The Gourmellows

This is a slightly modified version of my original whole wheat bread with oats. Should I say veganized, not that is hard to do, most breads I know (rustic italian etc.) are already quasi Vegan.
Anyway, I have not baked bread for a while and decided to make some last week, I was out of rolled oats so I just left them out and follow the recipe as normal. The result was a tender, savory, wholesome bread, that is perfect for sandwiches ( like the chickpea burger and fresh lattuce I just had for lunch!).

Whole Wheat bread

3 1/4 tsp of active yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup of warm water (lukewarm)

Mix together and let it sit for 5 minutes or until had "bloomed" and the yeast mixture has risen and its bubbly.

Meanwhile mix:

1 cup or rolled oats (you can leave them out or grind them very fine)
2 Tbsp dry soy milk (available in health stores)
2 Tbsp malt powder
1 Tbsp sea salt
1/2 cup of canola oil
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
3/4 cup of warm water
4 Tbsp of vital gluten flour (if you use regular flour, otherwhise you can skip the vital gluten if using bread flour, in any case it gives the bread a nice consistency, 1 Tbsp per cup of flour)
Add;
2 cups of unbleached white flour
2 cups of whole wheat flour

Mix well, kneed couple of times until smooth.
Place in a well oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or place the bowl in a plastic bag (I use the produce bags I save from the grocery store, it creates a nice proofing chamber).
Let it rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours.
Grease with some canola oil a loaf pan.
Oven 350F
Place the dough on the counter and give it a loaf shape, I usually just roll it on itself and place it in the pan. Cover again with the plastic or the bag method, let rise until has formed a nice dome and filled all the pan. With a very sharp knife or oiled scissors make few cuts on the surface, I make mine diagonally, about 5 or 6. Brush with a little bit of soy milk or other non dairy milk (Almond and soy are what I use the most).
Let it rest 10 minutes then bake in the oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes, but it depends on the type of oven you are using.
Let it cool on a grate, make sure is fully cooled before ctting or placing into a bag or container.
Enjoy :-)

I am here laying on the grass, enjoying a gorgeous day in the sun. I am warm and comfortable, I feel one with the nature surrounding me. It's been awhile since I haven't done that, makes me feel whole and at peace with everything around me. The feelings I have hidden for so long are finally back, it isn't always a good thing, as sometimes they make me vulnerable and very sensitive "but I'd rather feel pain that nothing at all".
Living accordingly to ones believes isn't always feasible or easy, but it sure makes me feel like I belong, like I care and I am not here just for the ride, I am making it happen.
The joy I have finally found inside is of the type that fills the Universe, is the one that tells me this is who I am, and I am liking it, a lot.

These past few weeks have been I would say, different. Different in a way I have not been in a while. I missed many things in these past six years, life just slipt away. Busy, raising a family and trying to find my place in this world. I lost focus on what my life was all about, at least what I think it should be.
I forgot to remember that life its a journey and not a destination, like everything else. I focused on things that are not important or not focus at all. I lost precious time, I will never get that back, but I can learn from it.
Losing yourself in the clutter of this world is easy, especially western civilizations.
I need to go back to the basics, I crave simplicity right now, like a healing path, to restore the unbalanced way of life I have followed for so long. I am not willing to do that anymore. I want to live the way I am supposed to, or feel to. We have no excuses to waste our lives if we dont want to. And I dont want anymore. I want my life connected to something higher, something that is worthwhile the efforts, connected to the source.
I want to be aware, I dont want to be blind anymore. I want to feel the nature around me again.
I have forgot how to listen, to see, to smell, to breath in.
Those true colors around me, sometimes it felt like I was living through someone else's eyes, scary.
I want to slow down and take the time to enjoy the fly of a butterfly or the laugh of my children, give them all my attention, and love, without feeling rushed, no pressure, I want them to feel that as well. I want to learn how to sit in stilness, somehow so hard for me to accomplish, learn how to listen to my own heart beat and syncronize my life around that.
I think every human being is reborn every few years.
I am new here today, I am still learning.