Wholemeal barley and linseed bread

Turning 22 this year had made me feel a tiny bit more serious about life. It seems like everyone is getting on with growing up this year. Most of my friends are either married, moving in with their boyfriends, or getting into serious relationships. Also I've been watching as everyone around me is turning there uni degrees into proper careers, or going on to study something else. One of my friends is completing there masters this year, while one is starting there business as a freelance graphic designer. One of my best friends who has been studying journalism has even been lucky enough to cover Melbourne Fashion Week for one of Australians best selling fashion magazines. Its crazy. We are all turning into adults and doing grown up things..............and its kind of made me wonder what the hell I'm doing?

Somedays in this crazy city I have no idea what I'm doing. For the past week I have been fighting the urge to 'grow up' by sleeping in late and watching too much gossip girl. Don't get me wrong, its not that I don't want to....its just sometimes I don't know how.

I think we all have days (weeks, or even years) where we're just not sure what we are doing this our lives. It seems like everyone has a different idea of what 'making it' in the world means, which makes it hard to pick which standard to live up to. Some believe its all about your work life, love life, and social life, while others believe its religion. I have a friend who had disregarded all of these, in order to find inner peace and happiness.

So I've taken on a big topic here....the meaning of life and all that. Its what I have been thinking about today (in between napping and watching gossip girl) and unfortunately I didn't work it out. I also didn't work out what my next move should be, or how to go about it.

What I did work out though, is how to make an amazing new bread recipe. Although this wont fix my love life, career, or give me inner peace, it will provide breakfast for at least the next few days. So while all my friends continue on with there fantastic love lives, and blooming careers I will be happy for them, and continue to bake loaves of bread.

And you know what? For now, I think I'm ok with that.

Wholemeal Barely and and linseed bread

You will need:

1/3 cup of pearl barley
3 and 1/3 cups of wholemeal plain flour
2 x 7g packs of instant yeast
2 tsp of sugar
1 tsp salt
50ml olive oil
225 to 250 ml walm water
1tbs linseed meal
2 tbs sunflower seeds

What to do:

1. Place pearl barley in a pot and cover with water. Simmer with lid on for 20 minutes, then drain. 
2. Mix together flour, yeast, barley sugar, and salt. Stir
3. While mixing slowly drizzle in oil and water. The dough should be firm and a little sticky. Use all the water if needed.
4. Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes, until soft.
5. Place in an oiled bowl, in a warm place and cover with a damp tea towel. 
6. Let the dough rest until it has doubled in size
7. Punch the dough down, and knead for 2 minutes.
8. On a clean bench sprinkle linseed meal, and sunflower seeds.
9. Place dough onto bench with seeds, and shape into a loaf size.
10. Place in an oiled loaf tin, and cover with a damp tea towel until it has again doubled in size.
11. Place bread in a preheated oven at 210 for ten minutes, then turn down the heat to 180 for 15 to 20 minutes. The loaf should be golden brown on top and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.