Wild Rice Bread

 

Even when I don't seem to have time to really cook anything amazing, there always seems to be enough time to bake. Baking is therapeutic to me and I can do it without even thinking about it anymore. It just seems to fit in to your schedule if you allow it to.

For example, I really needed to get this bread made today but had a million other things to do as well. So I get the dough going and then I clean up the kitchen and clean the house during the first rise. Form it in to loaves and then mow the front lawn while it raises. Run inside, throw it in the oven and then finish the back lawn. Take it out of the oven, place it on the racks and let it cool while we run out to the store to finish our kitchen remodel plans.

German Pancakes

This is one of the first recipes that I ever made consistently as a kid. I remember I had the recipe written on a small note card and I would even take it with me when I stayed over at a friends house so that I could make it there. I'd be the star of the show even at 8 or 9 years old.

The ingredients are so simple but combine them and bake and an amazing transformation takes place. The batter rises up out of the pan at each corner creating gigantic crusty crests and then tender dense bread in the center of the pan. It's impressive as you pull it out of the oven but you've got to act fast, it quickly deflates in just a few minutes.