Cycling, Summer Snow & Silky Tofu Whole Wheat Bread

Soon after the winter snow and ice has melted, the Finnish landscape is again covered in white. The trees, bushes and landscape are covered in white flowers. It is just as beautiful as the winter snow, but the days are warmer and sunny.

When you are cycling or hiking outdoors and the wind is blowing, the white petals fall like snow around you.

The Finns are a cycling nation. I do believe that every Finn and his dog owns a bicycle. As soon as the ice has melted, they all unpack their bikes and go whizzing around everywhere. They commute by bicycle, drop the kids at school, go shopping or just go riding for sheer fun and enjoyment.

This whole country is criss-crossed by hiking/cycling/skiing trails. You can go almost everywhere on two wheels and you need not ever sit in traffic. Good for your mental and physical health. So, if you like being out there on two wheels, this isn’t a bad place to live.

It seems that not all bicycles get treated with respect or TLC. I spotted this old abandoned bike next to a creek near home last week.

To complement my theme of white for the week, I baked a whole wheat loaf that contains silky soft tofu. The recipe is from Australian, John Downes’ book called the Natural Tucker Bread Book. John bakes rustic bread loaves using only organic products and explains in the book that bakers used to add cream to wholemeal bread because it added richness to the flavour. This is a more heart friendly recipe.

Tofu Wheat Bread

500 gm Wholemeal Flour (I used a light whole wheat flour)
15 gm Salt
15 gm Dry Yeast
150 gm Soft Tofu – pureed or mash finely with a fork
1 Cup Lukewarm Water

• Dissolve the yeast in ½ Cup of warm water and stand for a few minutes till frothy.
• Mix the salt & flour
• Mix the tofu with the rest of the water.
• Mix the wet ingredients with the dry and knead a few minutes.
• The dough should be smooth and pliable.
• Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise for approximately 2 hours, till doubled in size.
• Re-knead the dough lightly and form a loaf.
• Place in an oiled loaf tin and again cover it with a damp cloth.
• Let it double in size again – approximately for 1 hour. (My dough was a bit soft and spread out rather than up)
• Preheat the oven to 200 C.
• Slash and paint with egg wash or water.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for 35 – 45 minutes.
• You can turn it out and place it upside down in the oven for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Cool or eat warm.

I love warm bread with butter, so my loaves never cool down before I start slicing and eating.