Bread…

I literally love bread! I do not think it makes you fat. And here’s why! It has to do with moderation. And good ingredients! I am a firm believer in having what you want but learning what your body needs. Bread done right is not horrible for you or your waistline, especially in small amounts. Especially if you aren’t really allergic to the ingredients. Anything that you have too much of is a problem. Having said all of that, I do understand that not all bread is made the same. Have you ever looked at what is in your loaf of bread? Have you seen the comparisons of what used to be in a loaf of bread versus what is now in a loaf of bread? The simple truth in healthy eating is that anything that has to be made in one place and shipped or stored in another for an undetermined amount of time will require chemicals and things that make it shelf stable and last longer. My grandmother made bread everyday. We used to shop at the “bread store” when I was younger. Merita had a store on Old Pineville Rd. Now we shop at a grocery store and our bread comes from who-knows-where. Even some of the baker’s breads, like LaBrae, will have stabilizers and additives to make them last longer, but those are better for your gut and the environment, and yet so much more expensive. So my solution has been this journey of making my own bread.

My favorite sourdough loaf so far!

I started with a really terrible relationship with yeast. I tried for years to made bread in a bread maker, then just dough of any type, like pizza dough, with yeast. Nothing really turned out well in my house. Until I moved into my new house! The only thing I can figure is that the old house was drafty and often cold. Seriously! Dough would not rise in my old house! Now I have no problems making yeast breads, pizza dough, you name it. I’ve really had some yummy successes in the last 3 years since we moved.

My relationship with bread comes from my Dad! He could make the best bread and cornbread, and did so at least once a week.

Then my friend at church brought me some of her sourdough starter. I was so intimidated! But she walked me through step by step what to do. I don’t need the science behind it, just the directions. I have had my ups and downs. One time I thought I put too much water and the dough looked really runny, but once it baked, it was perfect with big airholes and chewyness except it molded stored on the counter for 4 or 5 days. Another time I didn’t put the oven temp high enough and the inside of the bread didn’t cook. But there have been way more successes than failures! Here are some things that I have learned…

• There are a million recipes and directions out there I’ve always been told that baking is exact and that is really why I shy away from it. But it is not! Choose one method and stick with it long enough to feel comfortable experimenting away from it.

My first experiment…tiny loaves for Christmas presents for my friends!

• Don’t invest in a bunch of things until you know you want to continue doing it. You can proof your loaf in the pan or bowl. You can use bread pans, clay bakers, whatever to bake them in. The starte can be stirred with a knife and covered with a towel. Don’t overcomplicated it!

• Plan your schedule. The one down side I’ve found is that it is time consuming and requires a plan…the starter has to sit for 12 hours, the dough sits for 12 hours, the dough proofs for an hour before baking. I personally take my starter out to warm it up on Friday AM, Feed it Friday PM, Make the dough Sat AM, proof and bake Sat PM. Different recepies will have different steps and times, but it will take you 2 days or so to make bread. Where as yeast bread can take just 6-8 hours.

• Be part of the community. Where ever you get your starter or favorite recipe or favorite process from will create a community. Follow people on social with different ideas. Take tips from any one who will offer them. The friend I started with and I talk about sourdough every time we see each other! She will try something new and share it with me. I send her pics of all the things I try. It really is all about being part of that community!

My First Loaf!

I think the biggest lesson is just to try! Don’t be scared! Cooking good food has always been an accomplishment for me. Making that first beautiful, perfect loaf gave me such a sense of self sufficiency. I don’t have to depend on buying bread from a bakery or store. I don’t have to have fancy equipment or tons of time on my hands. I can make something really good and healthy for me and my family right here in my own home with my own two hands. Absolutely worth it!

Spring Babies

As the temperature warms and the sun shows up in the sky for more hours in the day, things on the farm begin to change. We had a rough winter for our chicken flock and I was waiting for those two things to happen so I could add baby chicks to the farm. Now it is here and so are the babies, but I thought I would update you on how we got here and the lessons we learned.

We had experienced a few seperate issues that got us to this point.

Hawk attacks…On two separate occasions haws got into our chicken run! Wanna know how? Human error! It was not the hawks fault or the chickens fault so much as it was our fault. There was an entire section of the run not covered in fencing. Hawk flew right in, attached the smallest chicken, my only remaining hen, and then struggled so hard to escape through a different section of the fence it ended up injuring it’s wing all while the 2 roosters and other hen watched from the other side of the run. The second hawk attack was similar, a section of the fencing not attached well to the frame of the run. (anyone see a theme here?) The interesting thing about both attacks is that we had been watching whese 2 giant hawks hunting a mole in our pasture for weeks, worried about them and the chickens. But those two didn’t do it! It was 2 smaller, adolescent hawks that made it into the chicken run. Now, we have gaurdian owls!

New, Homemade, Made from Pallet Wood Coop and Run!

Perimeter Breaks…Wanna guess whose fault number 2 is? It follows the theme! When putting fencing around the perimeter of the run, there were these brace boards that caused the fencing to not sit flush with the board or staple close enough to the board. It created almost like a little tent between the board and the ground. Did we go back and fix that issue after the fencing was installed? Not soon enough! Something, still no idea what, managed to get under that area and pull out the 2 remaining chickens. I was able to follow a string of feathers to find this little fence tent that got left for nothing less than laziness.

Old age…This one isn’t our fault, but I learned a lot. A few years ago my oldest daughter brought home 4 chickens that she bought at Tractor Supply, completely without permission, of course, as she has done with all but 1 of her animals. I had no idea what type of chickens they were, still don’t really. If I had to hazard a guess, they were something like a Long-Island Red (we have had those before, but they were bigger and meaner that these girls were). The benefit was, they laid a ton of eggs! So I kinda forgave her after a while. In the last year we lost 2 hens for seemingly no reason. They didn’t seem sick or have any signs of problems. They just slowed down and one day were dead. I believe it was old age. Chickens can live to be 7 or 8, but when they lay eggs, especially large eggs every single day (these girls laid double yolks all the time) their life expectancy shortens. They are working too hard for their bodies to keep up. We have bread them to give us more of what we want, but less of what they can handle.

I waited for the weather to get warmer before I got new chickens because I don’t have anywhere in my home for a brooder. I Was considering getting older chickens, but found a local lady that breeds Silkies so I picked up 6. The breeder looked very well kept and the chickens seemed healthy. And yet, as I sit here, I have one baby that is not thriving. I have her sectioned off in a container by herself for a little extra warmth and am trying to get her to drink water through a syringe, but I have no idea if she will make it. Such is the #farmlife. It is always something and not for the faint of heart. But I wouldn’t trade it for any other #life in the world, #lakelife, #citylife, or whatever.