bread - good stuff

i've always liked eating bread - damn yummy carbs. but toast, sandwiches, etc. weren't something we had regularly though ... it's was like a back-up or the 'lesser' alternative in my chinese household growing up. it was as if u weren't loved enough, that nobody could be bothered to cook  you a decent meal or even go ta-pau wantan mee or nasi lemak for your breakfast. haha. and we'd never dream of serving bread to guests. ...! horrors. 

but then we (or rather my dad) was expatriated to new zealand for several years and so we picked up many 'ang moh' eating habits, like having sandwiches for lunch. i loved it. i still remember the little squares of sandwich my mum made for my school lunches. they were precursor/crude version of bento box lunches with cute shaped food. my grandmother was rather annoyed at me for liking 'ang moh' food so much. actually, it was  probably more likely that she pitied my poor taste. it is after all only in the last 10 years or so that i've learnt to appreciate malaysian food. i've always had a stomach for cantonese and teochew dishes but i couldn't stomach many of the rich malaysian-chinese type dishes for the longest time ... anyways. that's another story for another blogpost.

one of my best friends when i was 10 was a lass called jill. her dad was an expatriate from scotland - we were back in miri, sarawak at this time. i spent tons of time at her house, sleeping over, eating lunches and dinners there. neither her mum or dad cooked much - they'd have bread for both lunch and dinner! which was already quite shocking to me. but this was a truly minimal meal prep household, so when i say they had bread for meals, it wasn't as if her parents toasted panini's or made subs or grilled focacias ... they literally just laid the table with bread and all types of meats, cheeses, spreads, etc. it was at her place that i learnt all about the vast variety of breads out there. mmm. ... scottish black rye. i also had my first taste of pate there. made my mum go the the deli the next day to buy a slab of spreadable liver. yum. :) (ok - they served me grilled lambchops once - that's the only cooked meal i remember having at jill's) 

so ... i like bread. damn yummy carbs. ;)

typical commercial breads are full of additives, preservatives, sugar, etc. but we're lucky to have several places here in durham that sell good fresh bread with none of those bad things. eg. gugglhupf, wholefoods and ninth street bakery (my staple.)


recently, through the discovery of several sustainable living/lifestyle blogs, i've begun taking baby steps into the delicious world of bread baking. my first attempts have been very encouraging. however, i still buy most of the  bread we eat because although bread making is immensely rewarding, it's so much more convenient to get it from the store, tsk tsk me. 


nonetheless, even if the flesh is weak, the spirit is constantly willing and open to inspiration.  like yesterday, while shopping for groceries at wholefoods. it was there that the story of my cinnamon raisin bread began when i found myself reaching for a box of thompson organic raisins which were on special (at least i think they were!) and deciding instantly that i wanted home baked cinnamon raisin toast for tea. ;P

cinnamon oatmeal raisin bread (adapted from the fresh loaf)


ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats (soaked in 1 cup of water - 1/2 hr)
• 1 cup raisins (soaked in warm water to plump up  - 1/2 hr)
• 3 cups wholewheat flour
• 1/2 cup flaxseed meal 
• 1/2 tbs salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbs honey
• 2 tbs canola oil
• 1 tsp active yeast (proofed in 1/2 cup water - 10mins)
• 1/2 + 1/4 cup buttermilk

directions:
mix all ingredients except for the raisins, adding buttermilk slowly until dough forms and knead for about 5 - 10 mins. it's a great workout. the longer you knead the better the bread i'm told. or alternatively use a food processor. then finally discard water from raisins and knead to incorporate into dough. let dough sit for 1 hour, then de-gas by folding and sit for another hour or 2. de-gas and fold again and form into loaf. milk-wash the top and sprinkle rolled oats. place loaf in preheated 450F oven. after 5 mins, reduce temperature to 375F and rotate bread and bake for another 20mins. at this point the top was already quite brown so i made a little aluminium foil cap and let the bread bake for another 20mins. then all you have to do is remove from oven and let it cool (if u can resist!) before slicing a piece to savor. mmm. :)