Back from France

Sorry to keep you waiting, but as you can see, I made it safely through the streets of Paris and then back to Germany without any trouble.

I’ll create a post on Paris at some point, but to be honest, I’m still so overwhelmed by the whole experience that I just need a break.

Katie and I returned after an overnight bus trip on Wednesday morning. Wednesday and Thursday were spent showing Katie around Bonn, cleaning and packing bags in preparation for her return to the US.

Katie let me use her kindle to read The Hunger Games. Although I wasn’t too interested in the story when she described it, she encouraged me to read the first two chapters before making a decision. I’m glad she was so persistent because the whole of Wednesday was spent finishing the first book and I am now hooked. Can’t wait to read the second book!

It’s hard to believe that after so much time looking forward to my friends’ visits, they are both back in the US and here I am again with a tiny German kitchen and a list of recipes I want to try.

Over the weekend, I tried two different recipes using my sourdough starters. Both recipes are from a gag-gift that’s actually been more gift than gag (lucky since it’s a cook book!)

A colleague of mine knew I was baking with a home-grown sourdough starter. While at a book sale, she found this 1977 Sourdough Cookery book and bought it for me as a joke.

Well, good recipes are made great with time as the recipes from this cookbook prove.

Today, I’m going to share the recipe I was most excited about, sourdough bagels.

I’ve never made bagels before, and was surprised by how easy they were. Sure, there are a few extra steps compared to regular bread baking, but the additional actions only add about 15 minutes on the total time.

 

Well worth it when the product is as delicious as these bagels.

So, collect your ingredients and let’s get starter!

Place the sourdough starter, eggs and oil in a large bowl.

Mix together the dry ingredients before incorporating them into the wet.

A sticky, elastic dough will form. Add more flour as needed to create a dough that begins to remove from the sides of the bowl.

Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Let rest and rise until doubled in size.

Split the dough into 8-12 smaller balls. I made 8 large bagels. Gently press a floured finger through the middle of each small dough ball.

I ‘gently’ stretch my dough by swinging it around on my finger while screaming “woo-hoo!”

As you can see, the woo-hoo method worked just fine.

I wasn’t sure how much the dough would rise while resting so made lots of different sized holes in the bagels. The smallish holes made the best final products.

Boil the bagels for 7 minutes before draining and placing on a greased baking sheet.

I sprinkled freshly ground spices and herbs on some of the bagels while they were still wet.

These two were sprinkled with a lavender herb salt.

Here’s the same, beautiful bagel after baking for 25 minutes.

This lovely bagel is dressed in a freshly ground sea salt, chili and orange peel seasoning mix.

Immediately, I gobbled it up with butter.

Over the last few days, I’ve been enjoying the bagels for breakfast.

Toasted plain bagel with butter, cinnamon and sugar.

Perfect for an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich.

If you are interested in sourdough baking, I recommend the following websites for step by step instructions on creating a sourdough starter at home.

I was so sure that my home-grown yeast sourdough starter would fail that I also made a lazy man’s sourdough starter at the same time.

Lucky for me, both sourdoughs took off with fantastic fermentation. I’m now alternating between each healthy sourdough variety for my baking.

Don’t be afraid of sourdough baking, as you can see from this recipe, it can be a lot of fun!

 

Sourdough Bagels

From Sourdough Cookery by Rita Davenport

Ingredients

1 cup sourdough starter

2 eggs

3 Tablespoons cooking oil

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 gallon water plus 2 Tablespoons sugar for boiling (I used 1 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. salt rather than sugar)

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine sourdough starter with eggs and oil. Mix together flour, salt and sugar. Add to starter mixture. Add enough additional flour for the dough to leave the sides of the bowl.
2. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary.
3. Cover with a damp cloth. Set in a warm place free from drafts until doubled in size.
4. Turn out onto floured surface and divide into 8-12 pieces (depending on the size you’re after.) Shape each piece into balls. Punch a hole in the center with a floured finger. Form a doughnut shape by gently enlarging the hole, working each bagel into a uniform shape.Cover and let rise for 15-20 minutes.
5. Add sugar (or baking soda and salt) to water and bring to a boil. Drop each bagel into the boiling water one at a time. Cook for 7 minutes, turning once. Drain; place on greased cookie sheets.
6. Bake at 375 F (191 C) for 25-35 minutes. Bagels should be golden brown and crusty.

Variations:

Herb Bagels- Prepare bagels as above, except combine 2 teaspoons dried marjoram with dry ingredients.

Onion Bagels- Prepare bagels as above, except add 1 teaspoon dried minced onions to dry ingredients.

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Sourdough Oatmeal Bread

I’ve recently ventured into the realm of sourdough bread baking.

In the last two weeks, I have learned so much about bread baking and have really enjoyed discovering new recipes and techniques.

This weekend I made a light and fluffy sourdough oatmeal bread that is perfect for sandwiches.

 

Adapted from Sourdough Cookery

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter

1 cup lukewarm water (or milk for a richer taste)

1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup molasses (I used goldensyrup)

2 teaspoons salt

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups rolled oats

4-5 cups all-purpose flour

melted butter or butter replacement

 Method

1. Measure sourdough starter into a large bowl. Add lukewarm water, brown sugar, molasses, salt and oil. Stir to combine.
2. Add rolled oats, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the flour, starting with 3 cups, adding more flour as necessary to create a tacky dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary.
4. Place in an oiled bowl, turning once to oil all sides of the dough. Cover with a damp cloth and set in a warm place to rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
5. Punch down dough. Turn out onto a surface and separate into 2 pieces. Shape into loaves and place in well oiled loaf pans. Brush tops with melted butter and cover with a damp cloth. Set pans in a warm place to rise for another 1.5 hours. Bread should rise until it reaches the top of the pans.
6. Bake at 400 F (205 C) for 35-40 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

 

Simply enjoyed toasted and smeared with strawberry jam.

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Ancient Roman Bread

A week ago today, my class dressed in togas and threw a Roman feast.

Unfortunately, it was raining outside, so our Roman Feast/ picnic was moved into the classroom.

The parents generously donated a ton of food.

After being topped with crushed tomatoes and fresh herbs from my garden, the baked lentil and rice stuffed grape leaves turned out really well.

Most kids were adventurous enough to try the little stuffed rolls.

In addition to the food provided by the parents, we baked our own Ancient Roman bread.

Honestly, this is probably the best bread I’ve ever made.

Among the heaps of delicious food, the two large homemade loaves were the first to be eaten up.

I attribute the success of the bread to the long kneading times… when 18 kids each need a chance to knead the bread, the job gets done sufficiently well.

We followed a recipe from a teachers’ resource website called Sparklebox.

The children had to follow the steps independently to make the bread from beginning to end.

The bread was made with a mixture of whole wheat, rye and all-purpose flour.

The Romans ate sweet breads too, but this recipe was for a savory bread.

After the flours, water with dissolved yeast and salt water were combined, the real fun started!

Time to knead!

This dough goes through two kneading cycles prior to the final rise before baking the bread.

Before the first rise.

After the first rise. We had some very happy yeast!

Second knead.

The dough was shaped into two rounds then placed on baking trays coated with cornmeal. They were then sliced and set aside to rise one last time.

Fresh from the oven!

This bread was crunchy on the outside but soft and tender on the inside.

Many of the kids had never baked bread before so I was overjoyed that it turned out so well.

I hope they try to teach their parents this simple recipe!

Makes two large loaves

Ingredients

2 packages fast-rising dry yeast

2 1/2 cups tepid water

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup rye flour

Unbleached white flour to make up 950 grams in total flour weight

1 teaspoon salt mixed with 1 Tablespoon water

Cornmeal for baking sheets

Method

1. Dissolve the dried yeast in the tepid water in a large bowl.
2. Weight the whole wheat and rye flour together in a large bowl.Add all purpose flour to make up a total weight of 950 grams. Mix the flours together.
3. Add 4 cups flour mixture to the water and yeast. Whip for around 10 minutes.
4. Add the salty water and continue to mix.
5. Add the remaining flour to the bowl and mix to form a dough. You may need to use your hands.
6. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.
7. Put the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
8. Take the risen dough from the bowl knead once more for 10 minutes. Place back into the bowl and set aside to rise for another hour.
9. Punch the dough down once more and split the dough to form 2 large loaves. Shape the loaves then place them on baking sheets which have been dusted with cornmeal. Gently slice the tops of the dough with 2-3 ventilation cracks. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in size.
10. Bake in a preheated oven set to 230 C (450 F) for 25 minutes, or until the crusts are browned. The loaves should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
11. If you can wait, allow the bread to cook before slicing and eating.

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Spring Tour

Chickens, juice and vegetables- Saturday was a fascinating day as I toured the farms and local businesses where my local CSA grows and acquires their produce and products.

The tour started at 9:00 at the farm where the vegetable boxes are packed, Biolandgärtnerei Hüsgen. When I first chose to receive a weekly vegetable box delivery, I picked this company for a few main reasons:

• Their dedication to growing organic produce
• Their support of other local organic farmers
• Their commitment to be as environmentally friendly as possible
• The ease of participating due to their online shop
• That this business is allowing a young family to do what they love while being available to their children

In addition to their vegetable box delivery scheme, they also own and operate a small organic grocery store for the community.

The store had a wonderful local feel to it. It was at this shop that I saw my first bulk bins in Germany. They had a little bit of all things necessary without being crowded.

Outside the shop, they had so many vegetable plants and flowers for sale. I would love to go back to buy some plants for the balcony.

The shop was really busy with locals from the village picking up their plants and weekly shopping.

Throughout the first half hour, we were free to walk around the shop and farm before setting off in a tour bus at 9:30.

Our first stop was Hof Alpermühle, the farm where my eggs come from.

The eggs from Hof Alpermühle are free range and certified organic. We were taken on a tour of the chicken coops as well as the room where the eggs are sorted, stamped and packaged.

To be certified as an organic, free range chicken farm, the family farm must meet certain regulations (I hope I get everything right, my German is alright but not fluent.)

• Chickens are all-natural, unmodified by breed or body
• Access to organic food and water at all times
• Access to the outside (the barn is closed up over night to protect the chickens from foxes)
• Access to shelter at all times
• Free choice in nesting
• A dry, naturally ventilated, sanitary shelter
• No more than 4 hens per square meter (at this farm, they only have 2 hens per square meter)

One thing I found a bit ironic was the chicken feed. The ingredient list on the hens’ feed is healthier and more natural than probably 85% of food items that we’d find on grocery store shelves.

All feed ingredients were certified organic and recognizable as grains that we’d even eat.

The farm has 2,500 chickens, split into 4 family groups, which each lay one egg per day in the morning hours, usually between 6-10 am.

Although the barn is kept closed over night, the doors are opened bright and early to allow the chickens access to open pastures once they’re awake and active.

We were shown one of the hens up-close. Here, the owner, Mr.Klose, is describing how the beaks of chickens are cut off in caged farms. Every hen on his farm looked like the image of a healthy and happy hen.

This is the nesting room. The hens have free choice to lay eggs wherever they want but they like the dark of this part of the barn. Once the hens lay their eggs, they head outside.

The nests slightly slope back, allowing the eggs to roll and be collected. The size of the eggs depends on the age of the hens. Older hens lay larger eggs than young hens.

I was really impressed with how clean the barn was. The hay on the ground was dry and fresh, keeping the hens’ feet healthy. Since the barn was so sanitary and the hens were so healthy, the eggs came out immaculate.

Once the pallets of eggs are collected, they are taken to be sorted.

The sorting is done by a conveyor belt system which is carefully observed by the employees of the farm.

Some stages are more carefully observed than others, such as the candling stop where the eggs are checked for shell damage and deformities.

I remember candling eggs in kindergarten throughout the process of hatching chickens in a classroom incubator.

Here Mrs. Klose was explaining the difference between egg sizes and colors. She also told us that her dogs, although not trained to do so, protect the hens from hawks and foxes.

Every member of the Klose family, human and hound clearly love the hens they care for.

After the tour, we were treated to coffee, brownies and fresh fruit.

The brownies came from a local bakery that only uses eggs from Hof Alpermühle.

One thing that was really funny was when Mr. Klose opened the barn door. As soon as the hens heard his voice, they came running from all directions to greet him like a pack of loving dogs.

I am so glad to know where my eggs come from. To see the way the hens are cared for makes me completely comfortable consuming a product from this farm.

It was also wonderful to meet the family and get to know their passion for organic farming.

After the chicken farm, the next stop was the local juice press.

I once received a mystery-free bottle of Weber apple juice in my vegetable box. It was the best apple juice I have ever drank, 100% pure fruit juice, pressed in a family press not far from my home.

The tour of Weber Fruchtsaftkelterei started in the apple orchards.

Mr. Weber took us around his apple orchard while explaining the varieties, pollination of the trees and recent weather conditions.

The orchards host bees, local grazing animals like cows and sheep, birds and even small children.

The blossoms have just fallen off of the apple trees.

Weber buys apples, pears, rhubarb, cherries and an assortment of other fruit from local farmers, but 10% of the apples used in their products were grown in the Weber family’s own orchards.

They also import some exotic fruit such as mangoes and bananas for a few of their juice varieties.

Although some fruit which can not be grown in this area is imported, they are committed to using local fruit for all else.

Seeing that it’s spring, the presses were not running but we were invited to return in the fall when the apples are harvested and to see the press in action.

I have no idea what Mr. Weber was talking about in the large room full of huge metal vats. The technical language mixed with the loud echoing kids’ voices= I didn’t catch a single thing.

The room was pretty impressive none the less.

After the big jugs room, we saw the assembly line where the bottles are cleaned, filled, sealed and labeled.

Weber reuses its bottles like most other beverage companies in Germany. I love the pfand system here. When you buy most drinks, you pay a pfand for the bottles. Pfands are usually between 8-20 cents, depending on the size and material of the bottle. When you’re done with the contents, you bring the bottle back to the store and get your money back. This economic incentive results in bottles being reused rather than going to garbage dumps or incinerators.

The whole process, from apple branch to bottling takes place on the family-owned property.

After the tour, we were invited to a juice tasting.

Apple mango, pear, apple, apple cherry, apple black currant, and apple elderberry juice were served.

Mr. and Mrs. Weber even brought out their apple sparkling wine for us to taste.

My favorite juices were the plain apple and apple mango. I bought a bottle of both from their little shop.

I also bought a bottle of rhubarb nectar which I brought to a going-away BBQ Saturday evening. We mixed the rhubarb nectar with champagne- so so so delicious!

After our visit at Weber, we went back to Biolandgärtnerei Hüsgen for a yummy fresh lunch before continuing the tour of the gardens and box-packing facilities.

Lunch was white asparagus soup and a salad. Both asparagus and the red lettuce were in my box this week.

The local organic bakery where the delivery scheme buys its bread was also at the farm for us to taste and buy some of their new products. Although almost all of their products are vegan, when eggs are used, DLS whole-grain mill bakery only uses eggs from Hof Alpermühle.

Here is the DLS Bakery promise, copied and translated from their website.

Our products contain
NO preservatives
NO dyes
NO emulsifiers
NO cling materials
NO acidity regulators
NO anti-mold agent
No industrial bakery
NO pre-mixes

NO Animal products (with the exception of two bread recipes.)

All grains are grown under the highest organic standards in and around Hennef. The grains are slowly ground daily on natural stone.

I bought two wild garlic baguettes to bring to the Saturday night BBQ and a wild garlic and tomato quiche which I ate for breakfast on Sunday.

After lunch, we were shown the box-packing facilities.

All 1,100 weekly organic produce boxes are packed by hand.

We were shown how the produce is weighed, wrapped and organized for each and every individual box. One thing is for sure, every employee really seems to love and believe in the value of their job.

Next up, the tractor wagon was uncovered and those of us who were interested in touring the Hüsgen family farm hopped on to the hay bale seats and went on a ride to the greenhouses.

Several of the organic farms in the area operate through a partnership. Each farm grows the vegetables that they grow best, then they share the harvest.

Although the Hüsgen farm grows more than what we saw in these greenhouses, what we saw here was the main part of their partnership crop.

Tomatoes

Peppers

More tomatoes

Cucumbers

Rhubarb

While looking at the rhubarb patch, one little girl cried out, “Mommy, we had that in our box this week!”

To which the mother replied, “Yes, and here is where it came from.”

How cool is that?

Salads, dark leafy greens and herbs.

Mr. Hüsgen honestly discussed farming methods, costs, and difficulties in operating an organic farm. He expressed his dislike for the plastic-covered greenhouses but explained that they work well, are durable and more affordable than glass greenhouses. I respect him for his honesty and willingness to share his triumphs and struggles with us.

I am so happy that I am able to support this farm and all the other local businesses associated through them.

I truly trust in the health and wholesomeness of the products I consume from all farmers I saw on Saturday and all those who I didn’t see but know are trusted by the Hüsgen family.

If you live in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia, the photo above outlines the organic produce box suppliers in this area of the state.

If you live anywhere else in Germany and are interested in finding a Community Supported Agriculture scheme near you, please visit oekokiste.de.

For only 13 Euros per week, I am spending less money on food than ever before while eating healthy, local, organic produce and supporting businesses that I believe in.

Choosing to receive a weekly fruit and vegetable box is one of the best changes I’ve made in my life here. Seeing exactly where that food comes from has made my choice even more satisfying.

A big, warmhearted thank you goes out to everyone who participated in the Spring Tour this past Saturday (not that any of the farmers even know about this blog.)

I especially thank Biolandgärtnerei Hüsgen for allowing me to see, for free I might add, exactly who I’m supporting with my measly 13 Euros.

Thank YOU for reading along about this awesome day in my life!

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Italian Bread

I’ve really been getting into bread baking lately.

I’m pretty sure fresh yeast has been the reason for this change.

Previously, I hated bread baking. After hours of work, I always ended up with a brick hard block of tasteless bread that could barely be cut, let alone eaten.

Fresh yeast.

Fresh yeast has saved me from the yeasty beasty of ruined breads.

My most recent bread baking adventure turned out really well.

I followed this recipe for Italian bread.

I subbed 1 block of fresh yeast for the active dry yeast which was called for in the recipe. I also used all-purpose flour rather than bread flour since I didn’t have any on hand.

Although the recipe creator called for using a stand mixer, my hand-held mixer did the job.

The vital wheat gluten really made the dough tough.

I did as I was told, and kneaded the bread for 15 minutes.

After rolling the dough in a bit of olive oil, I set it aside to rise…

and rise it did!

After punching the dough down, I split it into two parts to be rolled into logs.

One loaf was rolled in freshly chopped rosemary.

The second loaf I left as is. Plain and simple.

The loaves were set on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that had been dusted with cornmeal.

Covered with a damp towel and set aside to rise, this is how the loaves looked after the second rise.

I love fresh yeast.

Each loaf got a few diagonal slices.

Pretty little rosemary flecks. Unphotographed, the loaves received an egg wash before being stuck in the oven to bake.

It’s hard to see here, but there’s a dish with hot water under the baking sheet.

Fresh out of the oven!

Hollow sounding when tapped and golden on the outside.

Chewy and soft on the inside.

Every time I have success, it chisels away at my bread baking insecurities.

If you’ve not tried baking with fresh yeast, I highly recommend it.

Fresh yeast might just change your life.

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Garlic Herb Bread

After 5 days in Berlin, we made it back to Bonn safely this evening.

This time around, the Berlin trip was full of Bs.

Baptism

BBQs

Beer

Not necessarily in that order.

More on Berlin to come later, for now, I’m off to do a couple more Bs.

Bath

Bed

Enjoy this previously planned post on a delicious bread that came easily be added to any BBQ this grilling season.

Although this may seem too simple to deserve a recipe, this half-homemade garlic bread is too good not to share.

 Simple, herby garlic bread- what could be better?

  I used an olive baguette, chives and parsley along with the standard soy butter, salt, garlic and spring onion.

Juicy chunks of olives really added to the taste.

Slice the bread diagonally without going all the way through.

  See? Still together although cut apart.

My food processor is on the fritz so I used a hand-held submersion blender to mix together the garlic herb butter.

  Spread the slices apart and generously smear the butter inside.

Lookin’ good.

Place the loaf on aluminum foil and wrap it up.

This can be cooked in the oven or even on the grill.

Such a lovely reward.

Ingredients

1 loaf French or Italian bread

4 Tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 small shallot or 1 spring onion

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup fresh herbs such as parsley, chives or rosemary

salt to taste

Method

1. Cut the bread diagonally into 1.5 inch slices being careful not to cut all the way through.
2. Add the butter, shallot, garlic, herbs and salt in a food process and combine until well mixed.
3. Spread the butter mixture between the bread slices, wrap the loaf in aluminum foil and bake at 500 F for 5-7 minutes.

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Sourdough Spelt Bread

Amongst making cupcakes, frosting and dried pineapple, I made another loaf of fresh yeast bread this weekend.

A couple weeks ago, I picked up a package of sourdough extract. This weekend, I finally gave it a try.

I followed the recipe on the back of the package but substituted spelt flour for rye since I didn’t have any rye on hand and used fresh yeast rather than dried just because I like it better.

The recipe was very easy to put together.

Spelt flour, whole wheat flour, sunflower seeds, sourdough extract and salt.

Crumbled fresh yeast and honey before adding water

Just mix it all together and knead it in the bowl

It took about 5 minutes of hands-on time before setting the dough aside for the first rise.

45 minutes later, the dough had doubled in size and stretched apart.

  Here’s how it looked after 5 minutes of kneading. I set it aside for another 45 minute rise.

After the second rise, I shaped the dough and put it into a lined bread pan then popped it in the oven for an hour.

Fresh out of the oven, it smelled great but I was disappointed by how dense the bread was.

The bread had a good sour taste but was too salty for me.  

Although this bread tasted good, there are a few things I would do differently next time.

1. I noticed that the dough looked quite dry but went ahead anyways. Next time, if I’m using dryer flours like spelt and whole wheat, I’ll add more water.
2. To guarantee that the bread really rises to fill the bread pan, next time I will let the dough rise in the bread pan for another 45 minutes or so before baking.
3. Although the recipe called for 2 Tbsp. of salt, I’ll reduce it to a scant 1 Tbsp.

Adapted from Alnatura

For 1 loaf of bread

Ingredients

400 grams Spelt flour

250 grams whole wheat flour

1 block fresh yeast

1 package sourdough extract

1 Tablespoon honey

2 Tablespoons sea salt

100 grams sunflower seeds

400 mL warm water

Method

1. Combine the yeast, honey and warm water in a bowl and stir to dissolve the yeast
2. Stir together the flours, salt, sourdough extract and sunflower seeds. Make a well and add the yeast mixture. Stir the mixture and knead in the bowl to form a soft dough. Cover and set aside in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes.
3. Knead the dough well, cover and let rise for another 45 minutes.
4. Line a bread pan with baking paper. Shape the dough and place it in the bread pan.
5. Bake in a  preheated oven at 200 degree Celsius for 50-60 minutes. For a crunchy crust, place a dish of boiling water in the oven during the baking time.

Although this wasn’t the best bread I’ve ever tasted, it made a good foundation for my lunch sandwich.

Included in the stack: smoked paprika baba ghanoush, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, tomato and avocado.

I would love to be a good bread baker but am still trying to find my feet. Any suggestions on how to improve?

 

 

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Early Morning Baking

Yesterday was the Open Day at my school. Everything went well; I had about 7 kids come through to participate in the lesson and activities and many families came through to watch, look around the room and ask questions.

Although going to work on a Saturday is never desirable, it was good for one thing, it got me up and going much earlier than a usual Saturday. By noon, I was home and ready to get on with the day.

I made a quick lunch of guacamole and an English muffin with vegan almond herbed cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes.

 Lunch was light and fresh.

After lunch I laid down for a no-nap rest for about 20 minutes before going to the grocery store. The local store is closed for a week to renovate so I took the opportunity to go to the shop 1 town over.

Even though I went shopping, I wanted to use the grocery store closing as a motivation to be a bit more self-reliant so decided to bake my own bread.

I based my recipe off of a recipe found on the King Arthur website. I love King Arthur Flour products and their website it so informative. If only they would venture into Europe…

This hearty bread was made with whole wheat flour, olive oil, ground flax, sunflower seeds, fresh yeast, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, salt, water and golden syrup (a liquid sweetener similar to molasses.)

The dry ingredients.

About 3/4 of a block of fresh yeast, crumbled. I dissolved the yeast into the water before combining with the golden syrup and olive oil. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until a shaggy dough forms. I used the dough attachment to my hand mixer.

Let the dough rest for 20 minutes before kneading it.

  Knead until the dough is elastic and smooth. Be careful not to use too much extra flour while kneading or else the bread will be too dense and tough.

 Set the dough in a warm place for 2 hours to rise.

After the first rise is over, shape the dough into a log then place it into a lightly oiled bread pan. Allow the dough to rise for another 2 hours before baking the bread. 

Fresh bread with soy butter and watercress for breakfast.

 

I started making the dough around 4:00, kneaded the first rise at 6:30 and had planned on baking the bread after the second rise at 8:30.

Life got in the way and I went out for dinner and drinks with my friends rather than staying home, baking bread.

Fast forward to 2:00 am.

I arrived home to my much rested and risen whole wheat nut and seed bread.

By 2:45 my apartment smelled like an early morning bakery and the bread was finished baking.

Patiently, I waited for the bread to rest and slightly cool before chomping into it at 3:00 am.

Although the long rise may have prevented the bread from puffing up as much as I had hoped, coming home to freshly baked bread before bead sure makes for sweet dreams…

Whole Wheat Nut and Seed Bread

Based on a recipe by King Arthur Flour

Yields 1 loaf

• 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 Tbsp. golden syrup (or honey, maple syrup, molasses)
• 4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, chopped
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
• 1 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 block fresh yeast (or 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast)

Method

1. Combine the flour, seeds, nuts and wheat gluten in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, dissolve the fresh yeast into the water then add in the golden syrup and olive oil.
2. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until you have a shaggy dough. Let the dough rest, covered, for 20 minutes, then knead till fairly smooth.
3. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for about 2 hours, or until it’s puffy and nearly doubled in size.
4. Gently deflate the dough, shape it into a log, and place it in a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" bread pan. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow it to rise for about 2 hours, till it’s crowned about 1" to 2" over the rim of the pan.
5. Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil for the final 20 minutes of baking.

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Easy Earring Organizer

When I first moved to Germany almost 3 years ago, I came with 4 manageable pairs of dangly earrings.

Before you ask, yes, I now only have 3.5 of those original sets and also, yes, that is the top of a red pencil eraser which is used to back the earring in the bottom left corner.

Well, over the past almost 3 years, my dangly earring collection has grown to a messy pile of tangled hoops, beads and jewels.

Not anymore!

In about 5 minutes today, I solved that dangling disaster by repurposing a few unused items which were already hanging around the apartment. (Get it? Hanging around.)

To make this chicken wire earring organizing frame, you will simply need:

• 1 picture frame with cardboard backing
• chicken wire
• feline assistant, optional

Please allow me to be sidetracked for a moment to share a funny story about that picture frame.

3 Christmases ago, Sebastian and I left the cats to the care of a helpful lady in our apartment named Barbara. We were so thankful for her and her willingness to care for the cats while we were away in Berlin. Nice, lonely, bored, thoughtful lady.

We returned 2 weeks later to find that our apartment had been entirely reorganized and decorated in our absence.

She moved every single pantry item, book, pillow, and pan to where she though it was better suited. There was not one item, big or small, that was in the same place as we had left it.

I had spent 5 months refusing to put a nail into the walls only to return and find 1 clock, 2 calendars, 1 pack of post-it notes, and 4 pictures hanging by nails in my previously unpenetrated walls.

The Cat on a Clothesline cut out from a newspaper picture above is one of the remaining pieces of art which Barbara thought was so well suited for us.

Anyways, back to the project at hand, you need an unused frame.

1. First up, disassemble the frame, removing the glass completely.
2. Flip the kitty picture over to reveal a white piece of paper against the cardboard backing.
3. Wrap the chicken wire around the cardboard and place back into the frame.
4. Push down the tabs to hold the backing in place and there you have it.
5. Hang up your dangly earrings.

If you really care about symmetry, just take more care in straightening out the chicken wire. I didn’t bother as it will always be covered anyways.

 A simple solution to tangled trouble.

Although this earring organizer is pretty awesome, it doesn’t come near the wonderful gift I received from one of my students this week.

Every time I open this jewelry box, I think my heart might just melt a little.

I love you, too.

In other news, today was a beautiful day in Bonn.

To take advantage of the warmer weather and sunshine, Sebastian suggested going on a walk today.

We walked down to one of my favorite places, Muffendorf.

I didn’t take very many photos today, but here are a few of the small details we stumbled on.

Once back, I made fresh juice and a late lunch/ early dinner.

2 old clementines, an orange, beet, ginger and 3 carrots.

The makeshift mid-day double meal was a grilled cheese with lamb’s lettuce and smoked cheese.

Left-over creamy avocado sauce on the side for dipping.

I was still feeling hungry so cut a couple slices of French farmer’s baguette and topped it with the final bit of avocado spread and fresh tomatoes.

Fresh and satisfying.

My plans for tonight involve watching How I Met Your Mother and sipping tea.

There is a chance that popcorn and hot chocolate may be included at some point as well.

To all you in the US, have fun at your Super bowl parties today.

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Beer Bread

My mom used to make beer bread every now and then.

I used to think I couldn’t eat it because I was under age.

When I would eat my mom’s beer bread, I’d only have a slice or two.

I was afraid I’d get drunk.

The rich, aromatic flavor of this soft bread was good though.

Really good.

All you need for this quick bread is flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, butter and beer.

I used Kölsch, a local light ale.

Sift together the dry ingredients.

Make a well then add the butter and beer.

Stir it up to create a sticky dough.

Turn the dough into a bread pan which has been lined with baking paper. You can drizzle honey or more butter over top. I just scraped out the remaining butter from my empty melted butter bowl.

Bake until golden brown and hollow sounding.

Remove from the pan and cool.

You are meant to let it cool completely before slicing…

… but my mom never waited, so neither do I!

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup beer, I used Kölsch, the local beer specialty in Cologne
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a loaf pan with baking paper and set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Create a well then add the beer and melted butter. Stir until a soft dough forms.
3. Turn the dough into the prepared pan. (If you wish to drizzle honey or more butter overtop, you may.) Bake until the loaf is golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped, about 40-45 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

 

 

 

 

 

Prost!

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