Bread (not gluten or yeast free)

I adapted this one from an Allrecipes recipe for Amish White Bread. It makes a nice sandwich bread or a great side. The crust is crunchy while the inside soft and slightly chewy. Enjoy my friends.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

• ⅔ cup raw unfiltered local honey

• 1 ½ tablespoon active dry yeast

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt

• ¼ cup natural applesauce ( you can make your own fresh but blend until extra smooth)

• 6 cups bread flour ( I have used all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, both work well)

Prep and Cook:

• Step 1

  In a large bowl, dissolve the honey in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.

• Step 2

  Mix salt and applesauce into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well-oiled (I use Kerrygold Butter and powder with whichever flour I use to make the bread) bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow rising until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

• Step 3

  Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 1 hour, or until the dough has risen 1 inch above pans.

• Step 4

  Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

• I would recommend allowing the bread to cool for about 30 minutes. Bread should be kept dry and cool.

Herbal Review: Ginger

Holistic medicine- dates to the dawn of the modern man. Medicinal herbal medicine is embedded in nearly every society so deeply that some plant origins can be traced back to the migration of man. Ginger, (Zingiber offinale. Zingberceae) is an herb native to Southeastern Asia, can now be found in China, India, Nigeria, Australia, Jamaica, and Haiti as well (Food as medicine, 2015). The exact origin of ginger is unknown however the medicinal uses of ginger can be traced back to Ancient Greek and Roman text, Sanskrit, Chinese, and Arabic text.  Both the Chinese and Indians have used ginger for medicinal purposes for more than 5,000 years (Food as medicine, 2015) and today ginger is found in the pharmacopoeias of Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Egypt, and Switzerland ("Herbal Medicine: Expanded," 2019). The primary constituents of ginger may vary depending on the place of origin and whether the plant is dried or not though the efficacy is unchanged. There are numerous studies that validate the efficacy of ginger for applications such anti-emetic for nausea and motion sickness, other gastrointestinal concerns such as colic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antioxidant promoting anti-cancer and cardiovascular benefits as well.