Baking Bread for the Impatient

This is the only real bread I have ever (and quite possibly, will ever) make.  It does not require yeast.  Yeast is dumb.  You have to wait for it to rise.  Unlike most things, the expiration date does actually matter.  Yeast can die.  Why?!?!  Things should not be allowed to expire…so inconvenient.

Cross country requires a lot of carbo-loading.  Not so much in advance as just on race day.  Stomachs are finicky.  Alas, I am forced to eat bagel after granola bar after apple after banana every. single. race.  Every single race, I always swear I’m done with carbs because I’m so bloated after force feeding myself simple sugars.  And after every race, the first thing I want to do is eat a sandwich.  An little anecdote regarding my will power.

So, here I am, the day after a race, baking bread.  The holy grail of all carbohydrates.  Haters, go ahead and hate.

This is oat soda bread.  It is fluffy.  It doesn’t have yeast, it has baking soda.  Eat this bread.

Thank you Heidi for this recipe.  It has allowed me the great pleasure of homemade bread without a bread-maker or dumb packets of yeast.  I am eternally grateful.

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recipe from 101 cookbooks

2 cups oat flour

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat)

1 1/4 t salt

1 3/4 t baking soda

scant 1 3/4 cup buttermilk

oats/seeds/nuts for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 400˚F.  Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Make a well.  Pour in buttermilk in intervals (you don’t want dough to be too dry/too wet).  Mix until just combined.  On a well-floured surface, knead bread for 30ish seconds into a round dome.  Lightly coat the surface of the bread with remaining buttermilk and roll in sprinklings.  Put bread on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (or lightly floured).  Bake on middle rack for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, move rack to upper level and bake for 20 more minutes, or until the bread makes a “hollow” sound when knocked on (credits to Heidi).  Allow bread to cool on a wire rack and enjoy it fully.

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A note: oat flour can be easily made by pulsing oats in a food processor for about 2 minutes.  2 cups of oats = scant 2 cups flour.

Buttermilk can be easily made by combining 1 T white vinegar with desired amount of milk.  Stir and let sit for a few minutes.

Musings about life. And lunch for one.

Friends.  Family.  Strangers.

Cats.  Dogs.

Lovers.  Haters.

Happy daylight savings day, to those of you who live in participating states.  To those of you who do not, never fear.  I think it’s safe to say you’re not missing much.  Unless you get some sort of thrill out of setting your clocks back.  Then I don’t know what to tell you.

Do you remember getting participation awards?  I don’t think they were ever called that, but how many medals did you get just for showing up?  I probably have more of those than awards I’ve actually won.  No big deal though, I’m still a winner, right?  Everybody wins!  Duh.  For real though, when did they stop giving those things out?  I’ve run in a lot of races, people.  Can someone just hand me a dang ribbon?  Is that too much to ask?

Congratulations to all the people who contributed in any sort of way to the Pan Mass Challenge.  $37 million, a new record.  Amazing, right?  How can we not beat cancer with resources like that?  Every year we get better.  Let’s keep it up.

What do I write my next column about?  My last one was written at 11 PM after watching a presidential debate.  And turned in a week after my deadline.  What do you want to eat?  Ugh.  Life is tough.  But I need ideas…seriously.  Like, fast, too.  I’ve got to get eating.  And writing.  That part’s kind of important.  And can I please be reimbursed for this whole column business?  Eating out all the time is not cheap, I will tell you that.  School newspapers…they think everyone’s wallets are limitless!  A word to my editor: that’s just not true!

Here is a lunch for you.  It’s a lunch for one.  Does that sound lonely?  It’s not.  Don’t be worried.  You can make a second for you friend/brother/unicorn/insert [pro]noun here.  You should do that.  All it takes is a little bit of effort and you’ve got a warm dish of yum.  Yay.  Yay for you and me!  Friends forever, right?

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recipe

adapted from Running to the Kitchen

[serves 1]

1 T evoo

as much kale as you can handle

just under 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

red pepper flakes, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 or 1/3 cup tomato/marinara sauce

1/3 cup cottage cheese

2 large eggs

Preheat your oven to 375˚F.  Grease/oil an oven-safe ramekin.

In a skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil.  Once onion is translucent, add kale and red pepper flakes and stir around until kale is wilted.  Spoon 2 T sauce into the bottom of the ramekin.  Top with half of the kale mixture followed by half the cottage cheese.  Top with more sauce and then remainder of kale.  Crack two eggs on top, sprinkle remainder of cottage cheese, salt, and pepper.  Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

If eggs are still undercooked at the end of 15 minutes, turn on the broiler and broil for a few minutes until they have reached the desired consistency.

Serve with some good bread 🙂