Healthy Low GI Bread

Last month in the middle of the South African winter, I was asked to make sandwiches for our home cell/Bible study group. We always met at our home so I decided, instead of the standard sandwiches, I would make a huge pot of vegetable soup. I’d also come across a new bread recipe in a food magazine which is available at our large chain supermarket, Pick and Pay.

This easy, quick-mix yeast bread requires no kneading and turned out to be the most delicious Low GI bread I’d ever eaten. (I’d never baked one, so I was thrilled with the results)

If you’d like my vegetable soup recipe, click here.

The bread turned out beautifully and tasted divine

Low GI Bread Fresh Living PnP Magazine July 2009

3/4 cup (187ml) sunflower seeds
1 cup (200g) crusted wheat (plus extra tbs for garnish)
3 cups (420g) whole-wheat flour
1 cup (120g) white bread flour
1 ½ tsp (7g) salt
1 x 10g packet instant yeast
1 cup (42g) All-bran flakes (e.g. Kellogg’s)
2 tbs (30ml) milk
3 tbs (45ml) molasses or honey
1 tbs (15ml) olive oil
1 tbs (15ml) lemon juice
2 ¼ - 2 ½ cups (560ml – 625ml) lukewarm water

Toast sunflower seeds in dry, hot, non-stick pan until golden(Set aside ¼ cup (60ml) for garnishing)
Sift together flours, yeast, salt, All Bran flakes and yeast.
Mix seeds with molasses/honey, oil, milk and lemon juice
Add water and stir well
Add to dry ingredients and mix well
Pour dough into loaf pan of your choice; (I used 28 x 10 ½ x 9 ½)
Sprinkle top with reserved seeds and crushed wheat
Leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 200°C and bake for 45 minutes
Remove loaf from tin and bake on rack for 10 minutes. (For a crisp bottom crust)

Makes 7 mini loaves, 3 round, or 1 large loaf

Dimensions of alternative tins:
Round tin: 12 ½ x 4 ½
Mini loaf tins: 11 x 6 ½ cm
Note: Quick tips for baking bread:
Hot humid air gives the best baking results. Place a small metal dish of hot water in the oven while the bread is baking. Using a spray bottle, spray a fine mist of water into the oven 2 - 3 times.

My Awesome God

The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those who are fully committed to Him 2 Chronicles 19:9a

With my hubby’s unexpected trip down south and the fact that it's happened while I 'm completely alone in the city, got me thinking about several things that took place during the time leading up to his departure.

Firstly on Friday, the gas bottle for the stove ran empty. My husband had a full bottle under the stairs and within a few minutes had brought it up to the kitchen, exchanged the old one for new and my cooking could continue.

The next day, I felt the heat in the lounge- cum-home office increasing steadily. When hubby came home from work, I asked him to check if the air conditioner was working. Our antiquated air-cooling systems are wall mounted units which you can read about here. Sure enough when he checked, he found that the fan belt had broken and no cold air was being emitted. He popped down to the storeroom in the yard where he keeps all sorts of spares and returned with a new fan belt. He quickly took off the covers, removed the broken part and replaced it with the new one, and our air-cooling system was up and running again.

On Sunday evening he stepped into the shower, turned on the tap and ... no water. He dressed again, went down into the courtyard where we have a pressure pump which pumps water up to our flat on the first floor. He did something there and within half an hour we had water in the flat again.

I’m not a DIY lady at all and don’t ever aspire to be. LOL! Yet God in all His wisdom knew that my husband would be out of town so all the problems occurred while I still had my incredibly capable man at home.

Praise the Lord!

Note: An update on the power situation/absentee night watchman: The latter has still not come home and the power is still on. What an awesome God we serve. Amen!

Grass Widowed Again!

Saying goodbye at 4.30 yesterday morning

Recently my husband has been negotiating with a large concern to commission their vehicles down in the south. We thought he’d be flying out by the end of this week. On Sunday he met the management again, who wanted him and a technician to fly down on Monday morning.

He came home quite late that day and we had to go back into to the city to exchange money. When we’d done that we rushed into the supermarket, which looked as though it was about to close. We sped about throwing items into a basket. This is not an economical way to shop, especially not in this part of the world where everything is already so expensive.

At the same time, my husband was trying to find someone to drive him and the technician to the airport and bring take his vehicle back to the workshop. (I’m not yet au fait with the traffic; at this stage, I’d have to have a tranquiliser to be able to venture into it and that would make things worse. Just joking! ) At 7.30pm the company accountant phoned him and said he’d found a driver. Problem solved.

We set the alarm for 3.45am on Monday and tried to have an early night. Hubby was worried though, because he’d be leaving me alone in this huge, strange city with not a soul to look out for me. The General Manager, Admin (owner of the budgies we’re bird-sitting) and who lives in the flat below ours, is away in the USA. The night watchman, who would be available to help me with anything and who starts the generator when the power fails - which is normally twice a day, every day - is away across town at the hospital. His wife had a baby on Saturday and he said he’d be back here within two days. Now that could mean anything up to two weeks in “Africa time". All these things kept us awake for quite a while.

However, when the alarm woke us, we were both ready to get up. My husband had packed his bag, dressed and had a breakfast of cereal and fruit. Just before he left, we broke bread and prayed together for his and the technician's safety. They were venturing into an area where there has been unrest and war for many months; we also prayed for my wellbeing here at home.

The men arrived at their destination at 6 last night. They had a very long wait at one point and eventually caught their connecting flight.

As for me here at home,every morning I ask God to keep the power on for the day and every night I thank Him for doing so. His power is far greater than the Sudanese Electricity Board.

Amen!

For more posts around the world, click here.