After musing about bread the other day, this weekend I hauled out and dusted off the old bread machine.  Not counting the recent pizza incident, I haven’t done any baking at all in years.  I think maybe it’s time again.  I made a loaf of 100% whole wheat, mostly to see how it would come out.  Not bad overall.  A bit heavy, but as I recall from days of old, bread takes practice.  I just got some “white whole wheat” flour, so maybe I’ll try another batch with that and see how it compares.  The loaf I did make went very well with a batch of lightly curried lentil soup with ham.  The weather’s been pretty crummy around here lately, so soup seemed like a good bet.  Worked out pretty well.  I used French green lentils, which I really like for soup because they hold their shape very well, unlike red lentils which turn to mush.  The regular brown ones hold out OK, but they tend to be a bit squishier.  The green ones stay more distinct. 

Sunday morning I made a batch of yeast-risen pancakes.  (Can you tell I’m on a baking kick?)  Again, I think some practice is involved, but the kids wolfed down enough of them to make me think they weren’t too bad.  I think the next steps in this direction are to get a sourdough starter going, and to crank up the old grain mill.  It, too, has been languishing lately, and I think I finally have a table I can reliably attach it too.  Nothing like freshly ground buckwheat pancakes.  And since you have to work for them, they are all the sweeter.