Tag: bread

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So this week has been National Bread Week…………rather than supporting the processed white stuff, here is some of the nice nutritious tasty stuff I made at home 🙂 We have got into the habit of making plain wholemeal / white bread for everyday eating so this week gave me the incentive to be a bit more creative and liven things up a bit!

My photos are taken on my phone, I am no photographer so these are nothing like the beautifully, gorgeous food pictures I have seen on so many other blogs. If WordPress did aroma-blogs or smelly-blogs, you would be won over I know! I can assure you, these were yum yum yum 🙂

So, here are my creations this week:

Wonky wholemeal and spelt loaf

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Honey and sunflower loaf (made with 50% wholemeal, 50% white flour)

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Pesto, onion and garlic loaf made with white flour only (wow this was yum!)

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These were followed by a spiced fruit loaf but I must confess……we ate it!

Now this bread does not last as long as the mass-produced, pre-packed stuff but that doesn’t seem to be an issue in our house.  It doesn’t contain all the artificial additives and preservatives so the shelf life will not be  as long. But we know exactly what’s in it, we are in control of the ingredients and it actually has real flavour! Anyway, if we happen to have any left, it’s a good excuse to take the kids down to the pond at the park and give the ducks a tasty feast.

Funnily enough the Guardian food section had a page on baking bread today so here it is if you want to give it a go……….how to bake bread

It’s also incredibly therapeutic. Not that I knead my bread at the moment (as my machine does it for me, how lazy is that) but I have made bread completely by hand in the past. The more you bash the hell out of it, the more you work the gluten in the dough, the better your bread will be and the better you will feel! Just imagine your ball of dough is somebody’s head……that annoying person at work perhaps, or that idiot or who ran you down with their trolley in the supermarket. What or who ever it is that’s bugging you, vent your frustrations out on your dough. Trust me you will love it!

So this leads me quite nicely to next week’s mental health awareness week. I remember reading an article in the Independent newspaper last week called feeling depressed? maybe you need to knead. Making bread can have really positive effects on your mood. On Monday I will be posting something about good mood foods so keep your eyes peeled for that!

 

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May we eat bread!

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Bread

I love bread

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I don’t need an excuse to eat bread but……next week is National bread week!

I am actually too impatient to wait and put this post out on Monday I love bread that much. Plus it’s the 1st May today hence the great title of my post……ha ha get it?! Groan………..

To be Honest, when I saw National Bread Week, I noticed it said Warburton’s National Bread Week.  Undoubtedly this is a marketing / brand promotion to make us buy more Warburtons bread but I will get to them next week.  I will be talking about all the good, the bad and the ugly stuff so keep your eyes  peeled for more…………………

My husband and I love bread.  We argue about what we call rolls – he says cobs and baps, I say rolls and buns but who really cares, we are both bread monsters and we have bred a mini bread monster!

People I speak to have very different views about bread. There are the bread lovers, like me who eat it on a regular basis; sandwich eaters, soup dippers, mopper uppers and crust nibblers.  Then there are the people who can’t eat it (fair enough if they have an intolerance or are allergic to some types of bread) but those that simply deny themselves the pleasure of eating any of  it because they say it’s bad for you. I feel for these people. Do they not know what they are missing out on?! I love bread.

Bread doesn’t have to be bad for you! OK I admit, some types are not the best in terms of nutritional value; white bread is pretty poor as a staple (as all the fibre and vitamins have been removed) and some breads can be very salty (thinking of a lovely soft pretzel……)

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or sweet like these brioche mmmm I love bread.

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and yes maybe it can make you feel a bit bloated but like all foods, if we eat bread in moderation there is no reason why we can’t have a little now and then.

I also don’t believe it ‘makes you out on weight‘ – there is no hidden fat magnet in bread, just don’t eat 10 slices a day! I would also suggest you don’t pile on the butter either – in actual fact it is much more likely to be the spreads and fillings that add the bulk of the Calories to a sandwich.

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Now this does require a certain degree of self control……………and this is something I struggle with too so I get it that this can be a bit tricky. Bread is like a tube of Pringles, once you start you can’t stop! If I buy a nice french stick fresh from the bakers, I can’t get home without having eaten one or both ends! I love bread.

I also make my own bread…………..before you become too impressed I actually have a bread machine that makes my bread.  It’s awesome! 3 minutes 15 seconds (yes I did time it!) to weigh out and put in the yeast, flour, a bit of sugar, salt and water, choose the bread you want from the menu, programme it in and press start.  Anywhere between 2 and 6 hrs it’s hey presto your very own loaf.  I mean what’s not to love? no mess, no hassle, you can even set it off at bed time so you wake up to the smell of fresh bread when you come downstairs.  You can make fruit loaves, savoury loaves, buns, pizza dough, brioche and croissants. For my husband to congratulate me on my purchase and say its the best thing I have ever bought, it must be pretty amazing.

So if you are up for it, why not try celebrating bread next week?

Between the 5th and 11th May, go for something different…….

When we think bread, I reckon a lot of us automatically think of the bog standard sliced stuff. Let’s think outside the box and try some rye or spelt bread; these are thought to be a bit more digestible. Look for some aromatic and flavoursome Turkish or Persian flat breads. Or even just try a different bread that you would not normally buy – how about soda bread, bagels or one of those fancy artisan breads that so many shops offer now; one with sun-dried tomatoes or caramelised onions or something covered with seeds and nuts.  If you need some inspiration have a look at this list: Wikipaedia’s list of breads I was surprised at the number of breads I had never heard of as well as being reminded of those I had completely forgotten about. Did I say I loved bread? 😉

Please tell me which bread you love and what’s the best way to eat it………………