Two very out of the ordinary things have happened this week:
- I’m dusting off the blog and actually sharing something with y’all.
- I made BREAD (okay, so it wasn’t REALLY bread…only partially). But damn was it good!
I don’t typically need bread. Sure, I WANT bread (every second of every day, to be exact). But for the most part, I can do without. It will come as no surprise to you that it’s not something we tend to have on hand. Every once in a while we’ll buy a loaf of something hearty, use a couple slices, and throw the rest of the loaf in the freezer. That loaf tends to last us a couple months, at least. And that loaf would’ve been REALLY handy last night when I had a craving for a big ol’ veggie sandwich. No such luck, amigos.
Despite the sun, and the ridiculously close proximity of perfectly acceptable bread (it’s a 1 minute and 45 second walk), my lazy bones were not feeling the one block walk up to the store to grab something. I could drive down the hill to the other store (it’s not acceptable to drive to the one block away store), but that seemed like a lot of work also. So my screwed up brain immediately thinks to “it’ll be WAY easier to make some bread.” I’m not sure what kind of logic took place at this moment in time, but right up until I was about to throw it in the oven, it made perfect sense!
It’s not the healthiest creation to ever come out of my kitchen, but it’s full of simple, fresh, and [of course] organic ingredients (next time I’m shooting for a hearty, seed-laden loaf…and then a sweet, vegan one full of berries…and then one with bananas and chocolate… and then…oh man — I’m addicted.)
Okay, here’s what happened…
Organic Herbed Sour Cream Loaf
What you’ll need:
- 1 1/2 cups spelt flour (you could use anything you had on hand — I just happened to have exactly that)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Whole lotta pepper
- About a teaspoon of salt (this is totally up to you, depending on how salty you like your foods)
- Handful of fresh herbs (I used what we had in the garden: rosemary, thyme, and sage)
- 1 cup kefir + extra on hand just in case you need your dough is too thick (or almond milk, or regular milk, or whatever you’ve got that’s not sweetened)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (greek yogurt would also do the trick)
- 1/4 cup melted ghee (you could use real butter)
How to do it:
Preheat your oven to 425.
Line an 8×8 pan with foil and whatever nonstick spray you have on hand (I hope it’s not Pam! I use coconut oil for just about everything these days).
Pour your melted ghee in the bottom of your pan. Be sure it is pretty well distributed over the bottom. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine your flour, baking powder, herbs, and spices.
In another bowl, whisk together sour cream and kefir until smooth.
Gently add your wet mixture into your dry mixture, folding slowly. It will have a sticky, thick texture…not as runny as pancake batter, but not as solid as cookie dough.
Add your mixture to your pan, smoothing slightly with a spatula and pushing into corners.
Toss this bad boy into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. It’ll will puff and become golden brown (be sure that a toothpick comes out clean!).
Allow to sit in pan for about 5 minutes once it’s done.
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This far from your standard loaf of bread. It’s really more like a biscuit or muffin consistency — almost cornbread-y. This, of course, makes it less ideal for a sandwich type construction (I ate some of mine with a fork), but it was so damn good, and so damn easy that I couldn’t resist sharing it with you.
I used the outer edges of the loaf to make our sandwiches, since they were the crunchiest. They were served open-faced with a little aioli, avocado, tomato, some radishes, and my homegrown sprouts. I could eat it every meal for an eternity — every bite was perfectly fresh and full of flavor.
Do yourself a favor and give this a go when you’re feeling a little adventurous (or don’t have any bread on hand). It would be great as a side, also.
centralsplendor 