The coronavirus has changed travel plans, big events and now we are being asked to just stay home. What are you doing to fill your time? I am baking. I know, I know. Did your mind immediately go to the above result?

Ok– Read on–bread doesn’t have to pack on the pounds!

My quest started 4 years ago when I read this article in the Wall Street Journal. This article talked about how much our digestive systems loves sourdough bread from whole milled grains. That means grinding the wheat and cooking it right away. Author Michael Pollan showcases one of these bakeries in Cooked, a food series on Netflix. I even contacted, at the time, one of these bakeries and had them ship me bread. It was delicious, but not a long term practical solution at 10.00 a loaf.

Two things happened in January to further my quest. I heard the Food Nanny on Instagram speak. She showed the group of us organic Kamut flour, “an ancient grain” so I bought the flour. Ancient grains are those that have not been cross-bred and genetically modified. They call Kamut “Pharoah’s wheat”.

The second thing that happened is I watched wide-eyed as my sister-in-law Jeannie made artisan bread with white flour, with a special pot. It was so delicious! The recipe stymied me though. It was a 12 hour recipe. If I made it at 7:00 am, would I feel like eating it at 8:00 pm, by the time it had baked?

I tried the book “Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day” but with the Kamut flour, it didn’t turn out at all.

I found a 75.00 used Le Crueset pot on eBay. New they are 250.00. It sat for six weeks. I had the will, the pot, the flour but not the recipe.

This week, I finally found this one which promised “3 hour no knead artisan bread.” Last Friday morning at 7:30 I stirred the water, flour and yeast. I added extra water (up to an extra cup, but add slowly) with the Kamut flour, because it is thirstier, until it looked like the video. I also added a tablespoon of oil because I have learned bread always does better with a little oil. By 1:00 pm, we were feasting on the most beautiful bread you have ever seen.

Craig’s brother called as we were literally licking jam off of our fingers, and said his daughter’s family had eaten all of their food storage because they were moving. The move is now being delayed because of the coronavirus, and they went to six stores and couldn’t find a loaf of bread.

You don’t need a special pan or flour to make delicious homemade bread with white flour. It will be vastly superior to anything bought in a store. Here is a good whole wheat recipe which promises a more nutritional loaf. I like Kamut flour because it is high in protein, at 6 grams per quarter cup. In this 3 cup loaf that is 72 grams of protein! See the other crazy nutritional benefits here. At $39.99 for a 25 lb bag, it cost me a $1.42, plus the cost of a 1/4 t. of yeast, and a tablespoon of oil, per loaf.

On Friday after eating 3 pieces each for lunch my husband and I weren’t hungry all afternoon. At 7 pm Craig said, “Did we miss dinner?” It’s all that protein! With leftover dough I had refrigerated, on Sunday night we made pizza.

The stars aligned. I am happy. Baking bread is helping me to feel proactive and stretching our food supply. The Word of Wisdom says,

“All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life”,

The staff of life…

and we are promised in D&C 89:

18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, ^ashall receive ^bhealth in their navel and marrow to their bones;

19 And shall ^afind ^bwisdom and great ^ctreasures of ^dknowledge, even hidden treasures;

20 And shall ^arun and not be ^bweary, and shall walk and not faint.

21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the ^adestroying angel shall ^bpass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.