bread day

Mitch's 'baby chicken bread' (his snack board is the mum chicken)

 I love bread day!
I actually hadn't done it in a good while. Our rhythm somewhat disappeared when I started looking after the baby but I'm now finding that I can get back to some of the things we like to do that got a bit forgotten about.
I was reading Rebecca's recent bread making post in which she mentions making the dough the night before. Genius!
I can kneed bread dough happily in the evenings instead of trying to fit into my busy mornings. This works for me so much better.
So last night I made the dough, let it sit for an hour and a half and went to bed. In the morning I just got it out half hour before the children arrive to warm up a bit and then we had bread making fun.
 Now we can have bread in the morning and left overs in the afternoon! Mitch got up from his nap today and went straight to the kitchen instead of coming to me like usual. "Bread?!!" yep were bread lovers here:)

this is a snake, porcupine (similar to hedgehog but native to Australia) chicken, snail, bee and face. Good luck guessing whats what!

 The recipe (its a new favourite)
Spelt Bread
1cup spelt grains
1.5 cup white spelt flour
1 cup white plain flour
11/2 tsp dry yeast
2 tsp sugar (id usually use honey but id run out)
1tspn salt

2 Tbs olive oil
1 cup lukewarm water (i used a bit extra to make it a softer dough)

*Grind spelt grains to a course flour
*mix dry ingredients in a bowl
*add wet ingredients and combine
* kneed for 10-15 mins
* place in an oiled bowl, cover with a wet tea towel
*let rise for 90mins
(at this point I put it in the fridge over night)
*punch down and shape into a loaf, buns or shapes as like we like to
*Pre- heat oven to 210oC while bread rises for 30 mins
* Bake for 10 mins, lower temp to 100oC for 20-30 mins (are cooked when they sound hollow. A whole loaf may take a bit longer)

Were not big fans of crunchy crust so I cover them with a damp towel for a few mins as they cool. This may sound crazy but it doesn't make them soggy, it just makes the outsides a bit softer sort of like store bought bread.

We then cut them open and enjoy them with peanut butter, honey or Vegemite

 mmm, mines gotta be melty butter and Vegemite!

 The boys have been very into washing lines and cubby lately. I think this one was a cubby house. Then again, it may have started as a washing line!

Ronnie of Homemade happy gave me the idea of using the baby toy bar as a doll swing so we gave it a go today and it was lots of fun!