Turkey Tracks: I Like My Bread

Turkey Tracks:  November 8, 2010

I Like My Bread

Take a look at what came out of my oven last night:

The loaf on the left is a wild yeast sourdough bread that is cranberry, pecan, and chocolate.  The one on the right has dried cherries and walnuts.  I froze the latter and ate a slice of the former for breakfast.  Yummo!

I’ve had this wild yeast sourdough starter for about 4 years now.  I forget quite how I started it–starters aren’t all that hard.  Sally Fallon and Mary Enig have recipes in Nourishing Traditions.  Any good bread book does, actually.  I never add commercial yeast to it.  It took a while to really get going, but now, you can see it’s popping up beautifully. 

I have developed a sponge method that takes about 2 days.  Sometimes, 3, like yesterday when the mixture sat covered on the counter bubbling for 2 days and picking up more yeast because I forgot it.  I feed the starter one day and pull off  half for next time.  Then I mix up a sponge and let it sit for a day.  Then I knead and bake.  It takes me 3 minutes to mix in more flour, 10 minutes to knead it, and it sits and rises for at least two hours, and bakes for an hour.  Clean-up is about 10 minutes.

My bread is probably very close to an older European bread.   It’s just wild yeast, flour, and water.  I don’t add salt as that draws moisture and makes it mold quicker.  Rather I slather it with salted butter or unsalted butter and REAL sea salt (grey, moist) sprinkled over the butter.  I can add fats, or sweeteners, or eggs, but I rarely do.  This time I added the dried fruit, nuts, and, as an adventure, the chocolate.  And, I only eat one piece a day at the most as I really control the amount of grains I eat.  This bread, too, is fermented with the sourdough starter, so the phytates, which can and do cause chronic illnesses, are managed.  Everyone used to soak grains, nuts, and seed before eating them, but we’ve forgotten how, and we’re eating a ton of grains these days–which is a big factor in all the chronic disease we have going on. 

My bread is best sliced and toasted.  It’s too heavy for sandwiches really.  And I’ve mostly given up sandwiches anyway.  Too much bread.  I just eat the innards of sandwiches. 

I’m looking forward to breakfast tomorrow!

Author: louisaenright

I am passionate about whole, nutrient-dense foods, developing local markets, and strengthening communities. View all posts by louisaenright