me as Leek and Lentil soup as follows:

30g butter
3 small leeks, sliced
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 bacon rashers, chopped
1 cup red lentils
5 cups water
2 chicken stock cubes
½ cup cream (optional)
2 tabs parsley

Melt butter in large saucepan, add leeks, celery, bacon. Cover, cook on low 10 minutes. Add lentils, water, stock cubes, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Puree. Add cream and parsley. (Surely this last step is an absolute indulgence. The parsley from our garden is garnish enough for me and mine.)

I have made it so regularly and changed it nearly every time depending on what is in the fridge. Today I replace the leeks (now costing $1.50 each, heaven forbid) with an onion or two. I have added pumpkin to make it creamier and cauliflower to make it lighter and fluffier, often a carrot goes in too for extra flavour. I find I prefer to use EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) than butter, or perhaps a combination of both, especially if I do use leeks (they love to braise in the butter). I have also found the joy of using Persian red lentils organically grown in Victoria. They are much more wholesome and nourishing than the split red lentils you can find around the place. Much more dense and leave you feeling more satisfied.

This is an absolute staple for me now. So easy, so nourishing! My babies like it to. (At least when they were babies!!)


Happy cooking!