Reheating Bread

We like to try and be healthy in our family.  We are baking our own bread with a nice long fermentation cycle and we love it.  We love it so much we tend to make a lot of it for ourselves.  So now we've run into a problem.  Since the bread is all natural without preservatives it starts to become compost quicker than many store bought breads and we can't healthily eat that much bread that fast.  Thankfully we talked with others who shared their experiences and suggested freezing it.  So we did.  New problem: it's not as hot and wonderfully crispy after thawing it.  Solution: reheat it at 450 for 5-10 minutes.  It's like magic.  Fresh, hot, crispy bread all over again.  We've only done it thus far with our sour dough, but I'm sure it could work with any of our breads. 

Problem solved:
Freeze the bread.
Thaw it over night in the fridge.
Bake it in a preheated oven at 450 for 5-10 min.
Enjoy wonderful, warm, fresh, crispy bread all over again.

Happy eating!!

Talking

It is so fun having a three year old.  He actually talks to me.  He tells me what happens in the stories we read, sings back songs we've sung, explains what he did at preschool or during his alone time play.  I can tell him to go get things and he can do it.  He can tell me what he wants, "Will you open the door?"  He's just so fun to watch and interact with.  I wish I was a better writer and could show you how fun and funny he is, but I'm not so you'll just have to take my word for it.

His 18 month old sister on the other hand is using the word "Mom" to its fullest extent possible.  "Mom" or "Mooooom"means everything, "Follow me, I'm hungry, I'm done, Come pick me up, Open the door, Dad, etc"  Now she does use other means to communicate as well.  While holding her she'll often turn my face to look at what she wants me to see.  She points very well and knows how to emphatically nod or shake her head. 

It truly is a joy to watch them both grow and learn in their communication and experiences with the world. 


So what does this have to do with bread?  It is so nice to get feedback from those who enjoy our bread.  Talking with people we learn so many things about them, about us, and most importantly about the bread.  I guess I'm just grateful that we as a species can communicate so well, it truly enriches my life. 

Trying new things

There seem to be so many new things to try this month.
 
Lee had his first week of preschool this week.  I definitely had more trouble picking him up than I did dropping him off.  Dropping him off I was just excited for him.  Picking him up I realized that he just played, learned and sang for 2 1/2 hours without me.  He loved it!  Starting school seems to have helped him finally clear the last hurdle to being fully potty trained as well.  No tricks or treats, he just cleared the hurdle all by himself.  Way to go Lee!  Natalie is also showing a huge interest so I think we might let her try it out.  It is the month of new things.

We put Lee and Natalie in the same room this month.  It is working out wonderfully.  Yes, they keep each other up a little later and when one gets up in the morning they're both up.  But they are already becoming better friends and learning to sleep with each others' noises.  The part I'm most excited about though is that we got an extra room.  We turned into an office/guest room.  That means our bedroom office nook is now a calm reading nook and when people come to visit they'll have their own room instead of sleeping in the front room. 

A neighbor introduced us to the idea of salt rising bread.  She had it as a little girl, but can't find it anymore.  So we looked online, found a recipe and made it.  We found out why people don't make it anymore.  It wasn't a quick process and the ingredients don't seem as easily available or cost efficient.  You have to get corn meal with all of the germ still in it.  Most corn meals have stripped that stuff away.  We are wondering if raw milk would help it ferment better.  We used our regular milk and it took forever.  You have to keep it warm so we put it in our dehydrator.   When it was done, it was good, but for being a salt rising bread it sure tasted like it needed more salt.  So we'll try again with raw milk and extra salt to see if we can't get a better batch.  Failure is an exciting part of the trying process. It's a mystery to figure out, a problem to solve, so it will work the next time.

Lastly, I'm looking into herbs, essential oils and homeschooling.  So much to learn.  So much to try.  Life is exciting.

Summer Vacation 2016

What a wonderful summer break!  We headed out July 1st and I didn't get back with the kids until the 19th.  Tim had to come back earlier for work, which was sad, but essential.  We were able to see so many beautiful parts of our nation and spend time with family and friends.  Lee did get a little tired of going places near the end of the trip:  I had finally gotten everyone in the car, ready to go to Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah and Lee defiantly said, "Mom, I don't want to go to another place." So we spent the day at his cousins playing with their toy cars.  The highlight of his trip, though, was riding Frontrunner up to Temple Square.  We had to run to catch the train, but we made it and he still talks about the temple with the train.  Natalie on the other hand just loved being doted on by all her cousins.  Everyone loved her and she loved the attention.  She also learned that she wants to do things like everyone else as well.  Since the trip she has implemented a new level of independence.  Cute as a button, determined as a lion.  For me, I'm so happy that my training for my half marathon is finally over.  I finished it in a little less than 2:15:00.   Not my fastest time, but it was midnight and in a different state than my training.  I am pretty happy with my time.  The best part of the race was catching up with my good friend, Megan Dahlgren. Shout out to good friends.  Time apart disappears when we get together.

Needless to say, all these fun activities led to no bread in July.  Except, Tim did bake us some bread for when we got home.  It was a new bread.  Olive oil/Rosemary Sourdough.  Wow!  It was good. It will definitely be on the order form for August.  I like sourdough, but add some olive oil and rosemary.  That is a winner.  We had no problem eating all 4 loaves in one week. 

Summer Barbecues

With the coming of summer our family is employing the use of our outdoor grill much more.  While grilled chicken, fish, steak, and veggies all satisfy a hungry tummy, for me nothing says summer barbecue like a big juicy hamburger right off the grill.  And nothing makes that hamburger taste better than a good bun.

Tim makes a lot of different artisan breads and I enjoy them all, but none as much as his hamburger buns.  He's often asked me if I would like to learn how to make some of his artisan breads.  My answer is always, "No.  I'll make breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the artisan breads and desserts are all you."  That is until it comes to his hamburger buns. 

I make a menu for our meals and from that menu I let Tim know when we'll need certain breads and he makes them.  One time I had planned hamburgers and he was unable to make the buns.  So I went to the store and bought a more expensive brand.  I knew my taste buds had been spoiled by his homemade buns and anything less than artisan would ruin the hamburger.  The more expensive store bought bun still ruined the hamburger for me.  The texture and taste were all wrong.  It was still a great meal, but I determined that I would have to learn how to make the hamburger buns.  I've now made them a few times and our barbecues are as good as ever.

So, during the summer months we've discontinued the Focaccia and are offering hamburger buns through September.  Once summer is over we'll bring back the Focaccia which goes great with warm Italian dishes.  Perfect for the colder months.

Bread Fermentation

Tim and I recently watched a Netflix original docuseries, Cooked, directed by Alex Gibney and author Michael Pollan.  They've apparently done other great things.  I personally had never heard of them before, but I did enjoy this docuseries.  There are four episodes featuring how food is cooked using earth, air, water and fire.  They're all very interesting.  We were most interested in the Air episode as it talks about bread making and more specifically bread fermentation.

Bread fermentation is when yeast and bacteria inside the dough convert carbohydrates to carbon dioxide causing gas bubbles to form, which has a leavening effect on dough. (http://www.thescienceofbreadmaking.com/fermentation.html) .  You have to give the bacteria and yeast time to naturally and properly do their jobs in order to get the nutrients within into a processible state for our digestive tracts.   The food industry has done a fantastic job of shortening this process for our busy schedules and tight budgets, but at what cost.   

A few years ago the big health push was to eat whole grains.  So we all started to eat whole grains, but didn't see any real differences.  Now everyone talks about staying away from gluten ie. grain products: wheat, barley, rye, etc.  My big question has always been - how can the food, bread, that has been the staple of so many cultures for centuries all of the sudden be causing so many problems? Cooked explained it this way - it's not the gluten it's the lack of fermentation.  A process which has been manipulated by the food industry.  Michael Pollan suggests that anyone with a gluten intolerance would be just fine eating bread that has been properly fermented.  A good sour dough for example.

Personally, I feel very proud to be offering bread that heals and helps our bodies.  We use a preferment to leaven all our artisan breads and we take the time to let our bread properly rise. I love to eat things that are so yummy and to know they really are healthy for me is a great bonus too.    



 

What do we do with our bread?

Eat it, of course!

Seriously though there are many different things you can do with the different breads. For sourdough, my personal favorite way to eat it is simply to toast it, smother it in butter and let it melt in my mouth.   Tim enjoys his toasted as well, but he loves himself a good sourdough sandwich.  

Ciabatta can be eaten the same ways, but I enjoy the flavor of a toasted sourdough more than a toasted ciabatta.  I prefer to use the ciabatta for a tasty bruschetta or sandwich.  This also tastes really good dipped in a small mixture of olive oil with different herbs. 

The focaccia is our all time favorite to eat with Italian dried meats and sheep or goat cheeses. The flavors sprinkled on top make the focaccia great by itself too.   If you want more flavor it dips well in olive oil and herbs. 

That's just a few of the things we enjoy.  I'd love to hear how you enjoy our breads.  Thanks for letting us share them with you.

Ciabatta - Sourdough - Hamburger Buns

Ciabatta

Sourdough

Hamburger buns (summer order forms)

So Why Bread?

Before I met Tim, bread was simply bread.  I grew up in a household of seven ( 2 adults, 5 kids) so our typical bread was the cheap stuff, carmel colored, store brand, “whole wheat bread”.  White Wonder Bread was a treat at our house.   My mom did make some delicious homemade whole wheat bread, of which we got four loaves once a week.  We ate through most of them as soon as they came out of the oven.  Warm bread with butter and honey on it.  That is comfort food at its best.  And that was my education on bread: store brand, cheap, barely hold a sandwich together bread or my mom’s mouthwatering,  homemade, whole wheat bread.

When I got older and started eating out more, I realized that there was more bread in the world than cheap, squish back into a dough ball, “whole wheat bread” and my mom’s homemade whole wheat bread.  I knew there was a difference and different bread probably created different tasting sandwiches, but frankly I was too afraid to try.  What if I chose wrong and then my sandwich wasn’t as good.  Now, people had introduced me to Sourdough, Rye, Pumpernickel and multiple types of rolls, but those were always special occasions.  I enjoyed them, but would never think of buying those crazy breads on my own, for myself.  I stuck with what I knew.

Then I met Tim.  He opened my eyes to all sorts of new types of food.  Then I married Tim and was being asked to prepare these strange new foods.   Food like, you know, steak.  He quickly learned that if he wanted an “elegant” meal he was going to have to prepare it himself or get used to my potatoes au gratin, yes as the meal not the side dish.   

Then we had our first son, Lee.  We decided that I would stay home with him and become a full-time mom and housewife.   Now I had more time to try and learn how to make some of the dishes Tim preferred.  Let’s just say, I’m still working on it.  I can make a pretty good Lasagna though.  Thank you to his mom’s recipe.

If there is one thing that Tim loves with his meals, it’s a good bread.  I just couldn’t seem to master it and honestly didn’t really want to.  So he bought a book on making artisan bread.  He read it, thoroughly.  He practiced, endlessly. And now we have great artisan bread, consistently.  I’ve learned a few things watching him, but I still leave it to him.  I’m too busy trying to figure out the difference between a sirloin and rump roast. 

If there is one thing I love, it’s working with other people in the kitchen, or simply working with other people to achieve a common goal.  And that is how Daily Breads was born.  I wanted a reason to work on a project with Tim.  He loves bread and finds joy in sharing it with others.   My kids get a wide-ranging education on food.  And as a family we learn the joy of serving others using our unique talents.  Everybody wins. 

Blissful eating to you all, 

Megan

In the Beginning...

In the beginning...there was a happy couple who started a family.  The wife was well spoiled since her husband was a fantastic cook: delectable entrees, mouth watering barbecues, heavenly breads, and decadent desserts filled her kitchen.  As their children grew older, they decided to start an adventure that would include the whole family.  Baking was the answer.

Happy New Year!

We are so excited for 2016 and hope you are too.  It is a year full of promise and excitement.  We are grateful for the opportunity to share our breads with a wider audience this year.  For right now we only deliver to the Tri-Valley area, once a month.  We specialize in artisan breads: Sourdough, Focaccia, and Ciabatta.  Our sweet options for those with a sweet tooth change periodically,  so click on the January Order Form tab and order your favorite today.