Confession

(Nederlandse vertaling over een paar dagen)
OK; I'm an addict. There.....I've said it.

All the symptoms are there; cravings, excitement, a lack of self-control etc. All but one; I don't feel ashamed afterwards or guilty. No, I just feel great.

My addiction started from the very moment I learned to read and it lasts till now. As a young child I read everywhere even while travelling by bike through Rotterdam. It was pretty dangerous but I just coul'dn't stop reading.

And now, as an 'adult' there are obligations and work and less time to read. But the cravings are still there and triggered by every bookstore or library. Although I've noticed a slight change since the last year; the internet and more specific: the weblogs. All those wonderful weblogs with information and recipes from all over the world. And what's most important; it's growing bigger and bigger all the time.

No, the internet doesn't replace books for me; I still love the smell of paper and the feeling of a book in my hands and the fact that you can read anywhere you want. For me, the internet means just an enormous source of recipes and being able to communicate with many friendly bloggers.

One of the recipes I've found on the internet a few months ago is the Struan bread (Peter Reinhart); a Celtic harvestbread. The first time I baked this bread I was surprised by the structure and the taste. Since then, I've made this bread once a week and after a few minor adjustments it's one of our favourite breads.

Variation on Struan bread

Soaker
3 tbsp. polenta
3 tbsp. rolled oats
2 tbsp. coarse or broken rye
1/4 cup water

Dough
1 cup whole spelt flour
2 cups bread flour
1 tbsp. flax seed
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. instant yeast
3 tbsp. cooked brown rice
1 1/2 tbsp. clear honey
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup water

Mix the ingredients for the soaker, cover and leave it to soak for at least half an hour. Mostly I just allow it to soak overnight.

Choose a large bowl and combine the spelt, bread flour, flax seed and the salt. Stir it thoroughly to prevent the salt coming directly in touch with the yeast. Add the yeast, brown rice, honey and the soaker. Stir in the buttermilk and the water and knead the dough in about 10 minutes. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with a lid of plastic wrap and allow it to rise until doubled in size (75 - 90 minutes).

Remove the dough from the bowl, shape it and place it in a banneton or bread pan. Cover it and leave it to rise until doubled in size for the second time (70 - 90 minutes). Preheat the oven at 425 dgr. F. (220 dgr. C.). Turn the loaf onto a baking sheet and put it in the oven. Turn the heat down to 350 dgr. F. (180 dgr. C.) and bake the loaf in 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.