Oh dear! How can it have been a WHOLE MONTH since the last post? I thought I was getting into a routine there… but traveling, birthday celebrations (egads! I’ll write about that soon), and now childminding for a fellow 1 year old, life has gotten busy- or rather- life is always busy! but I haven’t gotten a routine around my blogging, apparently. Note to self- get organized about blogging! (or don’t, and just keep doing what you can do when you can do it…)

Anyway, I’m sitting on the couch on this early Monday morning listening to the sounds of traffic outside the window… smelling the warming of the potatoes in the oven roasting for breakfast… wrapped up in a woolly blanket and a warm cup of tea at my side…  waiting for a little boy to arrive. It has been a blessed month with the extra toddler in the house. With little M. arriving early in the mornings it has forced me into a lovely private routine that usually involves getting the oven geared up as soon as I come downstairs. Besides making/baking/partaking of goodness and wholeness  in our meals, the heat of the oven makes the cold mornings so much more bearable.

Speaking of baking, let’s talk about Bread! The search for the perfect loaf for this little family continues- although this one seems to be making Dustin and Finn (and M.!) quite happy these past 3 weeks:
—
Seedy Bread
5 cups whole wheat flour
5 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tblsp oil
1 egg
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup oat or wheat bran
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
(additional nuts? go for it! I’ve done chopped walnuts and almonds… ohhhhhh yum.)

Combine 2 cups flour, all seeds, wheat or oat bran, yeast, salt and warm water. mix until incorporated. Add oil and egg. Mix. Add one cup of flour. Mix. Add fourth cup of flour. Mix. Remove from bowl and slowly add as much of fifth cup of flour as dough will allow. Dough should be soft, and barely sticky yet pliable. Knead for approx 5 min altogether.

Place in lightly oiled bowl (I use the same bowl I mixed in to avoid more dishes), and turn loaf to coat in oil. Cover. Let rise for 1 hour. Remove and knead again, you may need to flour your work surface. Cut into two and shape into loafs. Sprinkle corn meal on bottom of greased bread pans. Place loafs into bread pans, cover, and let rise for approx 1 hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40min or until slightly brown. Let loaves cool before cutting. ENJOY! (toasted with butter and honey is my personal fav.)

Hey, I think that loaf needs a better name. Anyone have any suggestions?? Post in the comments and I’ll have a look!