Multigrain bread

Some time ago I had a bread-baking binge I showcased on Twitter and there was one lovely bread lots of people inquired about recipe of. So here is the recipe:



Multigrain Bread

1 cup warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp yeast
2 generous tbsp rolled oats
2 generous tbsp graham flour
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp linseeds
1 tsp salt
Enough white/all purpose flour to form soft dough (start with 3 generous tbsp and then add in smaller increments while kneading the dough)

Knead for approx. 10 minutes, intermittently flouring lightly your hands and kitchen surface until the dough is soft, elastic and does not stick anymore to hands or kneading surface. Leave to rise in a warm space covered with cloth for about an hour and then knead it back down for a minute and place in a prepared greased tin. Score with sharp knife across the top for decoration.

Leave to rise a second time for about half an hour.

Preheat oven to 200° Centigrade and put small ovenproof dish filled with water in bottom of the oven. Brush bread with water. Put bread into the oven and bake for 10 minutes on 200° C, and then turn down to 180° C and start oven fan (or leave on 200 if not using fan).

Bake for 15 more minutes until golden. Bread should sound hollow when tapped on bottom, and smell toasty with just a hint of moisture.

I make this when I'm in the mood for some late night confort food and when I'd like cool rustic slice of rich bread for my breakfast or brunch tomorrow morning.

Bon appetit!

State of the Nation - Summer 2013

So I took a month off from blogging.

I was just too exhausted to do it for a while.

Somewhere at the end of March I broke off a five year long relationship with a guy I love. It would be a lie to say that things were too complicated as they weren’t to my opinion, but we just weren’t making the common ground to thread upon while negotiating our lives. As I’m a firm believer that you cannot force these things but only facilitate and stay open-minded and the other part inevitably relies on chance and the other person’s efforts I did the only thing left for me to do - and that is get on with my life. Still hoping, yes, but not holding my breath.

And life was wondrously rewarding as ever.

In April I, rather assertively, fought for a promotion. I assumed it would be a crown of my career efforts so far to get it and you already know I love my job (in Clinical Trials field) dearly.

From May 1^st I started working on my new job and I love the sense of success it gives me. It is dynamic, demanding, complicated and - worst of all! - it involves working with people day in and day out. As my dealings with people are always inseparable mixture of awe and disgust exhaustion is normal effect of the job. But, this is what I fought for and this is what I got - and I love my new job even more than I loved the old one.

In June we - my daughter and I - have celebrated one year anniversary of living in our new home! I still cannot believe how great this is and I’m immensely thankful that life is going so well and that I’m surrounded with wonderful people who I can rely on for assistance. If you feel like reminding yourself (as I did) on what is home you can re-read my What is Home series here.

July went by quick and in the sign of dance lessons I signed for to get myself to leave my comfort zone. Those were great 10 1,5 hour sessions covering standard and Latin-American dances at Vrbani, in Jungle dancing school. It was a small group (12ish people) and we got to be real dancers by the end. I’m looking forward to attending advanced group this fall.

By beginning of August I was completely ready for a yearly re-boot and I was happy I arranged for a 15-day vacation in Maslenica. I loved it there; weather was great, we had great company but we still got to have our private time too, shops are a-plenty and prices reasonable and I loved the atmosphere of family and trust in Maslenica. Children can play there and everyone watches after the children, it’s not too crowded and sea is wonderfully calm and welcoming. I swam for more than an hour every day and we played and jumped from the piers and took long walks and saw children festival (Dite Jasenicko) and drove to Vir and to Nin and to Zadar and barbecued and entertained guests for lunch and had late-night-shindigs over good food and excellent beer.

So I’m here now, rejuvenated. I’ll try to blog more.