Did you catch my Round 2 entry for Project Food Blog? If not, check it out and then go cast your vote!! Thanks so much for all of your support!!

…

I made rolled oats today, for the first time in a loooong time. I only had Steel Cut, didn’t want to blend them for Scottish, and didn’t want to wait 20min for them to cook. Rolled it is!

Typical mix ins: 1 small banana : 2T chia seeds : 1t cinnamon

Toppings: 1/4c walnuts : 1T cinnamon vanilla peanut butter : coconut : almond milk

Mondays = Bread baking day! Today, I wanted to try a little more basic whole wheat bread recipe. I searched for awhile and found a lot of recipes called for dried milk, which I did not have. I decided to go with Jenna’s recipe for “beginner’s rolls.”

Here is the bulk yeast I buy. The grains are much larger than what come in those little yeast packets. It seems to work really well!

I decided I would play around with the flours for this recipe. Was that really a good decision for a bread recipe I’ve never made? Maybe not, but flour isn’t too expensive, and I felt like experimenting. So much so, that I made 2 batches!

Instead of whole wheat flour + white flour this batch included:

whole wheat pastry flour
stone ground whole wheat flour
white bread flour
oat flour

The 2nd batch included:

whole wheat pastry flour
stone ground whole wheat flour
white bread flour
fine ground corn flour

I wanted to see if the corn flour was noticeable in the final product. And, it was!

Flour happy? Me thinks so. :) When measuring flour, I scoop it into the measuring cup with a spoon, and then scrape off the excess with the back of a butter knife. You never want to pack your flour into the measuring cup, and you always want to level it off.

Fluffy yeast. It’s not scary, I promise!

In the first batch, with oat flour, I mixed in a little honey + molasses. A little bit goes a long way. I could definitely detect them in the baked bread.

In the 2nd batch with the corn flour, I added a little brown rice syrup. In both loaves, I used organic, unsweetened almond milk. I think it worked perfectly and probably added a little flavor.

Gooooey.

After adding the wet to dry, I formed a smooth ball, without much kneading.

Then let the dough sit for 30min. I swear the matching towels/bowls was an accident. Those just happened to be the first towels in the drawer. On another note…It was really easy to make 2 batches at once. It probably took an extra 10min total, if that.

Doubled after 30min.

With the first batch, I cut it into 8 sections, then tore the apart and rolled into balls.

Not perfect, but good enough.

I wanted to try and make a loaf out of the 2nd batch. After a little kneading it went in the pan.

They both got covered with towels for 30min, and then the rolls went in the oven for about 12-15min. [Baking time takes a little longer at a higher elevation.]

While baking, I had my FAVorite yogurt. I love love love Wallaby yogurt!! I mean look at that cute kangaroo! Sometimes, I just need a break from Greek yogurt! The Banana Vanilla flavor is deeelicious. I also realllly love their vanilla bean + maple. Although, all of the flavors are tasty. I topped it with some carob chips, which I bought for the first time recently. They were a bit odd at first, but I find myself snacking on them all of the time now.

Before I knew it, my rolls were done!

This was the batch with corn flour + molasses. You can definitely tell a color difference between these + the loaf!

Butter + fresh baked warm bread = what could be better?

These turned out pretty tasty, especially considering the changes I made! If anything, i would say they were a bit dense. During the 2 rises, they doubled each time, but then in the oven they didn’t really puff up at all. It looks like Jenna’s stayed about the same size pre + post bake as well.

All together now! Rolls + loaf :) Something about making bread makes me really excited + proud of myself. hehe

How cute are these!? I thought they would be perfect in for Chris to grab with some pb+j on his way to work, or for an egg + cheese breakfast samich.

The loaf didn’t really puff up much either. It has a really good crust and was delicious with dinner. I was making the loaf for sandwich bread, but the slices aren’t really tall enough. It’s about 1/2 the height of typical sandwich bread.

Still delicious though!

Both batches definitely worked. I should probably try the original way that Jenna posted to see the difference in density. This is a great recipe for rolls, but not the best for a loaf of bread.

You don’t have to worry though, it will ALL be eaten!!

Here are the changes I made for the 2 different batches. Jenna provides great instructions on her site, as to how to make the bread. I definitely suggest making these into rolls and not a loaf. Unless you want a small loaf for 1/2 sized sandwiches or to eat along with dinner.

Flour Happy Rolls

1c unsweetened almond milk
2t active dry yeast
3/4c whole wheat pastry flour
3/4c stone ground whole wheat flour
3/4c white bread flour
1/4c finely ground corn flour
2T honey
2t molasses
1/2t salt
1/4t sugar

*I mixed the dry ingredients together and then mixed in the honey + molasses with a fork and then added the wet.

Flour Happy Loaf

1c unsweetened almond milk
active dry yeast
3/4c whole wheat pastry flour
3/4c stone ground whole wheat flour
1/2c white bread flour
1/2c oat flour
2T brown rice syrup
1/2t salt
1/4t sugar

I might have another go at bread making tomorrow. I’m looking for a loaf that’s a bit lighter!

I’ve been keeping up with swimming twice a week and biking about 3x per week. I’ve also been biking around town quite a bit. I can tell my legs are getting stronger. They are also packing on the muscle. My jeans are starting to get pretty tight on my thighs, which is always my issue, but now even more so. :)

My swim today went like this:

3 mile bike to the pool
100m kickboard warm up
500m freestyle
500m breast stroke
500m back stroke
100m freestyle cool down
3 mile bike home

Each 500m is 20 lengths of the pool, or 10 laps. On every 10th lap I would do a sprint for those 25m. This helps build up my strength + stamina, but also helps me keep track of how far I’m going! I just have to keep counting to 10 and remembering how many sets I’ve done. When I first started, I would lose track all of the time, but I’ve got a handle on it now…usually!

Leaving for Cleveland EARLY Wednesday morning!! Can’t wait to see the family!!!

Bread + pnut butter are calling my name…niiiight!

Ashley