food for vegetarians : desert sage flatbread and how i got locked out delivering these goodies to neighbors

this recipe comes from a beautiful cookbook, "with a measure of grace."
i received mine as a gift from my favorite couple ever for a graduation present.
love.this.book.

yesterday, when i decided to give this bread a try, i was determined
to bake the bread, do the laundry, practice the violin, and take photographs
all at the same time. so you know what happened, i'm sure...

i forgot to add a couple of ingredients at the right time,
and in my hurry to drop hot rolls off at the neighbors
i locked myself out, in a snow/thunder storm...
and, of course, ceej is out of town and we don't have
a spare key anywhere, and i was late to teach a yoga class.
funny, but i was rather calm and amused mostly.
i spent a few more minutes at another neighbor's house
as my in-laws came to the rescue and i flew to class
just in time...and i finally got back into my house safe and sound.

it's good to have family and friends so willing to help, yes?

anyway, despite my mistakes in the recipe they still turned out deliciously...
warm rolls with butter/ghee & honey was just what i needed last night
after all the craziness. here's the recipe:

ingredients:

3 cups warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
6 cups flour
1 1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup bran
1/4 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling
1 Tbsp salt plus coarse salt for sprinkling
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
in a large mixing bowl combine the water, yeast, and sugar and let bubble for 10 minutes
add flour, cornmeal, bran, oil, salt, and sage to yeast mixture.
mix slowly, as it can get messy.
machine-knead for 5 minutes, or knead by hand until dough is smooth and easy to handle.
place dough in large, oiled bowl.
turn dough ball to coat with oil and cover with plastic wrap.
let rise 30 minutes
re-knead for a minute, adding additional flour if necessary to make the dough easier to handle.
pull dough out onto floured table and form into 6-ounce balls (tennis-ball sized) for sandwiches, or 3-ounce balls (golf-ball sized) for dinner rolls.
place balls on lined baking sheet and flatten a bit.
let rise 10 minutes, then flatten again, spreading dough with fingertips and poking small holes into surface.
bread should be flat and round, like a hamburger bun.
drizzle more olive oil over tops of formed flatbread and sprinkle them with coarse salt.
for an extra zing add chile flakes or grated Parmesan.
the poked holes will collect the sprinkled goodies for a lovely pocket of flavor.
bake flatbread 25-35 minutes until golden and fragrant.

"of all smells, bread"

made some focaccia herb bread yesterday afternoon while it rained so wonderfully.

will be posting the recipe later today...in a rush to finish some knitting before class!

and now for the recipe (from this book):

1 package active dry yeast

1 1/4 cups warm water

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, plus extra whole leaves for garnish (i added some thyme as well)

3 cups all purpose flour, or 1 1/2 cups each all-purpose and whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

olive oil for brushing

coarse salt for garnish

combine the yeast and warm water in a large bowl. stir in the olive oil, chopped rosemary, and flour, and knead to form a soft dough. if the dough is sticky, work ina little flour, 1 Tbsp at a time. turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 to 6 minutes, until smooth. pour a little olive oil in the original bowl, add the kneaded dough, and turn a few times to coat the dough with oil. cover with a clean dish towel and let rise 1 hour, or until a hole poked into the side of the risen dough fills up slowly.

punch down the dough, return it to the floured surface, and knead a few times. then, using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large circle about 1 1/2 inches thick. transfer the dough to a lightly greased cookie sheet. poke several holes into the dough with a fork, sprinkle with coarse salt and rosemary leaves, and brush with a little oil. cover again with dish towel and let rise for 20 minutes.

while the dough is rising for the second time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the bread is lightly browned and firm. remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

enjoy!!

oh yes...the olive spread. i got it from the farmers market. here's the ingredients: green and black olives, garlic, fire roasted red pepper, parsley, olive oil, canola oil, lemon juice, capers and spices.

mmmmmmm.

despite my busy weekend, i found time to be idle

i started a little knitting project just to practice:
another scarf.
and since i want to move on from all things square and rectangle
i signed up for a knitting class that starts next month!
when i walked into this knitting store i had to seriously
contain myself to avoid overwhelming the employees with my
sheer joy and giddiness.

i had some time to read about baking bread and gardening in any space.
there is so much to learn!

i learned about the many kinds of bread doughs:
stiff, standard, rustic,
lean, enriched, rich,
yeasted and unyeasted.
all kinds of wheat:
hard or soft, red or white,
winter or spring.
i even had to learn a little math!

i read that the most important component for any garden is
love.
seriously? yes. and i'm not going to question that.
i've picked out the places i will arrange my containers
where they will get plenty of sun.
"the old mantra 'learn the rules before you break them' stands true.
all good gardens follow six golden principles--
repetition, variety, balance, emphasis, sequence, and scale--
in one way or another.
on top of these are secondary elements of color, texture,
form or shape, and smell.
these ideals apply as much to a collection of containers as
to any scale of garden."

and i was able to go to my favorite farmers market
where i found the prettiest spring flowers, rainbow chard, and portabella mushrooms.
it was a good weekend indeed.

on ballet and bread and how a heart sings

can i tell you how much i am in love with my ballet classes?
i stare at my slippers all week long,
imagine my pointed toes and lifted chin.
how graceful i feel
dancing in time to the piano on the record.
my feet slide and brush,
my heart lifts bright,
my spirit rises.
oh, blessed ballet!

i baked whole wheat goodness this morning.
just in time for warm rolls for lunch.
i coupled these warm morsels with local cheese.
how perfect it all melted with ease in my mouth.
i am falling in love more and more
every day with the little things.
sigh, indeed.

all day i have been listening, and swooning, to violins.
i have noticed that violins are always crying.
they cry tears of joy,
tears of sorrow,
tears of laughter,
tears of awe and wonderment,
tears of loss,
tears of gratitude...
i'm quite in love with my days.
{if only ceej were in town...then it would all be perfect}