Garden of Life

Yesterday I was sitting and enjoying the sun in my garden and I started to contemplate life. I was thinking how the people in my life are like the different plants.

Some people are weeds, they spring up everywhere, choking the life out of everything around them, even though some have pretty flowers. There are beautiful plants, like my roses that need pruning and feeding constantly and hardy fruit trees that give the most divine plums every year. I even have an air-plant that asks for nothing, except a place to hang!

I don't know what kind of plant I am in the garden of life, I would like to be an apple tree with big red apples that gives lots of pleasure. I've been told recently I am thorny rose bush, where the flowers look beautiful but when you get close the thorns are clearly visible and a great disappointment!

I am a work in process, just like my bread baking - constantly trying to improve. Taking the basics and adding something, taking advice and criticism (and oh how I love that!) and then coming through at the end with something that is not bad at all and might even be good for you!

This whole-wheat bread I baked to take with to lunch with my oldest friend, Carol. She is an established oak tree in my life. She offers me shade when it's hot and never needs watering or pruning, (I say this with shame). Basically she is someone you can always count on to be there, no matter what - never judging or throwing things back in my face, even when I'm being a total thorn (pun intended)!

Friendship Seeded Whole-wheat Bread (My own creation)
Makes 2 Loaves

4 Cups (600g) Brown Bread Flour
8 Cups (1.2kg) Nutty Wheat Flour
15ml Salt
45ml Honey
20g Dry Active Yeast
± 4 Cups (1 Litre) Warm Water
½ Cup Oat Bran
½ Cup Crushed wheat
½ Cup Linseeds
½ Cup Sunflower Seeds
½ Cup Pumpkin Seeds
15ml Sesame Seeds

Mix together dry ingredients.
Add the liquid until all the flour is taken up.
Knead for about 10 minutes - this is where you really want a machine with a dough hook.
Leave in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until dough is double in bulk.
Knead again, halve and shape into 2 loaves.
Place in well oiled loaf tins, cover and leave in a warm place until mixture rises up again.
Glaze with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake in a pre-heated hot oven (220°C) for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to moderate (180°C) and cook for a further 30 -40 minutes, until it sounds hollow when you tap it.
Enjoy hot with lots of butter and cheese!