STAYING ACTIVE

An early and severe winter has meant that my collie and I have been walking on the concession road  --  plowed and free of ice, it was a better alternative to slipping and plunging on the back fields. It just was not enough today  -- the morning was cold, but I did not want to go inside after the walk. My snowshoes seemed just the thing for the back country and the mocassin-like boots (Ugs -- a lucky thrift store find) would be perfect for the bindings.

The creek behind my property had not been visited in months so that was where I went. Tip was left behind inside the house -- any deer and she would be gone.

It was a fine walk... maybe it is time to lay down a trail for cross-country skiing. The base is perfect at this time of winter.

note: Cold and windy the next day, but I laid the trail in the late afternoon. Seem to be totally acclimatised to the weather. 

WHOLE GRAIN SPELT BREAD

Whole-grain spelt bread without any refined flour can work out very well, somewhat to my surprise. The spelt flour is freshly ground just before baking -- my old Champion juicer with its milling attachment does a quick job without excessively overheating the flour.

Whole-grain spelt bread tastes better than bread made with whole-grain wheat. The loaves have been lighter in texture than anything I could ever get with wheat. I recently bought twenty pounds of organic milled spelt flour from K2 milling where I was told that there was no more until the next harvest. Nice to see that demand for it is high.
 The terracotta pot just behind the loaf has become my preferred bread pan. Having the oven truly hot at 450F./232C. also makes a great difference. The pot heats up to oven temperature before the risen dough is dropped into it. 

The weekend is the ideal time for baking because hydro rates are half that of week days. Needing bread by mid-week does mean another baking session, but it does help heat my little house in this cold January weather.