"You shall break bread with someone you straved with" people say. And I followed.
I broke my first homemade loaf of bread with this one and only, my twin, my sister, my beloved one. Except there is a little twist here for we have never been starved together. As spoil as it sounds, we have always been fully fed both by each other and kind adults. But of course, we have been in hot water together and on too many same boats of our lifetime. So I guess that counts, right?
Anyway, I call this bread the "Thanksgiving Loaf" not only because of tons of cinnamon and all spices I carely put in, but also because of my gratitude. My gratitude for all aspects of life are in that one loaf. Apparently, I did not think too deeply once the presence of the loaf hit my face. First thing I thought of was how proud I truly was for the product I had carefully made. I hope you can picture me dancing around the room, cherishing the moment which seemed to me so endlessly. But as I come to write this now, I have just learnt that this loaf of bread can contain such multitudes. Glaring at the bread, I see so much love for baking, so much passion for fixing up a dish or two of comfort for others, and so much power that keeps me alive till this day. For the first time I had understood how God felt when he shares hundreds of bread with others. How excited he was just to be able to provide people a loaf of bread or two. I am thankful for this day today for the bread God had provided. For always keep our stomach full. And I probably should stop writing now since I do not seem to see the limited boundary of this thankfulness. Hope you enjoy your bread and rice. Let's be appreciative, folks-Candice.
The Thanksgiving Loaf
I adapted this recipe from Bigger Volder Baking and put my own twist to it. Make sure you check out. This lady is a genius. Seriously.
Here's what you need
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon yeast
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon all spices.
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie extract( do not have this, replace with any kind of extract you'd love)
A cup of chopped cooked cashew nuts
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
How it's made!
-Get all the ingredients at room temperature.
-In a bowl, whixk together the flour, salt, sugar, and spices required in the recipe. Try not to get the salt and sugar touch the yeast directly at the begining. Pour them onto the different side of the bowl before start mixing.
-Now add the wets to the dry mix. Stir until well combined and until the dough seems firm enough to hold itself. Let rest in the bowl covered with a plastic wrap for about 12-15 hours. This will give the time for the yeast to work its magic because this dough does not require kneading at all.
-Leave the bowl in a warm place for a better proving of the bread.
-Now after these long hours, Flour your work surface and scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the flour surface.
-Now stretch the dough out a little and fold the sides to the middle. And then shape the dough by our hands into a big firm ball.
-On the baking tray, flour the bottom with flour again. Put the dough on the tray, cover with clean towel and let it rest for at least an hour before you bake it.
-To test if the bread is ready to be baked, poke the dough lightly and if it springs back a little, not too much, then it is absolutely ready. Let it prove longer if the dough is not ready.
-Make the pattern on top of the bread as the way you like it.
-Bake in the preheated oven at 200'C or 400'F for 45-50 minutes. To test if the bread is ready, tap at the bottom of the bread and if the soubd is hollow then you know it is absolutely ready!! Enjoy :)
