What did you do this weekend?

What did you do this weekend?

We had a busy weekend filled with birthday parties, baby showers, cooking on the grill, heading into the big city, and running.

I recently got a couple of new cookbooks. Since recently becoming a vegan, I got a new cookbook, Vive le Vegan! by Dreena Burton. I just love the title, it's so exciting!! And, the recipes all look so tasty and delicious. I made the applesauce muffins Sunday morning for breakfast. I didn't have the hemp seed nuts that the recipe called for, but they were still delicious, and vegan.

The other cookbook I received was the Tessajara Bread Book by Edward Espe Brown. I'd heard good things online about the basic bread recipes and am not knowledgeable in the art of bread-making. But, I am ready to learn. So, I read the beginning chapters, bought some yeast and was ready to bake bread!


The directions instructed me to begin by making the sponge. This step is normally skipped, but it's a good idea to begin making bread this way because the yeast has an opportunity to grow in the absence of salt and develop elasticity which would otherwise be developed during kneading. Here is what the sponge looks like:


It has the consistency of thick mud and we let it sit in a warm place, covered with a wet towel. And then it looked like this:


Nice!! I then incorporated the salt, oil, and more flour. I kneaded the bread and after it raises again, it looks like this:


Shiny, elastic, just beautiful!

It makes 2 loaves. I made 1 loaf of bread




and 1 batch of rolls.


My rolls were a little big, but still yummy.

We've been eating homemade whole wheat bread today as toast, sandwiches, and as a snack. Now that I've made the basic recipe. I'm going to branch out and try something daring and exciting...maybe cinnamon raisin bread, maybe english muffins...maybe I'll ask the boys what they want.