Eating Out for Under 400 Calories: Coco Brooks Pizza

  It’s not uncommon for us to stop in at Coco Brooks on a Saturday for some pizza. But up until this visit it was not uncommon for me to eat an entire personal pizza by myself either.

After looking at the nutritional information, this was probably not a great idea for me. The regular crust pizzas are between 200 and 270 calories a slice and the thin crust pizzas are between 133 and 236 calories a slice. They only serve personal size pizzas (4 slices per pizza). The pizzas are really delicious though so I decided to try and see how eating there while sticking to my 400 calorie challenge would be. We ordered 2 thin crust pizzas for the 3 of us so I had a slice of each.

Was it good? Was it satisfying? It was delicious. I definitely wanted more pizza but I did manage to stop after 2 and was surprised to find I wasn’t hungry early.

Special Instructions:None
Substractions: None
Additions: None

Mardi Gras (at the top – spicy cajun sauce, chicken pineapple, mozzarella): Calories – 171, Carbs – 20 (4g sugar), Fat – 6g (sat. – 3g, trans – 0g), Sodium –297, Protein – 5g, Fibre – 1.

Margherita (at the bottom – sun-ripened tomato sauce, 4 cheese blend, tomatoes, oregano): Calories – 164, Carbs – 18 (1g sugar), Fat – 7g (sat. – 4g, trans – 0g), Sodium –284, Protein – 6g, Fibre – 1.

The Athens pizza is low enough in calories that you can have 3 slices for just under 400 calories. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m definitely going to next time.

Athens (sun-ripened tomato sauce, red onions, black olives, tomatoes, mozzarella): Calories – 133, Carbs – 19 (3g sugar), Fat – 4g (sat. – 1g, trans – 0g), Sodium –252, Protein – 3g, Fibre – 1.

http://www.cocobrooks.com/

It’s Okay to Complain

Now that I’ve given myself permission, I’m going to get right at it. One of the things that drives me bonkers is the idea that you shouldn’t complain because somebody has it worse than you.

I saw this today on twitter. Calgary got snow - actually a fair bit of snow on April 28th.

As you can see this is not an insignificant amount of snow. And is it now the end of April. Very few days this April have felt like spring so understandably people are complaining about it. But yesterday, the Southeast US was hit with massive numbers of tornados leading to a lot of devastation in the area.

Because of this, someone suggested that we shouldn’t complain about the snow because that is so much worse. I take exception to this concept.

Obviously, it is much worse to be in the Southeast US dealing with multiple tornados than in Calgary dealing with a few rogue snowflakes. I can’t imagine who would disagree with that. But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to complain about snow in April.

Yes, sometimes it can put things in perspective to realize that you are actually quite fortunate but where does it end? Do we tell the people in Alabama that they shouldn’t complain because the earthquake in Japan was worse? It sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? But someone always has it worse than you.

I’ve seen this on a smaller scale too with mothers who have lost their babies or aren’t able to have babies telling women who are struggling with adjusting to motherhood or sleepless nights that they shouldn’t complain because at least they have babies. My heart goes out to these women. I truly wish that everyone who wanted to have a baby was able to. But their personal tragedies does not negate the difficulties of motherhood. Just because someone has it worse does not mean that your complaints are not legitimate.

Do people sometimes complain too much? Sure. Are some people a little overly dramatic about the minor inconveniences of life? Absolutely. But one person’s complaint in no way takes away from the reality of someone else’s difficulties. So as far as I’m concerned, complain away.

Wordless Wednesday– Definitely More Spring-like

Broccoli and Cheese Pizza

I found the inspiration for this recipe on Healthy Happy Life a vegan food blog. I seem to spend a disproportionate amount of time on vegan food blogs for someone is not even remotely vegan in my eating habits.

Gordie has been a little suspicious of green food lately (except edamame which he loves), so he was not particularly impressed by this choice. But I think it might lure in some reluctant broccoli eaters.

Broccoli and Cheese Pizza Recipe

• broccoli
• shredded cheese
• cream cheese (regular or any kind of savoury flavoring)
• olive oil
• garlic
• whole wheat pitas

I used whole wheat pitas for the ‘dough’ and that worked well, but I think I would probably blanch the broccoli quickly in the microwave if I was doing it again just so they were cooked a little bit extra. This wouldn’t be a problem if you were using base that wasn’t quite so thin.

Directions
1. Spread a thin layer of olive oil on the pita. Add thin slices of garlic. I used about a clove per pita.
2. Add thin slices of broccoli. For mine I used the whole ‘tree’ but for Gordie’s I used little bits of the florets (pictured on the right).
3. Add little splotches of cream cheese (about 1 tbsp total) around the pita.
4. Top with shredded cheese.
5. Bake for about 5 minutes. I used the toaster oven so I did 3 minutes on bake and 2 on broil. Basically your goal is to melt the cheese without burning the pita too much.

I used sundried tomato cream cheese which was nice, but I really think any would be fine.

I really enjoyed these and will definitely make them again. I wouldn’t skip the cream cheese though. I tried one without it and it just needed a little something extra.

Our Favorite iPhone/iPad Apps for Kids

Gordie was a toddler when I made this list but most of the apps here would be of interest to preschoolers as well. Some are even great for babies!

1. Itsy Bitsy Spider by Duck Duck Moose $.99 –iPhone, iPad $1.99 http://duckduckmoosedesign.com/educational-iphone-itouch-apps-for-kids/itsy-bitsy-spider

We have all the apps by Duck Duck Moose and they have all been big hits. But the Itsy Bitsy Spider was the one that Gordie first fell in love with (about 14 months). He still calls our ipad and iphones ‘spider’ because of it. One of the best things about it, is how you touch the spider to advance the story instead of little arrows or swiping the screen - easy for toddlers to do and understand.

2. Peek a Boo Barn, $1.99 http://www.nightanddaystudios.com/apps/

This simple app is great for entertaining babies and toddlers at the doctors office. It’s easy to operate for even the littlest kids as all you have to do is touch the screen to see who is hiding behind the door.

3. sound touch by SoundTouch $2.99 - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sound-touch/id348094440?mt=8

When you touch one of the icons on this app 1 of 5 photograph of that match that icon will pop up on the screen along with it’s corresponding sound. There’s lots to discover with 6 different categories of sounds. The instruments even play real sections of music. This is a favorite of my special needs brother.

4. Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham – Oceanhouse Media $3.99 - http://www.oceanhousemedia.com/products/drseuss/

Oceanhouse Media has a ton of great interactive books including many Dr. Seuss and Little Critter books. Gordie’s favorite is Green Eggs and Ham. Gordie still has some trouble swiping to turn the pages, but if you set it to autoplay it will do that all by itself.

5. Sound Shaker by Tickle Apps $1.99 - http://www.tickletapapps.com/soundshaker

This was another of Gordie’s early favorites. I find it pretty amusing too. When you press on the screen a ball appears that makes a noise. If you hold your finger down the ball gets bigger and makes a different noise. If you move the ipod from side to side the balls roll around and make their noises as they bounce around. It’s pointless but entertaining.

6. Pictello - more expensive than most ($15) but you can create your own photo books - http://www.assistiveware.com/pictello.php

Gordie and my special needs brother both love this app. It helps them relive activities we’ve done and bring up topics that they might not be able to do otherwise. Gordie asks me all the time to “Make a New One!” It’s easy to use and you can either use a synthesized voice or record your own voice to accompany your photos to make a simple story.

7. drawing pad – $1.99 http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/drawing-pad/id358207332?mt=8

This app has many different types of drawing utensils in lots of different colors. It’s easy to navigate too and would be fun for any age.

8. Chicken Little - Kidztory – $0.99 -  http://www.kidztory.com/

Kidzstory has tons of animated interactive storybooks. They have lots of traditional tales like Chicken Little and the Three Little Pigs, but we’ve also really enjoyed Duck in the Truck. I had to delete The Lion and the Mouse because at one point the lion roars and it scared Gordie and made him cry. This will probably not be a big problem for most kids but Gordie is sensitive to startling noises.

So that’s our list, what’s on yours?

Weekly Meal Plan April 25-29

Since I’m going to try to be more consistent in meal planning, I thought I’d share what my plans are.

This Week’s Meal Plan

Monday – Easter Dinner leftovers
Tuesday – Sour Cream Ground Beef Noodle Bake (via Merry with Children)
Wednesday – Mexican Lasagna (7-11 lasagna)
Thursday – Easy Moussaka (recipe to come)
Friday – Cottage Cheese Pancakes (via weelicious)

Last Week’s Meal Plan

Monday – Turkey Burgers
Tuesday – Broccoli and Cheese Pizza (recipe to come)
Wednesday – Soup from the freezer
Thursday – Mexican Lasagna (7-11 lasagna)
Friday – BBQ Chicken Enchiladas

Although I find making dinner much less stressful when I meal plan, I never seem to follow my plan all that well. This week was no exception.

 

What We Actually Ate

Monday –  For some reason I can’t remember what we had. But it wasn’t turkey burgers
Tuesday – BBQ Chicken Enchiladas
Wednesday – Broccoli and Cheese Pizza
Thursday – Peanut Butter and Jam French Toast Sandwiches (recipe to come)
Friday – Fish and Salads From Pelican Pier

 

Eating Out for 400 Calories or Less: Tim Hortons

If you can manage to stay away from the treats, Tim Hortons actually has a number of pretty reasonable meals. I’ve had the chilli quite a few times, but I have to admit I’ve pretty much always eaten the whole bun. And sometimes now that I know the calorie count, I still might if it was my big meal of the day. Spending some extra calories on some whole wheat bread is not the worst choice I could be making. In this instance though, I ripped the bun in half, putting me right on my 400 calorie target.

Was it good? Was it satisfying? I love chili and Tim Hortons’ chili is actually pretty good. This definitely doesn’t feel like diet food.

Special Instructions:None
Substractions: I only ate half the bun to save 100 calories. The butter is pictured but I didn’t use any.
Additions: None

For a chilli and half a whole wheat bun: Calories – 400, Carbs – 39g (4g sugar), Fat – 19g, Protein 30, Fibre – 6.

Sometimes Food Tastes Like Love: Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Pitas

You may have noticed that I don’t make a lot of desserts. I actually didn’t make this one either. I was having a nap after putting Gordie to bed and when I woke up my husband had made this for us and even took pictures so I could blog about it. And if that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Pita Recipe

• 2 whole wheat pitas
• 1 handful of mini marshmellows
• 1 small handful of chocolate chips
• 2 (ish) tbsp of peanut butter
  

Directions

1. Spread peanut butter down the centre of the pitas. Top with marshmallows and chocolate chips.
2. Fold the pitas over and grill for about 5 minutes in your indoor grill. Alternatively you could bake them in the oven or cook them in a non-stick frying pan. The insides should be melty and squishy when ready.

 

 

These were really sweet and really messy. A nice quick treat that would be great to make with the kids too.

Chocolate Hazelnut Hummus

Hazelnut butter is the only nut butter that I’ve tried that might give peanut butter a run for it’s money. It’s just so good. So it was almost inevitable that my hummus experimentation would end with Nutella inspired hazelnut hummus. It was way better than the peanut butter hummus. I ended up leaving it a little chunkier than I usually do with hummus which gave it a really nutty feel. I ate the whole batch with apples for dipping (over a few days of course!) And I didn’t even share. Yes, it is that good.

Hazelnut butter is not as easy to find as peanut butter or even almond butter. In the superstore by my house you can find it in the aisle with the organic food, soy, and gluten free products. Not in the peanut butter and jam aisle.

Chocolate Hazelnut Hummus Recipe
1 can (16 oz) Chickpeas ; rinsed and drained
4 Tbsp Hazelnut butter or 2 TBSP hazelnut butter and 2 Tbsp peanut butter (I just used a big spoon – more if desired)
1/2 teaspoon Sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 Tbsp maple syrup (you can adjust this to taste (2-8 Tbsp)
1/2- 3/4 cup Water (depending on the texture desired)

Cooking with the Kids
The kids can:

• Measure and pour the ingredients
• Rinse the chickpeas and put them in the food processor
• Run the food processor (with supervision)

Directions 1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. 2. Add all the ingredients to the food processor (you can use a blender, but it’s not really  not as effective. I have tried and don’t recommend it. I ended up buying a food processor so I could make hummus). 3. Run the food processor until the hummus starts to appear to bounce up and down (this won’t take a really long time) . Alternatively just check it every 10 seconds or so. You’ll want to scrape off the sides of the food processor because I find some chickpeas tend to stick to the sides and then give it another quick blend. If you are finding it’s not as well mixed or creamy as you would like just add another 1/4 cup of water.

Serving Ideas With apple slices, as a sandwich spread, sauce on a dessert pizza, on crackers, with pita

Wordless Wednesday–Who Needs Presents?

 

 

 

 

 

Guilt and Parenting

One of the things that has surprised me the most since becoming a parent, is how much I would be plagued with guilt and doubt. For me this was especially true when Gordie was a small baby. Everything was so new and it seemed I was constantly having to make decisions that had no real right answer.

But the guilt and doubt I felt over these day to day decisions was nothing compared to how I felt when Gordie turned 1. That was when we found out that he wasn’t growing as expected. His weight was at the 3rd percentile. Now I realize that sometimes this is nothing. Some kids are just small. But the reason that they take weight and height measurements is because sometimes something is wrong.

When Gordie was born he was 9 lbs. That put him at the 85 percentile for weight. So being at the 3rd percentile after 12 months was definitely concerning.

It turned out that he was having a problem digesting dairy. He seems to react negatively to the protein in milk products resulting in a host of problems some of which I recognized as a problem and others that I didn’t until they went away.

It has now been a year and I still struggle with the guilt that I feel over this.

• Why didn’t I realize what was happening sooner?
• How could I have been feeding my baby what basically amounted to poison (for him)?
• How could I not have noticed how small he was, how little he was eating, how cranky he was, how little he was doing?

It really shook my confidence as a mother. I was second guessing all the choices that I had made with regards to how I chose to feed him, sleep choices – everything.

Now I know this is not particularly rationale. I know I’m a good mom. I do. And I know that Gordie’s problems with milk were not my fault. In fact when I look back, I had realized that something was the matter and I was doing everything I could to figure out. I can’t even think of anything that I really should have done differently. And I know that it was in large part because of me that we figured it out as soon as we did.

Gordie is currently thriving and as of his 2 year check up is now back up to the 25th percentile.

And yet. The guilt is still there.

I do my best to forgive myself and to have realistic expectations for myself as a mother. Most of the time I think I succeed. But I still can’t quite shake the guilt I feel over this.

The Infectious Enthusiasm of a Toddler–Snow in April Sucks

Last night it started to snow. In April. Not even early April, but April 13th. I was not impressed. I’m quite done with winter and snow in particular.

Gordie on the other hand looked out the window and said “It’s snowing!” with the enthusiasm of a child who had been hoping all Winter for just one day of snow.

This morning when I looked outside there was over a foot of wet, heavy snow. Seriously? I am almost desperate for Spring. I need sunlight again. And grass. Remember grass? I don’t ever want to leave the house again.

But Gordie takes one look and demands to “Go play in the snow!” He couldn’t have been more excited.

So I grabbed some things for a snowman and spent 20 minutes getting us both into our snow gear. Gordie had the best time and honestly, it was the best part of my day too. Usually the snow in Calgary is too dry to stick together, so it’s nearly impossible to make snowmen and it’s usually unpleasantly cold at well. Today the snow was perfect and it was right around freezing.

It’s hard to stay in a bad mood when someone around you is having so much fun. That being said – snow in April still sucks.

Cinnamon Raisin No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread

Ever since I  first posted about No-Knead Bread I’ve been thinking about what kinds of variations I could try. Cinnamon raisin was first on my list. I love raisin bread, but I hate that you can just about never get it on whole wheat bread. So I gave it a go and it is awesome. Seriously I just want to eat this all day. Gordie loves all the bread I’ve made so more. He asks for Mommy’s bread all the time.

This recipe and directions are almost identical to my Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread Recipe. There is the obvious additions of raisins and cinnamon, a slight increase in the amount of yeast because cinnamon inhibits yeast production and a little extra water.

Note: you will need an oven proof dish with a heavy lid to make this -  Dutch ovens are perfect for this but other oven proof dishes like casserole dishes can work too.

Cinnamon Raisin Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
(Adapted from Calgarian Julie Van Rosendaal’s take on Jim Lahey’s no knead bread method on babble.com)

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup raisins

1/2 tsp yeast

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups water (this is more than the standard recipe because whole wheat flour is thirstier than refined flour and it’s even more than my regular whole wheat flour recipe because the raisins soak up some of the water)

wheat bran, cornmeal or additional flour for dusting (wheat bran worked really well)

(I use Robin Hood – Best for Bread Flour which works well as it is high in protein as most Canadian flours are which is necessary for making good bread)

Directions

This looks like a lot of steps but is really very little work and not very hard. Check out this youtube video where Jim Lahey demonstrates the process.

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl stir the flour, yeast, salt and cinnamon together with your hands. Then add the raisins.
2. Add 2 cups of the water. Mix the dough and water together with your hands until you can no longer see dry flour. You can run your hands under the tap to wet them if you are worried about the dough sticking to them, but it’s not really necessary.
3. Check your dough, it should look wet but the flour should absorb all the water. You couldn’t knead this dough if you wanted too. If your dough still looks dry add a little at a time and mix until it looks wet. I found 2 1/2 cups of water to be perfect.  Don’t stress out too much about it though, I’ve made it both too dry and too wet and the bread still turned out fine. It was just a little dense when it was too dry and it was harder to move when it was too wet.
4. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and leave it on the counter for 12-24 hours. Whenever it is convenient for you. The dough should have risen noticeably and you’ll probably see some little bubbles at the top.
5. When you are ready sprinkle wheat bran, flour or corn meal on the top of the dough as well as on a large tea towel.
6. Use a spatula to loosen the dough from the bowl and drop it onto one side of the tea towel. Fold the dough over on itself a few times and then sprinkle the flour (or whatever) on the top.
7. Roll the dough onto the other side of the tea towel and coat the other side with flour (or whatever) again. Fold the tea towel over the top of the dough ball and leave it out for 1-2 hours. (Don’t leave it on the stove it will get all sticky and attach itself to the tea towel when you are preheating the stove – trust me).
8. In the last half hour preheat the stove to 450F with your oven safe heavy lidded pot inside to make sure it’s nice and hot.
9. Take the pot out of the oven and dust the inside with flour, this will help keep the raisins from sticking and burning to the bottom (or whatever). Roll the dough into the hot pot, place the lid on and stick it in the oven for 30 minutes. Then, take the lid off and bake for 15 more minutes.
10. For best results, let the loaf cool before eating, but if you really want warm bread, you can cut it right away and it’s still really good.

I’m sure this would be lovely with some butter or cinnamon cream cheese,  but I eat it straight up.

Wordless Wednesday–My baby’s 2!

     

Chicken and Banana Fried Rice Recipe.

I’m finding myself attracted to recipes that seem like they just shouldn’t work. (From trusted sources) so when I read about this meal in Every Day With Rachel Ray Magazine I just had to try it. I’ve never thought about adding bananas to a savoury dish before and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. It actually turned out really well.

Although it is not the most photogenic dish because everything is a little beige and I ran out of green onions because the original recipe called for 3/4 of a cup of whites AND 3/4 of a cup of greens so I didn’t have any left to sprinkle on top, it was good.

I’m going to add it to my recipe box as I’ll definitely make it again. The bananas were still fairly firm and added a bit of sweetness. The overall taste was a bit onion-y but in a pleasant way and the peanuts added a perfect amount of crunch. I think this would be a great dish to try out with kids who are reluctant to try new things. None of the ingredients are too weird but the combination is very unusual.

Note: You need to use rice that has been cooked and cooled so keep that in mind when you are making your plans.

Banana and Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
(adapted from Every Day With Rachel Ray Magazine)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 bananas
• 3/4 lb cooked chicken breast (cubed or thinly sliced)
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced shallot
• 2 finely chopped serrano chiles (or a squirt of Sriracha) 
• 3 cups cooked and cooled brown basmati rice
• 1 bunch thinly sliced scallion greens
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• Chopped salted peanuts

Directions
1. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat.
2.  Cut the bananas in half lengthwise and lay them cut side on in the hot pan. Cook until golden 2-3 minutes. Remove them from the pan and cut them into bite sized pieces.
3. Wipe of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 tbsp of oil to the pan. Add the shallot and cook for a few minutes until softened and slightly golden. Add the serrano chilies and cook for another minute.
4. Add the rice and chicken and bring the heat back up to high. Cook for about 3 minutes to toast the rice and heat the chicken. Stir occasionally.
5. Remove from heat and add the bananas and soy sauce to the pan. Stir gently. Top with the scallion greens and peanuts.

So, did they eat it?

This ended up being a hit with everyone at our house. It’s really pretty similar to typical fried rice, so if you like that, you’d probably like this too.

Cranberry Turkey Burgers

One of the problems with turkey burgers is that they can just be so dry and tasteless. These burgers compensate with the addition of spices, dried cranberries, parsley and green onions. My husband’s uncle served cranberry turkey burgers one year after Christmas. We liked them so much we tried to replicate them at home and this is what we came up with. Since then it’s become a family favorite and we’ve made it again and again.

Cranberry Turkey Burger Recipe

1 pound Ground turkey
1/4 cup Dried cranberries chopped
1 green onion (scallion) chopped, finely
1 TBSP chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon Allspice
1/4 teaspoon Ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon Basil dried
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Directions

You can cook these like any other burger but it’s generally recommended that they are cooked at a slightly lower heat for a longer time to ensure that they inside reaches the correct temperature.

Topping Ideas

Mayo, mango chutney, cranberry sauce, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, avocado. (but not all at once!)

Almond Zucchini Sauté–Tired Mom Side Dish

I often seem to either make either a good side dish or a good meal but not both when I’m making supper. So I’m always on the lookout for quick, easy and healthy side dishes that I can manage to make in addition to whatever else I’m making for supper. When I saw this zucchini dish at Smitten Kitchen I knew I’d found a winner.

Almond Zucchini Sauté Recipe

• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 small handful of sliced almonds
• 1 normal sized zucchini (cut into sticks, you can cut them smaller than I’ve done above, I just don’t have the machinery or the patience)

optional: salt, pepper, parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the almonds and sauté for a couple minutes until they are browned.
2. Add the zucchini and cook for about a minute just until the zucchini is heated.
3. Add a little salt and pepper and parmesan if you want. It’s really good with them, but I often forget and it’s still good.

Per 1/2 of the almond and zucchini sauté: Calories – 131, Carbs – 6g, Fat – 12g, Protein 5, Fibre – 3.

No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread

I’ve started baking my own bread. I made my first loaf on March 25. It’s now 11 days later and I have made 6 loaves of bread so far. I feel like some kind of supermom. But it’s so quick, easy and flexible that no superpowers are actually necessary. Seriously, I am at best an amateur cook, I rarely bake and never anything with dough - if I can make this, so can you. The only catch is you need a oven proof dish with a heavy lid. Dutch ovens are perfect for this. I managed to get one at Costco this fall for only $50 so that’s what I’ve been using but there are other things that can work like casserole dishes if you want to give it a try.

I’ve also made a number of mistakes that I’ve learned from that I’ll share as well. Amazingly despite the mistakes every loaf I’ve made has still turned out. This recipe is really resilient.

Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread Recipe
(Adapted from Calgarian Julie Van Rosendaal’s take on Jim Lahey’s no knead bread method on babble.com)

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 cups water (this is more than the standard recipe because whole wheat flour is thirstier than refined flour)

(I use Robin Hood – Best for Bread Flour which works well as it is high in protein as most Canadian flours are which is necessary for making good bread)

This looks like a lot of steps but is really very little work and not very hard. Check out this youtube video where Jim Lahey demonstrates the process.

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl stir the flour, yeast and salt together with your hands.
2. Add 2 cups of the water. Mix the dough and water together with your hands until you can no longer see dry flour. You can run your hands under the tap to wet them if you are worried about the dough sticking to them, but it’s not really necessary.
3. Check your dough, it should look wet but the flour should absorb all the water.You couldn’t knead this dough if you wanted too. If your dough still looks dry add a little at a time and mix until it looks wet. I found 2 1/4 cups of water to be perfect.  Don’t stress out too much about it though, I’ve made it both too dry and too wet and the bread still turned out fine. It was just a little dense when it was too dry and it was harder to move when it was too wet.
4. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and leave it on the counter for 12-24 hours. Whenever it is convenient for you. The dough should have risen noticeably and you’ll probably see some little bubbles at the top.
5. When you are ready sprinkle wheat bran, flour or corn meal on the top of the dough as well as on a large tea towel.
6. Use a spatula to loosen the dough from the bowl and drop it onto one side of the tea towel. Fold the dough over on itself a few times and then sprinkle the flour (or whatever) on the top.
7. Roll the dough onto the other side of the tea towel and coat the other side with flour (or whatever) again. Fold the tea towel over the top of the dough ball and leave it out for 1-2 hours. (Don’t leave it on the stove it will get all sticky and attach itself to the tea towel when you are preheating the stove – trust me).
8. In the last half hour preheat the stove to 450F with your oven safe pot inside to make sure it’s nice and hot.
9. Take the pot out of the oven and dust the inside with flour (or whatever). Roll the dough into the hot pot, place the lid on and stick it in the oven for 30 minutes. Then, take the lid off and bake for 15 more minutes.
10. For best results, let the loaf cool before eating, but if you really want warm bread, you can cut it right away and it’s still really good.

Wordless Wednesday