I LOVE BREAD!!!! But It Doesn't Love Me

I know that this blog is dedicated to my love for veggies and cooking. OK this post is not about my veggies or my garden....but instead it is about one of the best accompaniments to a summer meal....read on!

Who hasn't sat at your favorite restaurant, put in your order, you order the beverage of your choice, and then the EVIL bread gets served to you. I say evil because I mean evil. Yes, evil. It smells so so good. You remove the napkin only to have the absolutely amazing aroma waft under your nose. Sitting before you is a small loaf of white, crusty, Italian- type bread. You know the kind-hard and crusty on the outside and soft and velvety on the inside. A crock of butter or olive oil infused with delicious spices entice you to tear off just a little..at least that is what you tell yourself...just a little...just a little...just a little...and before you know it, you have eaten the entire basket. Evil. If that isn't bad enough, the next day you can't quite button your jeans. And if you are like me, I have a bloated feeling that often has me reaching for the Activia or probiotic to re-adjust by digestive tract. Like recovering from a hangover, you ask yourself "Why did I do it?" "Why did I eat that evil bread?"

Well, you may not have such a dramatic reaction to bread. Lucky you. But lucky me. I have discovered a bread recipe that is so nutritious and so delicious with none of the digestive drama. This bread is made with sprouted wheat. I learned about this from Janie Quinn, an author, a real food educator and organic chef. I just happen to walk into her lecture last year while attending my husband's professional meeting. Her lecture was so convincing that I immediately bought a bread machine, ordered the sprouted wheat from Shiloh Farms and ordered one of her book, Essential Baking.

Sprouting a grain actually changes its composition from a starch to vegetable. Thus, bread made from this flour, is digested as a vegetable. Additional benefits of sprouted wheat are that it is a great source of antioxidents, vitamins, C, B, K, E, carotene, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, biotin, and riboflavin. It also increases the protein content in the bread. It is delicious, nutritious, and easy to make. The following is a recipe I make in my breadmaker I got from Janie Quinn, Essential Baking book:

Put the following ingredients in order in your breadmaker tub:
4 TBSP organic butter
4 TBSP maple syrup
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 cups sprouted wheat flour
1 1/2 teas sea salt
1 pack dry yeast

Bake on white bread rapid cycle for a 2lb loaf.

This bread is definitely NOT evil!