Day 17 - Bread!

There are grey days, and then there are grey days!  I know I extolled the virtues of grey days in an earlier post, but some are just nasty!  So what do you do on a cold, dreary, rainy day?  Here in the West household, we bake bread!

For years, we've been making a 100% whole wheat sourdough bread.  Our sourdough starter was given to us by a friend on Martha's Vineyard, way back when.  Remember this 2009 photo from our little rental on West Chop?

Rick is the primary breadmaker, mixing the doughs, kneading, and baking, while I play a supporting role of oiling the bread pans and shaping the final loaves.  Somewhere along the way, we discovered Peter Reinhart and his book, Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor.  The technique of making two doughs the night before (a soaker - flour and water and a starter - flour, water, sourdough starter) ensures a wonderfully crumbed, almost fluffy, 100% whole grain bread.  Of course, having freshly ground flour helps too!  Never one to leave well enough alone, we enhance our bread with walnuts, raisins, and cranberries for a very complete loaf. 

Other good things we've been eating lately?
Inspired by an awesome Mediterranean restaurant in Portland, Ameera Bread, I've started to make Muhamara, a Syrian dip made with walnuts, roasted red peppers, and pomegranate syrup, and Shattah, our new favorite hot sauce.  They also make a fabulous Baba Ganoush, as well as Eggplant Salad, encouraging me to start and grow even more eggplants this year, but don't worry, no wheat this year.  Been there, done that, am enjoying getting my wheat berries delivered in 50lb sacks!

Speaking of things being delivered, one of the interesting occurrences with this pandemic is that people are buying up chicks like crazy, I guess wanting to ensure their egg supply for the future.  (Do they know it takes 4-8 months for chickens to start laying eggs?)  Months ago, I had ordered meat bird chicks, which will be delivered in a few weeks.  In preparation, Rick called up to have our chick feed delivered and was told that they were running out!  That the manufacturer was running out of raw material to make the product!  So now, not only is there no toilet paper in the grocery store, but there's a run on chicken food!  What's next?!