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The Wholesome Loaf is a bread recipe celebrating the full moon in June by the Full Moon Baking Club.

The Wholesome Loaf is a bread recipe celebrating the full moon in June by the Full Moon Baking Club.

June 2019: The Wholesome Loaf

June 17, 2019 by Ashley Look in Full Moon Baking Club, Recipes

What’s that? It’s June and you want to soak up that summer heat by baking bread in your kitchen? Don’t worry. I got you! The Wholesome Loaf recipe for June’s Full Moon Baking club is bound to have you sweating it out and second guessing why you thought this was a good idea. But I’ll just remind you now. Because it’s good. That’s why! And its even better when you make something to share with others.

This bread recipe combines milk, yogurt, and an egg for a soft, pliable dough, that comes together to fulfill your sandwich making needs. Make it, make some sandwiches, and then head out for a picnic with friends and have fun. If its delicious you’ll me so proud of your achievement. If it’s a disaster you’ll have a great memory of that time you made bread for your friends.

I feel like I always have to remind whoever is reading this that the point of the Full Moon Baking Club is not about the recipe so much as it’s about the moments. We cook all the time but so rarely are we cooking and gathering together. Once a month we deserve a break from the norm for the chance to be amungst friends and connect in a way that honors the fact that we are social beings. And I’m not talking about connecting across screens. Real connections, in person, face to face, and in this case with our mouths stuffed.

Ready, set, bake!

Bread making step 1 milk and yogurt.jpg Bread making step 2 milk yogurt and egg.jpg Bread making step 3.jpg Bread making step 4 mix.jpg Bread making step 5 knead.jpg Bread making step 6 dough.jpg Bread making step 7 dough resting for first rise.jpg Bread making step 8 first rise.jpg Bread making step 9 second kneading.jpg Bread making step 10 shaping dough.jpg Bread making step 11 second rise.jpg Bread making step 10 scoring the dough.jpg

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp dry active yeast
  • 3 cups flour (+1 more cup for kneading)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp melted butter

Directions

  1. In a bowl combine the milk, yogurt, and egg and mix well.
  2. Stir in the yeast and let disolve.
  3. In a seperate, large bowl, add the 3 cups of flour and the salt.
  4. Then pour in the wet mixture and stir to combine.
  5. As the dough comes together, gently add extra flour (a little at a time) to help bring the dough together into a workable shape.
  6. Sprinkle some flour onto your counter and then tip the dough out.
  7. Sprinkle a bit more flour on top of the dough and begin to work it with your hands, adding more flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to your hands.
  8. Slowly begin to knead the dough, continueing to add flour as necessary.
  9. Knead for roughly 10 or so minutes allowing the dough to fully form with all the ingredients well combined.
  10. Continue to knead the dough, shaping it into a round ball.
  11. Then place it in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let rest for an hour or until doubled in size.
  12. After its doubled in size, dump ought the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead again.
  13. Shape the dough in an oblong loaf and place it into a greased bread pan.
  14. Brush the top with melted butter and then and then cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about and hour.
  15. Preheat your oven to 450 degress.
  16. After the dough has rested for an hour and about doubled in size, remove the wrap and score the top of your loaf and then immediately place it in the hot oven.
  17. Then, turn the oven down to 375 degress and bake for 35 minutes.
  18. Carefully remove it from the oven and turn the bread out onto a cooling rack and let rest before cutting into it.
June 17, 2019 /Ashley Look
how to feed a senior, Full Moon Baking Club, bread baking, The Wholesome Loaf, June 2019, dough, milk, yogurt, egg, flour, yeast, sandwiches, kneading dough, baking, first rise, second rise, proofing, picnic, breaking bread, community gathering, community building, social beings, real connections, in person, face to face, gathering together
Full Moon Baking Club, Recipes
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Gluten-free peanut butter, chocolate chip cookie recipe is the May 2019 feature from the Full Moon Baking Club.

Gluten-free peanut butter, chocolate chip cookie recipe is the May 2019 feature from the Full Moon Baking Club.

May 2019: Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

May 17, 2019 by Ashley Look in Full Moon Baking Club, Recipes

April shower’s don’t always bring May flowers, or so I’ve been reminded with the passing of Mother’s Day...

It started out harmless enough. On the Wednesday before, I went to the bank running routine errands and as I was leaving, the clerk wished me “Happy Mother’s Day!” Boom! Just like that, I was triggered. First of all, it was Wednesday, approximately four days too early.

Slowdown tiger… Let’s take things a day at a time…

But then I started the dark spiral into how inappropriate it felt to assume we are all celebrating. I am not a mother, nor do I have my own mother to celebrate the day with, and the blatant cheeriness dripping from the clerk’s chin, all about had me ready to turn around and release the Mother of Dragons at her for making such a careless mistake.

… DRACARYS!!!

My mom Sandrita of House Targaryen.

My mom Sandrita of House Targaryen.

Somehow the words “you too” found their way out of my mouth and I left without torching the place. But then, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I felt the next several days build with enthusiasm for mom’s everywhere. But I also felt the communal outcry for the bereaved. What that bank clerk neglected, the village provided, and for all the hater’s of social media it would be a shame to dismiss the macro moment of holding space for all of those that have been touched by the institution of motherhood. Being a mother or having a mother makes little difference. The gift of motherhood is ubiquitous and the internet honored them all! My irritation simmered as the larger community reflected a broader sense consciousness and that got me reflecting on my snap judgement of the bank clerk. It seems we were no different, her and I. Both of us, projecting assumptions onto the other. That I would be celebrating Mother’s Day, and she’d be more “woke” and guarded with words… Ugh… I’m ashamed at my own presumption. When a gesture of kindness turns into a source of frustration, it should be a clue that the problem isn’t them; it’s you!

As much as I think I’ve moved on from my mother’s passing, this incident exposed just how raw loss can be, even years later. I’ve heard that moving forward from grief doesn’t mean life eventually returns to “normal”. Instead, we carry the grief with us, heavier by way of holding an emotional weight that only becomes lighter when love lifts us. I’m learning that it’s sometimes impossible to keep a heart from breaking and no amount of glue can restore a shattered one to whole. But loss finds forward traction with love from friends and family, and community members that gather those shards and carry what they can as an emotional service. Humanity and all of its kindness, keeps the burden of pain from being a solo voyage. A village can help shoulder heaviness which is why we need to promote togetherness at all cost. Cue the Full Moon Baking Club…

Communities need work. The growing amount of division among us is concerning but in my experience, baked goods have always had a way of bringing folks together. It’s far from a fix but it’s a start, and if we hope to repair communities we need to disrupt the flow towards isolation and provide opportunities for joyful assembly. This month I invite you to make this recipe, compliments of King Arthur Flour, with the intention to gather, be together and share moments that will spawn memories. We can build relationships and cultivate inclusive environments that proactively combat feelings of “otherness”. And since there are many folks that daily are excluded from the simple pleasure of enjoying food due to allergies, intolerances, and other dietary restrictions, I’m thinking of them this month with this flourless recipe. For all those gluten-free folks battling celiac or gluten intolerance, take a night off from grieving your loss of tasty baked goods, with this cookie recipe. They are delicious and I applaud King Arthur Flour for thinking outside their own box. Cause even the flourless crave flowers… Open your heart by opening your oven door and let cookies be the floodgate in which kindness flows. Happy full moon my friends!

Holding you in heart,

Ashley

Ingredients

  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips or mini chips

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Beat the peanut butter, sugar, baking soda, and salt at medium speed of your mixer, until well-blended.
  3. Add the egg and vanilla, and blend on low-medium speed until incorporated.
  4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  5. Scoop the dough by the tablespoonful onto a baking sheet and push the top of the dough to flatten just slightly.
  6. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and cool right on the pan. The tops should be slightly crinkled and you will want to pull them BEFORE they begin to brown on the edges.

* For the original recipe click here.

May 17, 2019 /Ashley Look
how to feed a senior, Full Moon Baking Club, May 2019, Gluten-free, Peanut butter, chocolate chips, cookie recipe, gluten free cookie recipe, King Arthur Flour, loss, grief, Game of Thrones, April showers, May flowers, flour free, celiac disease, gluten intolerant, gluten intolerance, House Targaryen, togetherness, community gathering, community building, motherhood, Mother's Day, FOMO, bereaved, Flower Moon, Full Moon
Full Moon Baking Club, Recipes
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Seed bread recipe from the Full Moon Baking Club, just in time for Spring gatherings.

Seed bread recipe from the Full Moon Baking Club, just in time for Spring gatherings.

April 2019: Seed Bread Recipe

April 19, 2019 by Ashley Look in Full Moon Baking Club, Recipes

For the April 2019 Full Moon bread I can’t think of anything more appropriate than recipe that includes seeds. We are officially in the season of Spring and maintaining with that earthy alignment, seeds seem like a must! Now is the time of year we get back to our gardens and nurture beginnings. No matter if you are embarking on a new phase of life (hashtag me) or a legit garden landscape, seeds are the homies of the season. And if you are someone that wants to adopt a homemade bread practice, well my friend… you have joined at the right time!

Baking culture has unfortunately intimidated the newbies, keeping many would be bread bakers away from the craft. All the more reason for you to hike up your sleeves and shove that elitism right back to were it came from. Anyone with an oven can bake bread and as I explained in last month’s post, basic bread baking is accessible to all. Don’t fear the mess! That’s the meditation of having a bread practice. When you allow yourself to delve into the tactile art of dough, you forfeit your control and learn to work with what’s at hand. Literally. Cause this stuff will stick to your hands until you connect the relationship between wet and dry ingredients. Think back to your childhood when making mud patties where all the rage. Those were fun times until our parent got their say. Well, bread making is mud patty version for adulting. Age has most likely moved us away from play but according to research, play is an important part of development. And since we never truly stop developing, play should not be exclusive to children. If anything, we grown-ups need more exploratory activities to challenge ours brains and remind us that there is more to the world than what we currently know. And the more we learn to engage with the world around us, the better we feel navigating foreign territory. Longs story short, bread yo! Consider it a playground for curiosity that produces better and better results as you gain familiarity.

So, back to the seeds… Aside from the obvious spring seeds blah, blah, this recipe will get your hands into the mix with the chance to really feel your way through the process. Like, really feel the dough and connect with that wet/dry relationship so that the concept starts to click. I’m also going to walk you through an overnight rise so you can familiarize yourself with the convenience of making bread on your own clock. Speaking of clocks, this is the part where I remind you that you do not need to bake bread on the Full Moon. The point of the club is to make a bread this moon cycle and call all your peops over for some sharing. You gotta make bread in order to break bread and whether you see this as a religious/Eucharist offering or just a standard good time among friends, we have reached a point in which opportunities for togetherness are few and far between, so lets make some bread. It doesn’t have to be this one. It doesn’t even have to be good. The point is you yourself are giving reason to gather and from there we can embark on strengthening our relationships and build better communities. Lofty goal? Sure. But we gotta figure out way to push back again all the hate and as Brene Brown says in her book Braving The Wilderness, “People are hard to hate close-up. Move in.” Granted, that is often easier said than done but that’s why you start with friends and create a reason to gather. Bread is the impetus. It’s the commonality amid our diversity and a chance to find connection with a stranger. Baby steps my friends… Just play around with the new… Just plant a seed and I promise you that growth will follow.

“People are hard to hate close-up. Move in.”
— Brene Brown
Step 1.jpg Step 2.JPG Step 3.jpg Step 4.jpg Step 5.jpg Step 6.jpg Step 7.jpg Step 8.jpg Step 9.jpg Step 10.jpg Homeade Bread with Seeds.jpg

Ingredients & Supplies

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/4 cup seeds (sesame, poppy, flax, etc.)
  • Plastic wrap
  • Parchment paper
  • Dutch Oven

Directions

Phase 1

  1. In a large bowl mix the flour, salt, and yeast together.
  2. Add the warm water and mix to form a shaggy dough ball.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 8 to 12 hours or overnight.

Phase 2

  1. Remove the cover and you'll notice the dough swelled and now appears quite wet and sticky.
  2. Sprinkle a layer of seed over the surface of the dough, and then with a wet hand, reach in and lift the dough from the bottom and fold it onto the top.
  3. Rotate the bowl slightly and continue with a wet hand to fold the dough over, hiding the seeds within. Do this until all the seeds are now on the inside of the dough.
  4. Next, add another light layer of seeds to the top surface and repeat the process of folding the seed into the dough. This method makes for easy kneeding of high hydration doughs while incorporating the seeds at the same time.
  5. Once the seed are folded thoughout, you can then shape the dough on a lightly floured surface.
  6. Shape the dough into a smooth round form, and then place the dough on a piece or parchment paper resting in pie pan.
  7. Sprinkle the last of the seed on top of the dough and then cover and let rest for an hour or until double in size.

Phase 3

  1. Preheat your oven and the empty Dutch Oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Once it's preheated to temp, remove the cover from the dough and score the top.
  3. Then remove the Dutch Oven from the oven and carefully transfer the dough with the parchment paper and place it into the Dutch Oven securing the lid on top.
  4. Bake the dough for 30 minutes.
  5. Remove the lid and lower the temperature to 415 degrees F. and bake for 10-15 more minutes until the crust is a deep golden brown.
  6. Remove the bread and cool on a wire rack.
  7. Invite friends and enjoy!
April 19, 2019 /Ashley Look
how to feed a senior, Full Moon Baking Club, April 2019, Spring, Homemade bread, baking bread, breaking bread, community building, togetherness, community gathering, Brene Brown, Braving the Wilderness, Dutch Oven, flour, salt, yeast, seeds, seed bread recipe
Full Moon Baking Club, Recipes
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Basic bread recipe from the Full Moon Baking Club, made utilizing the dutch oven baking technique.

Basic bread recipe from the Full Moon Baking Club, made utilizing the dutch oven baking technique.

March 2019: Basic Bread Recipe

March 20, 2019 by Ashley Look in Full Moon Baking Club, Recipes

Calling all makers, gatherers, and aspiring bakers!

It brings me joy to write this to you on March 21st celebrating the Full Moon and also, the Vernal Equinox. This auspicious alignment provides some clarity around my why for this club, which gets me to the why of this recipe. You ready?

Thus far, I have been making things up as I go. I had the idea for the Full Moon Baking Club as a way to bring folks together, break bread honoring it as a community tradition, as well as to archive my own baking pursuits. I was doing the whole Instagram Live thing but honestly, it’s wasn’t quite working in the way I had I hoped. As much as I thought it would feel like a “hang-out” it didn’t and started giving me unnecessary stress. The purpose of the “club" should really be a reason to gather your friends together and enjoy their company. Now, that might include the baking process, however I think the real gift of this club is in the eating.

So, with it now officially being the start of Spring, I thought there’s no better time to plant some seeds of intention. My goal now is to provide you with a baking recipe on every full moon so that you can call-up your crew, invite them over, and offer them something wholesome and handmade. The fun comes from the togetherness and homemade goodies makes those moments all the better.

When I started baking bread, it was an impulsive New Year’s Eve resolution. I was inspired by reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbra Kingsolver. It’s mostly an account of her family’s attempt to live off the land. There were lots of homestead-y stories throughout but what stuck with me was that her husband had a weekend ritual of baking bread. It was a subtle reference but by the end of the book, I was ready to pursue bread making. I had zero prior experience. At the time, cooking wasn’t even on my radar. I just remember being moved by the idea and the perceived notion of it’s simplicity. Baking bread, from scratch, at home…

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
By Barbara Kingsolver

To great surprise, it was easy! My first few loaves where meh… Some were dense. Others were dry. But shortly after I started my pursuits of bread making, things kinda clicked. It didn’t take long to realize that to make bread you just need a basic formula. There are endless bread recipes out there but at their core they are mostly the same. So this month, I’m skipping all the fancy and giving you this basic bread recipe.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups flour (extra for dusting your surface and as necessary)
  • 2 tsp. active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water

Directions

  1. Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Add in the warm water.
  3. Mix to combine so a dough begings to form.
  4. Form it into a rough ball and then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
  5. Gather the dough together and knead it for 10 minutes(maybe more) until the dough is smooth and pliable and all the ingredients are well incorporated.
  6. Shape it into a round ball and place it into a large oiled or greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth to rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
  7. After the first rise, knead the dough again on a lightly floured surface for 5 or 10 more minutes adding flour if necessary to keep from sticking.
  8. Then shape the dough to suit your loaf pan.
  9. Oil or grease the loaf pan and lay the dough in it, cover it, and let it rest for another hour or until it doubles in size.
  10. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  11. Score the top of your loaf with a few slits or markings.
  12. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 185 degrees F.
  13. When finished, carefully remove the bread from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Now here’s the thing when baking bread at home. You need to decide your cooking vessel. You can bake bread on the simplicity of a baking sheet if you don’t have a loaf pan. However, a loaf pan in nice because as the dough rises during the second rise, it rises up. This makes for that traditional sandwich bread shape, instead of out which tends to happen when using a baking sheet. Both methods work so don’t get hung-up on having the right equipment. Just start getting into a habit of making your own bread and you’ll discover the things you want to enhance your hobby.

One investment when you’re ready, is a dutch oven. It’s easily used for all kinds of cooking endeavors and also makes fantastic bread! Dutch oven bread baking helps to trap moisture during the baking process which lends itself to the most amazing crust. If you already have one, you are in luck! Follow the above recipe through Step 7 then skip to the steps below.

Lodge 5 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven. Pre-Seasoned Pot with Lid and Dual Loop Handle
Lodge

Dutch Oven Bread Baking

Follow the above recipe through Step 7 then...

  1. Shape the dough into a round shape and place on a piece of parchment paper and set it into a pie pan.
  2. Cover and let rest for an hour or until doubled in size.
  3. Preheat your oven with the dutch oven inside to 450 degrees F.
  4. When it's up to tempurature, carefully remove the dutch oven and set the lid to the side.
  5. Score your dough and then carefully lift the dough by the parchment paper and transfer the whole thing into the hot dutch oven.
  6. Secure the lid and place it in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
  7. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and lower the temperature to 415 degrees F and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes or the internal tempurature reached 185 degrees F.
  8. When finished cooking, remove the bread from the dutch oven and cool on a wire rack.

So that’s your basic bread recipe. You just need flour, yeast, and salt. Yeast tends to be an ingredient that holds wannabe bakers back, so just seek some out and keep it in the fridge. Once you have the basics of bread baking down you soon realize that pizza on a whim are possible and so much more.

Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast,0.25 Ounce, 3 Count (Pack of 2)
Fleischmann's

Go forth and bake! And have fun sharing it with friends cause, sharing is caring!

Happy Full Moon and Spring Equinox! I’ll be back next month with a seed bread of some kind Seeds seem very springs. If you have any seed suggestions let me know. I’m going to be searching all the seedy-bread inspiration in preparation. Let me know if you have any favorites.


How to Feed a Senior is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program. If you choose to purchase items after clicking on the links above, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

March 20, 2019 /Ashley Look
how to feed a senior, Full Moon Baking Club, Basic Bread Recipe, Dutch Oven, March 2019, Full Moon, Spring Equinox, Vernal Equinox, breaking bread, community gathering, wholesome, homemade bread, scratch, seeds, loaf, Flour, salt, yeast, active dry yeast
Full Moon Baking Club, Recipes
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