Making Bread the Natural Way
Table of Contents
By Dr. Michelle Jorgensen
Come on a journey with me to learn how to make bread the natural way!
Let’s get started!
Are you a "Bread Lover"??
I believe there are people that are “bread-lovers” and people that aren’t.
I am actually not in the “bread-loving” group.
Now that’s not to say I don’t like bread, don’t enjoy making bread, or don’t cook it often for my family, but it’s not the first thing I consider when thinking about a meal (you’ll learn a possible reason below).
I do, however, come from a long line of bread lovers and bread makers.
My maternal grandmother made bread, by hand, until the week she died.
Her bread was the stuff of legends – white, airy, toasted up beautifully and perfectly baked. She made loaves each week for her family of 11 and it truly was a staple of their diet.
My mother has continued this bread making tradition, veering into whole wheat bread while I was growing up, but now standing proudly in the delicious white bread camp.
My father-in-law says the left hand is for bread while eating. He says his left hand doesn’t know what to do if it doesn’t have a piece of bread in it during a meal…
My Story (And My Daughter's)
And then you have me.
Like I said, I’m not necessarily a bread lover, but I realize the value in grains – both in filling the belly, rounding out a meal, and providing nutrients.
I also love to study nutrition!
And I found myself questioning the value of that delicious white bread I grew up on. So I started experimenting with whole wheat.
Around this same time, my young daughter started complaining about stomach aches and issues.
We took her to doctors for testing and found she was gluten intolerant. This was right at the beginning of the gluten-free era, and I was annoyed!
I was amazed at the scores of people claiming gluten sensitivities, and thought it was just another fad the food system was capitalizing on.
Now my daughter was in that group…
It is too hard to cook one way for one member of the family and another way for the rest, so I started cooking gluten free meals for all of us.
And what do you know, I felt better than I had in 20 years.
And I was mad about it!
I didn’t want to have a gluten sensitivity.
I tested back and forth and realized the eye problem I had been suffering with for years was 100% related to gluten (or yeast or both).
How could that be??
Again, a personal problem sent me on a journey to learn. And what I have learned is bigger than my digestive problems, bigger than the gluten free food industry, and something we all need to take a little time to understand.
Making Bread the Natural Way
I’ve changed the way I make bread and how I handle grains in general, and it has changed my health and my life.
Those are big claims from a little loaf of bread… but it’s true!
I have been on my own journey to learn how to make bread the natural way!
I have read dozens of books on gluten, grains, bread starter, fermentation, and techniques for making bread.
I have also traveled to places like Switzerland, Israel, and Peru, and I’ve seen how bread is made there.
From all of these sources, I’ve gleaned all the information I could and compiled it into my own methods and philosophies on making bread.
These methods and philosophies have been tested numerous times in my own home on the taste buds and stomachs of my family… and the results have been fantastic!
Like I said, I’m not a bread lover, but you might think I am if you saw how many loafs of bread, pancakes, and pastries we make each week in my home. I’ve included a recipe that we make often in another blog called “Sourdough Naan”.
And you know the best part??
I don’t display any of the symptoms of a gluten sensitivity that I did before, and neither does my daughter!
How to Make Bread the Natural Way
I want you to learn these things also!
That is why I wrote an eBook about how to make bread!
In addition to the eBook, I’ve also filmed several instructional videos!
In the videos I will be demonstrating the exact things I teach in the book so you can easily implement these things in your own kitchen.
In this eBook and these videos I cover the following topics.
- Grains and their history
- Gluten intolerance
- Why making bread the natural way helps
- Fermentation
- How to obtain, maintain, and use a starter
- What ingredients I use in my breads
- Techniques on how to make bread like kneading, folding, cooking, what pan to use, and how to prepare the grains
I’ve also included over a dozen recipes that I use constantly in my home and that my family loves!
So check out this EBook and come join me in learning how to make bread the natural way!
After reading the EBook let me know about any further questions you could have!
Table of Contents
I hope you enjoyed this blog! Go check out the video here, and you can buy the EBook here.
Also, go look at my recipe for Sourdough Naan here!
Good luck and stay safe and healthy!
Dr. Michelle Jorgensen
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