Breads

RYE BREAD



I have been rather slack about taking photos of my/our baking these last weeks. We bake our own, er, 'baked goods' - never buy them. Even in an emergency - what would that be? - it takes less time to throw a quickbread together and into the oven than it does to go to a shop (and there is a 'Convenience Store' right next door to our building). Well, maybe our elevators aren't that slow, but by the time I would have given the dogs a treat, donned my outdoor shoes, tidied my hair and found my purse . . . .

Not much to say about this lovely loaf of rye bread - except that I grow more in love with breads using more than one flour each time I bake!

I put my recipe for rye bread on this blog back in March, I see, right HERE, but this one was made a little differently and I think it is nicer - the method and recipe has been evolving over the months. (Translation: 'I don't use a recipe for yeast breads.') Next time I make it I will write down the ingredients as I go along. I use mostly rye flour now, for example, since we like a dense loaf, and I like to add some carob powder for flavour and colour. (I know it's supposed to be cocoa powder, but . . . ) The 'seeds' added - whether fennel, aniseed, poppy or caraway are always a last-minute decision. Some call that creativity, others call it indecision, still others call it forgetfulness! Me? Oh I'm easy - I call it versatility ;)

I prefer to make sourdough rye if possible, but my starter died when I wasn't paying it attention so I have to, literally, start over on that.

So no new recipe for Rye Bread now - but it's in the works. It will have to be - I'm down to the nub end of this one - and that means about two or three slices, and since the doggies beg for the last piece . . . .

OAT BREAD



I like Barnard and Kramer's recipe books! Here is a photo of their oat bread, to be found in their The Garden of Vegan - except that I leave out the oil and add maybe a spoonful more water, depending on how the flour is behaving. I used wholewheat flour for this one. I long ago stopped using all-purpose or any white flour, and for some reason I don't much like wholewheat pastry flour. I love the colour of brown flours, don't you? And they smell and taste so rich! For my next baking of this recipe, however, I plan to use spelt. (I also like tossing barley flour into a lot of things that don't expect it - wonderful flavour!)

These loaves look a little rustic, but they tasted wonderful. We baked two, as you see, and cut each in half and froze the halves separately, since there are just the two of us here. We like this bread for breakfast - or with soups, stews, etc. Great bread - but the last crumb disappeared yesterday! More needed soooooon - an emergency!!!

BANANA BREAD



This is another variation on a recipe from Barnard and Kramer, found in their How It All Vegan - with the slight changes (which probably make it a different recipe, of course) of doubling the amounts (so we could halve the loaves and freeze three half-loaves), subbing an extra banana for the half cup of oil, cutting down on the salt, using a little more baking powder and using a mix of barley flour and spelt flour in addition to the wheat germ. The added carob chips was suggested by a note in the recipe that a half cup of chocolate chips could be thrown in 'for added sweetness.' You can't go wrong with their recipes, I've found! I personally found it a bit toooooo sweet with the carob chips, but hey, whatever floats your boat - and my dh loooooooves it this way! Well, actually, I helped to eat it too. More than once (two loaves, remember??)!

I took a photo of the bread cut, to show the prettiness of the dates and carob chips within the slice, but we were so impatient (the aroma of this bread is absolutely intoxicating!) that the carob was still melty and we got chocolatey-coloured streaks all through that slice and the pic was blurry from hands trembling to grab the first taste - as you see here. Ain't greed a wunnerful thang??!! We finished off the very last of it out of the freezer yesterday *sigh*

Rainy weather yesterday, not so today, but more predicted later in the week. Good time to be baking, I'd say ;)