Bread Bakin'

So I have been making my own bread ever since I arrived in Montreal, because I decided that if I had to spend ridiculous amounts of money on something it would not be bread. I also decided that I wanted to eat bread that tasted like I spent ridiculous amounts of money on it.




This is Dark Rye Bread German style, because I am actually VERY German.

Ingredients
3 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup cocoa
10 g active yeast
2 tbsp caraway seeds
1 big pinch salt
1/3 cup molasses or honey (mostly the floral kinds are the nicest)
4 tbsp of olive oil or butter
3 cups rye flour
2 cups tepid water

Method
1.) Prepare yeast according to instructions.
2.) Combine whole-wheat flour, salt, cocoa and caraway seeds.
3.) Heat molasses, olive oil and both cups of water in a small saucepan until warmish.
4.) Add to dry mixture and stir rapidly for about 3 minutes, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl for any residual flour.
5.) Beat again, this time for as long as your arms can stand it (3-5 minutes).
6.) By hand stir in rye flour a bit at a time (as much as it takes to make an elastic dough. The mixture should still be warm.
7.) Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and springy.
8.) Cover and let rise in a warm damp environment for 20 minutes.
9.) Punch down risen dough and divide in half.
10.) shape into two oval loaves or alternately one loaf and six little rye buns and place onto greased and floured baking trays.
11.) Brush with soy milk or a bit of egg or some oil or some cow's milk- whatever you have around.
12.) Slash the tops (not too violently).
13.) Cover and let them rise in a warm place until they are double size (about an hour).
14.) Bake in a moderate to hot oven for 25-30 minutes depending on the oven.
15.) They should be nice and browned on top and when tapped should produce a hollow sound.
16.) Eat several thick slices with butter before anyone comes home.
17.) Pretend that you only made one loaf and keep the extra one under your bed for midnight snacking. No-one need be any the wiser.
18.) Tell your kids that it is chocolate bread (because actually it is) and say they can have chocolate bread with rain juice (water) if they are really good. They will totally never trust you again afterwards and may need psychological intervention down the track, it'll be funny.

Bon Apetit!

You know what else I made? Curtains.
They go with my whole cream coloured pompon theme. So now I have hobnail glass lamps with pompons around the rims AND matching curtains!
I was going to make some dresses from them, but the fabric looked so nice jammed up in the window when I didn't have anything to hang there to keep spying eyes away, that I decided I would take it as an investment and write it off in my tax.



They match the books I stole from my parent's house.

Thank-you.
I'll be here all week.

xxx