2017 miles Day 87

It's a rainy March Tuesday morning.  I'm starting my day with a hot cup of coffee, some Me time, and planning my day.  One thing on my list is baking some bread, which I usually do about once a week. We are wheat farmers and several years ago I started milling my own flour.  I started with a hand mill, but the 20 min of hand cranking was just a bit much, so I purchased an electric Nutrimill stone miller and have been very pleased with the results.  There is nothing tastier than fresh out-of-the-oven bread especially if it is made with the goodness of whole grain, home-milled flour.

One of the many benefits of baking your own is you know exactly what is in it.  My recipe includes whole grain flour (the wheat berries are grown in our field so we know that it has not be sprayed with pesticides), yeast, butter, honey, yogurt (I culture my own), and water.  Nothing else.  We did an eye-opening experiment when I was teaching biology.  We took some fresh out-of -the-bag bread of various brands and a piece of fresh homemade bread.  Placed them in the open air for a couple of hours, then sealed them in plastic baggies.  The first to mold, of course, was the homemade bread (about a week).  Most of the store bought breads never did mold even after several weeks.  My students learned the power of preservatives and were quick to conclude that maybe a diet full of these preservatives weren't that good for a body - "hey if even mold won't eat it, should I"?

The baking of bread is fundamental to our human existence.

I could go on and on about the historical significance of bread baking and civilization.
I could go on and on about the symbolism found in a simple loaf of bread.
I could go on and on about the health benefits of eating bread

I could go on and on, ...........  but I won't.  I'll leave that up to you to discover.

Enjoy your day...................Now Get Out There - You have work to do!!!

Addendum:  Today is an indoor treadmill day.  I have a 10 miler scheduled.  I would consider running in the rain, but think I'll pass on that one.  The temp is bordering on freezing.