The dreaded weekends of March and a rye bread recipe to help it along the way


March is turning out to be much as I had expected it: my least favourite month in the whole year. I am glad to see it gone and can only hope that April will bring sunshine and mild temps our way, as well as less colds, less achy body, less sore throats. I mean, these past four weeks have been craaaaazy in that department. Especially where it comes to the weekends.


It's like you go through the whole week just wishing for that weekend to come round so you can do stuff together as a family, so you can go out into the world and have some fun, take some strolls, soak up the sun, enjoy yourselves. You go through the week craving the weekend together, for leisure time together, cooking together, eating together, with all the time in the world in front of you to just... well, be together.


And then, when the weekend finally comes round, either you're sick, or your husband is sick, or the kid is poorly, and all those carefully layed plans that you had set up, those go out the window, and you end up spending the weekends cooped up inside your home, and that's when the weather is good enough to get out there. Because, being March, if everyone is in their best, the weather is sure to be at its worst. Like gales and rain and storms and all.


So that's what we had these four weekends of March. The only weekend someone was not poorly, the weather was lousy. We managed to go out and only do the extremely urgent, like shopping for those indispensable items - I mean, you gotta have food! - because all through this month I have managed to be down with the 'flu two weekends in a row, husband was down one weekend, and now this last weekend, which happened to be a long one, I had a stomach flu to top it all off and prevent us from going away for the Easter hols. Can't be helped, March is as March will be.


Still, we managed to bake quite a lot these past weekends, and I recentlyr ealized it has been a while since I last posted a bread recipe. This one is a rye loaf with poppy seeds that was excruciatingly delicious, so I am repeating this take many more times. Or husband is, for that matter. If you'd like to tag along, this is what you'll need:
  • 150 gr rye flour
  • 200 gr strong bread flour
  • 200 ml luke warm water
  • 9 gr fresh yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1-2 tbsp good olive oil
  • 1/2 cup poppy seeds
  • 1/2 cup mixed oats and nuts and dried fruits and seeds
Place the different flours in a bowl, and dig a hole in the middle. Around the edges of that hole, scatter the yeast. Inside it place the salt, the oil and add the water. With the help of a fork start mixing flour and water together. Once you have it all mixed in, take the dough off the bowl and start kneading by hand over a surface scattered with flour, while you add the poppy seeds and the mixed nuts with oats. You should knead until you obtain a silky, smooth dough, that has some elasticity to it. Form into a sort of ball, scatter flour over all the dough, and let it proof inside the bowl four a few hours - 1 to 2 if you're pressed for time should be the minimum required, but it does make for a much better bread if you leave it for at least 6 to 8 hours. Once it has proofed, get the dough off the bowl with the aid of a spatula onto a floured surface and knead for about five more minutes. Line a loaf tin with parchment paper and place the dough inside it, spreading it evenly. Place the bread on an oven  that has been previously heated at 180º and let the bread bake it's all golden and hollow sounding. Allow to cool before slicing, I know it's hard to, when it smells that good, but please do. It finishes the bread off and lets it set so it's easier to slice.



Comments

  1. Tomara que todos pensassem assim, querida. Seria uma forma exemplar de ninguém passar fome e desperdiçar o que para muitos está em falta! Além do mais permite-nos dinamizar e tornar a cozinha menos tradicional :D

    Que aspeto delicioso! Também ando numa de fazer pão caseiro :D Fica com um sabor totalmente diferente :D

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    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nunca mais comi pão de compra, há mais de dez anos que só comemos pão caseiro, mais saboroso e muito mais saudável!!

      Delete
  2. Adoro pão caseiro, nada se compara ao seu sabor :)
    Beijinhos ...
    Guloso qb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Precisamente, é que não há mesmo comparação!!

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  3. Adorei ler o teu post e o pão tem um aspeto maravilhoso!
    Bjs

    ReplyDelete
  4. espero que já estejam todos recuperados por aí!
    esses teus pães maravilhosos são sempre uma perdição!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. pá, esta gripe foi dos infernos, ainda não estamoa totalmente bem, acreditas?

      Delete

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