A normal batch of our sourdough bread dough with about twice the honey and two tablespoons of cinnamon. I made the dough extra stiff with a drier consistency than I do for the buns.
After letting the dough ferment all day, I divided it in half and pressed each half into a large cookie sheet, kind of like making pizza. I discovered it needed very little olive oil on the pan, much less that making buns since I am not turning and coating the dough.
Frank likes his toast thin, somewhat well done, and crunchy. We've experimented for a while and this is the finished product.
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| One baked, one not |
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| I brush on a thin coating of olive oil when it is done. |
Recently we discovered that some chevre cheese with strawberries, blueberries, some of the berry juice, non-iodized salt and a little honey, makes a great topping for this toast. Frank will eat it with the cheese on it, he likes it, but he still prefers his toast plain. You see, when we have a snack, it's normally bread. Sometimes regular buns, sliced made into toast in a skillet. Good bread makes a good snack and this cinnamon toast provides us with a different variation.
Gotta have treats in life sometimes, even when storms are on the horizon. Stay alert, vigilant and strong. The winds of change are among us.
Until next time, Fern
Good job on the variation. Food fatigue is very real and a problem for those of us trying to simplify our diets. It's amazing how a taste change can lift the spirits. Your toast and spread look like a real treat.
ReplyDeleteFood fatigue. Good description, Leigh. Trying to come up with healthy, tasty meals with our chosen food limitations does sometimes present a challenge.
DeleteToday is a good day for another piece of that toast with the fruit cheese. We have had company, but now the house is quiet again. Time to rest and regroup.
Good to hear from you, Fern
Nice change to the regular bread snack. It's amazing what you can do with a few ingredients! Minimizing the number of ingredients in recipes now will enable us to cope later when our options are limited. We make a lot of things from scratch here, too. Like you, there's always some kind of bread/muffins/cracker, etc for a snack, along with lots of fresh fruits and veggies. We're vegan here, so we incorporate of lot of whole grains, nuts, etc. into our diets. I must admit, I do miss our chickens, though. We only had 6 for the 2 of us and that was enough for our needs at the time. When our diet lifestyle changed, we gave them, coop and all, to a family member who was extremely grateful. I must say - if you have ingredients and recipes (from a book or you own), you can make just about anything. The process of making it yourself is all part of the "prepared" attitude in this family, whether it's in the kitchen, barn, shop, shed, or field. We go by the old depression era saying "Use it up; wear it out; make it do, or do without." Aka, reduce, reuse, recycle. Thanks for the idea of transforming the regular sourdough bread recipe to one of a tasty snack.
ReplyDeleteMary, limiting ingredients has long been a goal of ours. Sometimes, like Leigh said, it presents a challenge, but a good one from our perspective.
DeleteI'm curious. If things do go down, will you be able to produce the fresh fruits and veggies you currently rely on for your nutritional needs?
Thanks for sharing, Fern
Fern, that's the plan. The verdict is still out, though. We have six raised beds that were here when we took ownership of our forty acres. House, barn, shed, and shop all established (previous owners had horses). Back 25 acres is hay. Front 15 is house, outbuildings, hay and gardens. We tilled a 50 by 60 foot new garden plot in the front hay field, covered it with plastic in November to kill all grass and weeds, then uncovered in February & looked like established garden plot. We don't know yet how productive it will be. We erected a greenhouse & I started seeds for transplants for a lot of what we planted. We planted 60 foot rows of corn, okra (3 half rows of each, so corn would be planted in a block), Lady Peas, Big Boy Peas, Cream Peas, Pinto Beans, Green Beans, 2 rows of Homestead Tomatoes; Cherry Tomatoes, Half row each of yellow squash, butternut squash, zucchini, buttercup squash; 2 rows each of slicing cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, and cantaloupe; turnips, turnip greens, mustard greens, and spinach. In the raised bed garden, 1 bed is established asparagus and it's yielding a lot right now and delicious. The remaining beds are broccoli with white bulb onions; cabbage with yellow bulb onions; green bunching onions with bibb lettuce; red new potatoes; and the last bed is Yukon gold potatoes. I have a variety of lettuces, some radishes and garlic planted in planters and pots that are kept in the raised bed garden (it's got a 4 foot fence; new garden plot has 8 foot fence) so that all the little creatures can't get to them. We have numerous established trees: 3 pecan, 1 peach, 2 persimmon as well as a fence line of blackberry bushes and grapes. Our pond is large, and we've actually caught fish in in (but threw them back). Our acreage adjoins a wild game preserve, and we get deer coming up almost to the house. We would like to plant an orchard in the front hay area. My husband has estimated that it will accommodate 30 trees. The front yard that picketed would be a good area for fig trees, that my husband loves. We hope to begin planting the fruit trees and bushes (and work some strawberries in somewhere) this fall. We will have to wait to see what this first yield will be, but we are hopeful. God has certainly provided the moisture for us so far, and we haven't had to water. We have plenty of back yard (where the raised beds are) to add more beds as time, energy, and money permit. We are both in our 60's, and this is our first real homestead. We're both excited and anxious at the same time, and feel the urgent need to get as much accomplished as quickly as we can. My husband even wants to add a horse or two, and goats (for mowing-haha). Sorry this is so long, but I thought the details might give you some insight into how we're trying to become self-sufficient.
DeleteI forgot to add that we also planted in the garden plot a row each of bell peppers, banana peppers, and a half row each of jalapeno and cayenne peppers. Whew!
DeleteAnd I have a mature lemon tree that produces lemons as well as a pineapple top that my granddaughter and I successfully planted after getting it to root. We'll see if in about 5 years we get a pineapple.
DeleteFern, it is fun to read about your creative food ideas. There is something very satisfying about eating homemade foods. My husband loves his coffee with a piece of toast (homemade bread) buttered and drizzled with our honey after his morning chores. It has become a morning ritual. You are right though, about needing variety in our diet. Fern, your cheese spread looks absolutely wonderful too. Thank you for sharing, CWfromIowa
ReplyDeleteSounds like an excellent routine after chores, CW. We like our morning rituals and miss them when our schedule needs to be altered for one reason or another.
DeleteThe cheese spread is not sweet, so most folks wouldn't care for the flavor, but it suits us just fine. Homemade foods? Nothing like it CW, you're right about that.
Take care, Fern
Hi Fern. Thanks for the recipe! I have been making your bread recipe without the flax ever since you published it. Super yummy! I think my husband might like your toast with raisins added.
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea, adding raisins, Spinnersaw. Today's cheese received dehydrated onions, non-iodized sea salt, pepper, celery seeds and marjoram. It's great on the bread with lunch, or for a snack.
DeleteThanks for sharing, Fern
Fern,
ReplyDeleteThat cinnamon toast looks like a very good treat. You are so right about having treats , even when the storm clouds are forming on the horizon .A treat , whether it is a fresh strawberry from the garden or a chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven just makes all the "crap" in life go a way for awhile. It also helps us to deal with things in a better frame of mind.
Bluesman