Hello Friends,
   I hope your new year is off to a wonderful start! I promised to post some good recipes for your Lindley Mills purchases,  and now that the crazy holidays are over, i finally have to chance to do so. I was so sorry that the mill was out of oats because i have several lovely recipes i wanted to share with you using them, but they'll just have to wait until the next order, which is just around the corner! For now though, i'll be posting three of my favorite bread recipes. My mother is from South America, so i grew up with a healthy appreciation for fresh, homemade bread. A slice of mom's sourdough, toasted with some butter and a hot cup of cafe con leche to dunk it in was a real treat when i was a kid, and it has been so special to be able to continue the tradition with my family.Let me tell you, my little quarter-latin-girl Mira loves some coffee and loves dunking even more! 
 I have a Bosch universal mixer so these are all mixer recipes, but if you have a good one for "bowl bread", feel free to pass it on to me and i'll post it! 
   First though, a little about flour. In the past i have used a variety of flours for my bread; regular store bought, fresh ground from Lindley's hard wheat berries, fresh ground kamut from Wheat Montana, and more recently, my go to was simply the unbleached all purpose from Lindley. I also ended up with a bag of their whole wheat bread flour by accident and have been using that up. All have made good bread, I mean, it's homemade, it's already worlds apart from anything on the shelf at the local grocer's! However, when Lindley came out with their trademarked Super Sprout flour and i read about it, i was intrigued and decided to give it try. Let me tell you - i have been converted. I am officially a believer! This stuff makes some of the best bread i have ever put into my mouth - bar none.  The flavor is full and slightly sweet, the crust is soft and kid-friendly, and the crumb is dense enough to make nice thin-but-solid sandwich slices, yet not so heavy that you can't tear off a big slab, slather it in butter, and call it a scrumptious afternoon snack.Also, because the grain has been sprouted prior to milling it's more nutrient dense as well, making this a double win. If you haven't checked it out yet, see the web page on it here - http://www.lindleymills.com/supersprout.html
Since i still have some of the whole wheat bread flour left over, i have been mixing the two and the result has been delectable - one loaf doesn't dare hope to see the end of a week at our house! So, here you go, from my kitchen to yours - enjoy! Please let me know if you have any questions! 

Standard Recipe - Makes approx. 4 lg. loaves

4 c. warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast
3/4 c sugar or honey ( i use raw organic orange blossom honey-amazing! and much lower on the glycemic index than refined sugar)
3/4 c oil
1 Tbsp. salt
9 +/- c flour ( i always forget to count!)

Dissolve yeast in warm water and allow to sit until frothy. ( If yeast doesn't bubble, it's old)
Add oil, honey or sugar, and salt and mix.
Begin to add flour, one cup at a time, mixing until incorporated after each.
Continue adding flour until dough cleans the sides of the mixer.
Mix/knead for about 6-10 mins.
Cover and allow to sit in a warm spot until doubled in size.
Turn onto a floured work surface and knead a few times by hand until smooth.
Separate into loaves or rolls in greased bakeware.
Cover and let rise again until doubled in size.
Bake at 350 degrees until nicely browned. 10-12 mins? (??? I am notorious for never setting a timer - i always go by sight and smell.I'll try to keep better track for you all in the future though!)
Remove from pans immediately and cool on racks.
See how long it takes you to dig a knife into that! 

Buttermilk Honey Bread  - makes 2 loaves

This bread is really a treat! Makes a luscious white, fluffy loaf. Not as substantial as the standard recipe, but so delicious!

1 1/2 packages yeast
1 tsp sugar
3/4 c warm water
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 Tbsp melted butter
3 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp salt
6 1/2 +/- c flour ;)

Mix yeast, water and sugar and allow to foam
Mix buttermilk, butter, honey and salt and add to yeast mix.
Add enough flour so that dough cleans sides of mixing bowl.
Follow above steps for rising and baking.


Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia - makes one round loaf

This is a really versatile recipe in that it can be ready in under 20 mins and you can make it any flavor you want. I have used cinnamon, dried apples and candied pecans, or just cinnamon and raisins for more of a breakfast bread. If adapting for a slightly sweeter/less savory version like this, cut back on the salt and add some honey or more sugar. Great bread for when you're in a pinch and need something fast and easy!

4-6 garlic cloves, roasted and chopped ( i usually omit the roasting part for the sake of ease and time)
1 cup hot water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
3 cups flour
2 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp dried rosemary ( i use fresh - it is so fragrant!)
kosher salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Place all ingredients in mixer except for rosemary and kosher salt. ( ok, so i throw the rosemary in there too, i prefer it mixed in as opposed to topping my bread ) 
Mix , adding extra flour as needed to make dough clean sides of bowl.
Mix 6 mins.
Roll out flat ( how thick your bread will be in the end depends on how flat you roll it out. i usually roll mine out to a thickness of about 1/2+ and end up with a nice 1 1/4 or so disk.)
Brush with olive oil [and sprinkle with rosemary.]
Bake at 450 degrees on a pizza stone or cookie sheet for 6-8 mins.
Remove and sprinlke with salt.