This is how it began:
One day last year, while she was kneading, waiting, kneading, waiting, etc. etc., Astrid all but said "I don't have time for this!" You'd have to be there...but immediately I piped in and offered (albeit reluctantly, assuming she'd pooh-pooh the idea), that maybe it would make more sense to have a bread-making machine?????
Within a couple hours, that same day (!), we walked two blocks down the street to a store going out of business and bought a bread machine. Ever since, Astrid has been fine-tuning a loaf of bread that we both absolutely love! And at half the time/effort on her part!
While this post is mostly about making bread, yes, it's actually more about HOW Astrid does it.
I'm talking specifically about how she measures the flour.
And here's where there's a long history over our 5 years together about a basic Dutch vs. American
way of measuring. The Dutch weigh their main ingredients (with a weighing scale) while the
Americans measure them (with cup and spoon sets).
And what's funny about it is that neither of us can comprehend why you'd do it that way.
However, one is not right and the other wrong. Just different.
way of measuring. The Dutch weigh their main ingredients (with a weighing scale) while the
Americans measure them (with cup and spoon sets).
And what's funny about it is that neither of us can comprehend why you'd do it that way.
However, one is not right and the other wrong. Just different.
It helps to know that she's using her mother's scale from before WWII.
German-made. Totally exact. Perfectly calibrated.
And because she uses 4 different flours (all ground at/by the Woudrichem windmill),
she measures them carefully by grams (No preservatives!):
wholewheat, refined
wholewheat, pure
spelt (dinkel wheat)
rye
And notice that she measures out several loaves at a time in the white containers.
When it comes time to make the loaf of bread, all these ingredients are added:
water, sugar, salt, multi-flours (mixed with sunflower seeds), olive oil, yeast.
The yeast is always added last because it's not supposed to have contact with the salt.
The bread machine is placed in the warmest room of the house,
which happens to be our storage closet, with the hot-water pipes sending off lots of heat.
It takes 3 hours from beginning to end.
One loaf lasts us two weekends of breakfasts: 2 Saturdays and 2 Sundays.
Astrid toasts the bread and adds all kinds of wonderful, healthy toppings.
It also works well for paninis, which we make with our panini press.
When you come to visit us, we will make sure you have some. I promise!
