Travelling bread

Delicious and durable 

Food is so intertwined with travel that it's hard to think of one without the other. Even if we don't travel, our food does. It's been estimated that the ingredients in an average American meal have traveled 1500 miles from farm to plate (http://www.worldwatch.org/globetrotting-food-will-travel-farther-ever-thanksgiving). 

Average distance from farm to an American dinner plate

Fortunately, some of my favourite travel destinations are places that have excellent local food. In Italy, I can eat locally while enjoying some of the best food in the world. However, I still have some food-related challenges even when my destination has great local cuisine. My problem always seems to start within a day of departure regardless of whether I'm driving or flying and usually has to do with missing my homemade bread or cereal - things that can't be found away from home. Italy is famous for their food but not for their healthy or filling breakfasts. My solution is to travel with food and that's where this bread comes in.

If I have the time to plan ahead, one of my favourite travelling breads is a heavy, grainy, healthy loaf like this one. It's loaded with nuts, fruit, veggies and flavour. Much of its flavour and dark colour comes from ground cinnamon which you'll want to buy in bulk if possible. If this loaf is sliced and dried, it will keep for weeks. It's heavy enough to make a good breakfast and if thinly sliced and dried to a crisp, even satisfies the munchies.

I like making bread with a long, slow ferment but this recipe can be speeded up by starting with warm water and using up to a full packet of instant yeast.

With walnuts, raisins, apples, flax seed and carrots, this bread is almost a balanced meal. 

Two loaves or two large flats of fermented travelling bread

3 cups water
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 cups grated carrots, microwaved until steamed
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup flax seed
2 cups grated apples
2 cups chopped walnuts
1/3 cup cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
Unbleached flour as needed, approximately 6 cups

On the first day, add 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast and the whole wheat flour to cool water and mix. Cover and let sit overnight.

On day two, add all the other ingredients except the salt and unbleached flour. Cover and let sit overnight.

On day three, add the salt and start blending in the unbleached flour until the dough can be turned out. Keep dusting the outside of the dough and the work surface while kneading until most of the stickiness is gone. Cover and let sit at room temperature for about two hours. This dough will not double in bulk.


Divide dough in two. For loaves, roll them out into two log shapes, place them on a flour or cornmeal dusted sheet and bake at 500 F for 30 minutes or until interior reads about 85 C with an instant read thermometer. For flatbreads, roll one of them out to a little smaller size than your large cookie sheet, transfer it to the dusted sheet, and tease it out to full size. Optionally, brush top with yogurt or egg yolk and sprinkle with seeds (e.g. sesame, sunflower) and/or coarse salt. Bake at 500 F for 7-8 minutes or until it looks done.  Repeat with other half of dough.