Sourdough Bread, Bean Burgers & Fermentation…..Cookery Class 10th November with April Danann

Want to learn some new recipes, cooking from scratch and a few simple meals that will uplift you? If you have been feeling low, heavy, have some health issues or are just sick and tired of feeling sick and tired...then it's time to come out and learn how to cook - like a rebel! 

Perhaps some high vibration foods are all your body needs to restore its' usual vitality and even if this is the first step on a new road - eating well is all about understanding how and what to cook. This upcoming class will be about bread (mainly), fermentation, bean burgers and sustainable eating….. 

For you seasoned foodies out there, are junk and ready made meals creeping into your menu? Maybe a little tune-up and gentle reminder about what to feed your body is what you need...

However most importantly, eating well and renewed health starts with reducing the amount of processed food in your diet. Making more of our meals from basic ingredients is easier then you might think - all it takes is a little push in the right direction.

 As a food rebel you can learn how to feed yourself and your family - make some items you may have thought too difficult and get to know your food on an entirely new, energetic level. There is no time like right now, and no better place to practice being a rebel!

Come out and join an Intuitive Rebel Cook in Leap, West Cork

10th November (Breaking Bread) 11am to 3pm 

Only €35 for class, organic food, recipes & notes!

Contact April on mobile 087 236 1616 or email: info@aprildanann.com to book your place...See you there!

All We Need Is....Bread!

I haven’t been doing much in the way of cooking these days…I’ve been baking bread. A little bit obsessive I know – but with good reason I might add – I have been perfecting my wild yeast culture as well as my sourdough culture…

And it is pretty well – perfect! I just love the taste of the bread but more then that I really like the ‘feel’ of it when I am working with it – kneading it, the pulling and stretching as well as the mixing.

It just doesn’t compare to how bread feels when I have used commercial yeast. This feeling is the first thing I noticed about the dough when I first mixed it – it just felt so different in my hands.

Wild yeast gives the bread a softness and a lightness not found anywhere else and I just know it must also impart far more flavour (it tastes so good!) and along with that the vitamins and minerals that come from fermented grains.

This week I have been playing around with the culture – using different types of flours as well as varying the length of time I have let the dough rise (and rise again). Mostly I have treated it a bit like a sourdough giving it lots of time to develop.

As of right now I have 3 different breads on the go – one in the oven while the other two are at different stages of fermentation. Each one is completely unique in it’s flavour and texture when done but so delicious.

Who’d of thought that bread could be this easy to make, yeast this easy to grow and the taste so superior? And I couldn’t be happier! LOL

 April

Wild Yeast Bread...Yumm!!

Oh. My. God! This is my masterpiece!!! LOL

Well, let me tell you a story….as part of a homeschool experiment, my son and I decided we would try our hand at growing some wild yeast. Apparently you have to capture the little wee beasties….

So here is what we did.

I took a jar of warmish water – to this I added a couple of tablespoons of my own raw honey. Then to create a bit of acid for the yeast to feed off of, I also added some of my own homemade Apple Cider Vinegar (it tastes so good!).

This was all stirred together until the honey was completely diffused throughout the entire water. Lastly I got a piece of rhubarb from the garden, chopped it up and this was also placed into the water (it’s supposed to have some fruit).

The jar was covered with a piece of cheese cloth so it could breathe...

Every day for a week or two – we gently stirred this concoction and watched it carefully. I was checking for any mold growth or something unusual as well. If mold had started to grow, it would kill any wild yeasts….

Finally – there started to form some frothy substance on the top of the jar. I tasted it, and it was wild yeast! This week I was trying to decide what to do with this (it’s not very much) so I poured it into a bowl and made bread with it.

It is quite possibly the best bread I have ever made in my entire life. Seriously. And for the first time in over 2 months, my bread rose as it baked – all from wild yeast I had grown myself in my own kitchen.

Blooming marvelous!

April

Wild Yeast Bread 

Bread - the stuff of life!

I am still working away at making the perfect sourdough and I think (ok, I want to believe!) I am getting there. I probably have a long way to go yet, but I will bring you up to speed on what I am doing so far.

My sourdough starter culture is great – it’s a only a few weeks old, but it smells wonderful, grows (doubles, then triples) whenever I feed it and ask it to do something. It is made from organic rye flour and clean well water.

I have followed several books with directions on how to make a great sourdough bread…only to have everything go well until I put it in the oven to bake. Then it bakes up really nicely (we love the crust) but doesn’t rise the way I would like it to.

The bread dough rises all along each stage…then when I place it in the oven it falls flat. I have been reading what other people are saying about this, and have tried their suggestions, but so far – nothing has worked for me.

So – now I must resort to using my own intuition!!! LOL

My gut tells me that first of all it was too cold, so I can upped to heat and placed some hot water in a pan underneath the rising loaves. Then, that my starter culture was still young and for the most part, this is the process a person goes through to get to know their own bread. It is also the flour I am using - organic whole grain for the most part. 

The bread I have made is quite edible and we all enjoy the taste – it’s just not rising like I want it to.

Therefore – my conclusions at this point – are that it’s all good. My starter culture is walking me through the bread making process teaching me how to understand it, watch it and be a lot more in touch with what is taking place inside as well as outside as it grows along with my new skills.

I am learning how to ‘read’ the culture – when it tells me to bake, to rest and perhaps even which flour to use. Life for me just arrived at a new level and has become a whole lot more interesting!

Bread – the stuff of life…..

April

Chickpea Flat Bread - Oven Fried

This is a recipe you have got to try! 

If you are anything like me, you have things in your cupboards you use seldom - or go through little phases of using them and then forgetting about them for awhile. For me there are several items, some of which I have mentioned on here.

Well, another one is gram flour or chickpea flour. Not so long ago I did use this far more often but it fell out in favour of spelt flour for breads and baking. This week I decided to bring it back and redo some of my favourite recipes with it.

I ended up making a gram flour bread type of pancake - often called Socca - of course my recipe is a little different (what else is new!) but we think it's even better with a few tweaks...

Here it is:

Oven Fried Bread

2 cups of gram flour

400 ml water

finely diced onion

fresh and dried Rosemary

Olive oil or coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

salt

cumin

pepper

Mix the gram flour and water together - blend really well to get out any lumps - then allow to sit for at least 2 hours or even over night. 

Once the flour is ready - add your spices and baking soda, except the fresh rosemary, and blend lightly again to make sure everything is evening distributed. 

In the meantime, set your oven at 190C and prepare a round tin or deep pizza pan by covering with parchment paper. Pour about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the parchment, add the onion to the batter and then gently pour the batter on top of the oil. 

Once the batter is in the pan - carefully mix or draw the oil through the mixture (it will float to the top) and then sprinkle with a little more salt, pepper and the fresh rosemary. 

Place in a hot oven for about 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Take out and allow to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes, then serve with a meal.

This is lovely with anything or on it's own.

April

Lovely!!

Rosemary Sea Salt Bread -

I am always thinking up new ways to freshen old recipes especially when it comes to adding something very simple that will make a huge difference. We all love our bread around here and there have been endless recipes tried out making it better all the time.

One of my favourite for this time of the year is Rosemary Seasalt Bread. Perhaps I like it so much because it goes with nearly everything - any kind of meal you might cook, this herby bread is tasty and versatile. 

But, it also packs a punch as far as wholesome goodness is concerned as well. This past week I have been giving some thought to flu season, colds and winter bugs in general as they are so common this time of year - one food to always include in your cooking would be herbs to help strengthen your body.

It is no secret how much I love and use herbs - the vast majority of the ones used in my cooking are from my own garden. Planted, raised, grown and then dried by hand. These taste the best in cooking and baking adding superior flavour and freshness.

With this in mind I started making a Rosemary bread which by itself tastes great - I follow my usual recipe for baking spelt bread - which means to not measure anything, just start adding the ingredients! But, when I adding the simplest sea salt over top - the taste is outstanding!

To make this bread, I might use about 4 cups of organic whole grain spelt flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons dried rosemary (or fresh if you have it), 1/2 cup ground linseeds, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, pinch salt, water. This is all mixed up into a thick batter until it resembles a bread mixture and then spooned into a lined loaf pan.

Once the loaf pan is filled I sprinkle more rosemary over top together with coarse sea salt such as Celtic sea salt. I might press this into the bread dough a little bit to get it to stick as well. Then this is baked in a hot oven for about 50 minutes until done...

This is one of the simplest and tastiest breads that I have ever made and I can't wait until Solstice to try some out with a piece of smoked fish... Yumm!

April

Rosemary Sea Salt Bread 

Fig, Date & Walnut Loaf

I have loads of figs here and have been looking for ways to use them up - dates are no problem because we love them in date squares. I haven't tried making fig squares...perhaps that is next. However, I do like figs in breads and loaves as well as when making coconut balls.

With this in mind I decided to try my hand at making a loaf with figs and dates that would not be too heavy - I wanted it to be light, soft and while not overly sweet, just a nice tasting loaf. Sort of a dessert bread but also a bit of a treat.

What I also like about figs and dates is that they are so good for you full of necessary minerals and vitamins. I remember a time when this was my only indulgence during the week...and I looked forward to it like a little slice of heaven.

Well, they are still a slice of heaven - and divine when added to any recipe. Yesterday I made a little loaf of Fig, Date and Walnut bread for my taste tester to try out - and it got a thumbs up. So, now I can't wait to try it myself next week. 

Only a few more days to go with this detox and it's back to eating for me for a few days, then back to detox again. It is detox season and I like to give this all I've got - that's the only way to get the best results.

To make the bread I started out as usual with my 3 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt - but then because I was using figs and dates I decided to use cloves and nutmeg in place of cinnamon. Just for a little stronger flavour as well as the warming effects. 

Next I added chopped figs and dates to 1 cup of milk as well as some grated lemon, lemon juice and 1/4 cup of date syrup. In another bowl I whisked a duck egg which I then added to the soaking figs and dates. 

Once I was happy that the figs and dates were soaked, I poured this milk mixture into the flour blend and stirred until it was nearly mixed - when I added 1/3 cup of water and 2 tablespoons oil. I continued mixing until all was blended and then spooned the dough into loaf tins. 

Lastly I pressed chopped walnuts into the top of each loaf (to get them to stick) and put them into the hot oven. After baking for 30 minutes (mini loaves) it was done and smelled wonderful - next time I think I will omit the egg and add a little butter instead of the oil. Just to see if I can get the loaf even softer. But, it did turn out very nice as it is. 

April

Fig, Date & Walnut Loaf 

Winter Warmer - Cheese & Olive Spelt Bread

Today I have been keeping myself busy with a few tasks, only to realize that we were almost out of bread. Of course, I was only too pleased to use up some more items in the fridge as more of us will be fasting before the weekend is over.

I have a bowl of olives and some Chèvre goat's cheese that needed to be used before it had to went off- and these are great items to put into a loaf of bread. Because it will be mainly my daughter eating pretty soon, I made mini loaves that can be frozen if need be. 

Right now the house smells warm and comforting - the kind of scent that only bread and melted cheese can give! LOL

To make the bread I wanted to give it some strong flavours to go along with the cheese and olives so I put in a generous helping of thyme, oregano and rosemary. Then I chopped the olives into pieces and grated the cheese.

Once I started to make the bread I put in the usual baking soda, salt, the herbs and then some poppy seeds (I always use some kind of seed but it is usually sunflower or linseed). Next I poured in the whole grain spelt flour and mixed this thoroughly.

Once the dry ingredients were dealt with I kept stirring in olives, cheese and lastly the water. I didn't put too much cheese in with the flour because it sometimes can make this bread break off into chunks. Or separate once cooked.

As well the cheese was well crumbled and mixed in once the dough was formed. I then spooned out the soda bread dough into mini loaf pans and put more grated cheese over top as well as pushed in some olives pieces that were sticking out. They can burn and not have a pleasant taste.

These were put into a hot oven for 35 minutes or so until done. So, now the house smell delicious and there is a lovely bread ready to go with the cream of broccoli soup I am making for their dinners.... 

All in a days work!

April

Mini loaf of Cheese & Olive Bread 

Breaking Bread

These past few weeks I have been mentioning bread a lot - but especially one aspect of it. The flour. Continuing on with the theme of getting out of our food ruts, changing or combining types of flours for bread and baking is more then a treat.

I have found myself using barley, oat, gram, lentil and several other types of flours more often these days. Perhaps since the colder weather set in and I think it has to do with wanting some additional variety in our diets, but also to play around with them.

Most of the time for nearly all my baking I use whole grain organic spelt flour and it works out great. Occasionally I throw in some organic white spelt flour if I am making something a little more refined such as cookies or scones. 

But over these past few weeks I have been drawn to using more oat and barley flours in my breads - often mixed in with the spelt, which gives it far more flavour and quite a different texture. These breads are a little denser and heavier then plain spelt flour, however there is something quite nice about all of this experimenting.

Changing out flours can be better for us and most of them are easier to digest then wheat. The other important point here is that they are all nutritionally superior to wheat with loads more vitamins and minerals then even white spelt flour.

Apparently oat flour is one of the best flours you can use in your cooking and baking. I like it because it gives such a nice taste to the bread. It is also low in gluten and offers the goodness of oats. You can grind some yourself easily in a spice mill or coffee grinder in a few minutes. 

Getting a variety of nutrients in your diet is not difficult when you use a variety of foods from many sources. And your food will never be boring - something different each day can be created with just a little effort.

April

Spelt and Oat bread 

Baking with Barley Flour

This past week I can feel how the season is rapidly changing with the cooler weather settling in. We have a fire in most evenings now to keep the house warm enough. After a beautiful few weeks of dry weather, the rain is winding it's way back to us and it's time to hunker down.

This usually means some subtle changes in our diet as well - when the weather turns colder and the dark starts to close in around us for the winter season, it is time to eat more nourishing cooked foods, easily digested stews and soups. As well as to start dipping into some of the foods preserved during the summer. 

One food which I would not eat a lot of in the warmer months would be barley. Once the season leans towards winter or colder weather however, I always think of delicious barley lamb stews, barley and broccoli dishes and barley bread.

Barley is an interesting grain, it has been around forever and used since ancient times. Along with spelt it is one of my favourite grains to use as a flour for baking breads, cakes and other lovely foods. It is also fairly easy to work with.

Barley adds a nutty flavour to a bread, the consistency however is slightly different then using other flours because there is a very low gluten content, making a more cake like appearance. That is why I alway team it up with spelt or some other flour.

This week was a great week with the cooler weather to make some honey barley bread - this is a wonderful tasting bread which is also fairly sweet and is great for breakfasts or as a dessert with butter and jam.

To make barley bread I used 4 cups of barley flour mixed together with 3 cups of whole grain spelt (all organic of course). Then added a little salt and some bread soda. I decided to add in 1 tablespoon of honey per cup of flour to make this a nice sweet bread.

I had wondered about using only water to make this bread - but knowing a few things about milk I decided to use this. Milk adds flavour, improves texture, sweetens the bread and breaks down some of the gluten, it also makes a nicer softer crust - which is what I wanted. 

So, to the flour I added 2 cups of goat's milk and 1 cup of water. Once this was all mixed up it was like a very thick cake mixture- I also put in a handful of sunflower seeds to give it a little more crunch. 

Honey Barley Bread 

This bread also cooks a little faster and was probably done in about 45 minutes or so. Everyone loved it - with its softer crust and sweetness, very much like a little treat! 

Barley Facts:

Barley is an easy to grow grain

It's been used for thousands of years

It has a low GI (glycemic index)

Low starch content, but high in fibre 

It doesn't rise as much as other flours

Good source of magnesium and selenium

If you want to try something different, get some barley flour and use it in any of your favourite recipes or make some lovely soft bread! 

Have a healthy day,

April

Sliced barley bread

Our Daily Bread

What is so difficult about making our own bread - and since when have we all become so 'fussy' (or whatever it is) that only something that is pure rubbish from a shop can be called bread and even eaten on a regular basis in most people's diets? 

For nearly 7 years I went without bread of any kind in an effort to remove anything that might be causing or contributing to gut and digestive issues (and nearly everything else!) that I was having. And of all the things that I gave up for such a long period of time, bread was the one food that I really missed.

When I started adding foods back into my diet after some level of healing had taken place, I wanted it to be the best and it had to be gut friendly. The best grain for bread as far as I am concerned is spelt (whole grain organic) which is easy to work with but does take some getting used to and is well worth the effort.

Seeds and bread soda in the bread bowl

To make a nice loaf of bread from spelt flour there are only a few rules that should guide you:

-once it is wet you have about 4 minutes to mix (don't over mix) and get it in the oven

-when used for baking (scones, pies etc.) keep the dough cold and it works better

-water is the magic ingredient for taste and texture (clean well water is key)

As well, try not to get into the same rut as the rest of our cooking and meals where bread is concerned, there are so many kinds that can be made at home with common ingredients around the kitchen, so variety is easy to be had.  Below is a list of some of the breads that I would be baking throughout a typical month; 

• Rosemary olive bread (leftover olives from the market are great for this)
• Honey oat bread (use local honey)
• Herbed bread (I often use thyme, oregano and rosemary)
• Cinnamon raison bread (with loads of seeds)
• Plain Soda bread
• Goat's cheese & herb bread (chèvre and thyme, rosemary or tarragon)
• Onion & herb bread (any kind of herb with scallions)
• Naan bread (lovely with sesame seeds)
• Scones (any kind! But I love fruit such as cherry and goat's yogurt)
• Buns and rolls (quickly made for a meal)
• Muffins of all kinds (my favourite are cheese and herb, or sweet ones

When it comes to bread it is nearly impossible to run out of ideas and each day the bread can be made with slightly different ingredients depending what you have on hand. Bread is best made in small batches fresh each day, just a loaf or two at the most. 

Spelt flour being mixed in with the seeds and soda etc

In damp, wet climates such as Ireland, soda bicarbonate has traditionally been used when baking bread and does not cause any of the problems found with yeasted breads. I would recommend using baking soda for all your baking and staying away from yeasts and molds as they cause problems with the gut and digestion.

Another thing that I wanted to mention here as well - bread is usually not the problem when it comes to digestion and gut issues in general. There are far worse 'foods' coming into the diet that can be removed first and improvements will be seen. Start with sugar, caffeine, dairy, wheat, alcohol, Night Shades, processed foods and ready meals if you want to see some immediate benefit to your health - there are lots of ways to make positive changes in any diet.

Herbed bread

Off to make some more jams, 

Have a lovely day,

April

**Believe it or not there are some great quotes about bread, it is that important to us as humans -

"How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?"
--Julia Child

"There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread." --Mahatma Gandhi