Nutty Sunflower Loaf

In my ever-growing desire to meet more bloggers I’ve been on a mission – making a concerted effort to “click” on a blog whose name grabs my interest, a comment on one of your blogs catches my attention, or while searching for a particular recipe I stumble on a great blog.  One of the perks of blogging is meeting like-minded folks who share your interests.  I thoroughly enjoy reading other food blogs but also get a kick out of reading blogs that are not about only food.  For instance Karen at Back Road Journal offers great food and recipes but what I really enjoy are her travels.  I admit, it’s painful sometimes to see the glorious places where she’s spending her time but she seems like such a lovely person I cannot hold a grudge.  You can ride along as she  is currently traveling through Germany here.

Cecilia at The Kitchen’s Garden is delightful sharing her farm family with us.  Her collection of dogs, cats, pigs, peacocks, cows, bees and more offer up plenty to write about and she delivers.  I think of her as a girl Dr. Doolittle and would love to visit, milk a cow and then sip coffee at her table.

Clotilda Jamcracker– I’ll let you form your own opinion.  She’s a mess and even touts herself as a crazy lady, but she makes me laugh.  I can’t read her musings on a daily basis because it kind of hypes me up but sometimes the laugh is well worth the read.  She’s a hoot and I’m not always sure exactly where she’s coming from but there lies the humor.

At Hover Craft Doggy the photos are unusual and interesting.  Two aspiring architects and a bucketload of eye candy here,  features art, architecture, design and photography.

Crazy Train To Tinky Town is one woman’s adventures in Turkey and in her own country – U.K.  She’s funny, adventurous and makes for a good escape on a lazy day.  You can read her musings here.

Bunny. Eats. Design.   A blog by Genie who resides in New Zealand is a great site to visit, especially if you happen to like rabbits.  This girl loves her rabbit Tofu in addition to all types of rabbits.  She’s posted some delightful photos of rabbits real and not, as well as food related posts that are beyond interesting.

So there you have it a few of the blogs I read for pleasure.  Make my day and share a favorite of yours with me in the comments section below the recipe.

Enjoy!

Nutty Sunflower Loaf

For now I”ll move on to the blog where I found inspiration on a grey, drab day in October.  At the Complete Cook Book, Mandy, a resident of South Africa made this healthy loaf of whole wheat bread with sunflower seeds.  I thought this might bring a bit of sunshine to an otherwise dreary day.  After reading her recipe I decide adding honey in addition to the sugar was a good plan.  This bread is tasty, satisfying and you can’t help but feel healthy and sunny. It just tastes that way!

Enjoy!
Nutty Sunflower Loaf
adapted from The Complete Cook Book

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp instant yeast
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp oil
1 cup warm water
¼ cup sunflower seeds

Method
Before you start; toast the sunflower seeds  a bit – they will provide a crunchy, flavorful addition to this bread.

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add the oil, water and seeds and mix to combine.  The mixture will still be quite sticky.
3. Place the dough on a floured surface and gently knead for 5 minutes.  You may need to add a little more flour over the top of the dough to prevent it sticking to your fingers.
4. Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a cloth and set aside in a warm spot until the dough is double in size.  About 1 – 1 1/2 hours.
5. Softly knead the mixture on a lightly floured surface and then place in a prepared bread tin.  Sprinkle a few more sunflower seeds over the top of the loaf and lightly press down to stick to the dough.
6. Allow the dough to rest and fill the tin.  About 45 minutes
7. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
8. Bake the bread for 20 to 25 minutes until baked through and lightly browned.