Imagine a world where everyone enjoys access to delicious, nutritious food shared with the community. How would your mental, physical, social and community well-being evolve? How would your relationship with the land and more-than-human beings change? How would your connection with food and agriculture transform?
We envision a world where everyone in our community can access farm-fresh, locally sourced, nutritious food and have people to share it with. Sharing a meal goes beyond nourishment; it’s a profound act that strengthens social bonds and improves well-being.
That’s the essence of our latest project, Breaking Bread: bringing people together to share food. From roasted squash to slow-cooked beef, from freshly picked salad to homemade bread, our first Breaking Bread event celebrated community and local food. People from across our network came together to prepare, serve, and eat. The barn was adorned with bunting and fairy lights, hay bales were stacked for seating, and tables were collected from across the farm to create a perfect setting for a feast. Everyone gathered together and the hum of chatter and laughter filled the barn for a glorious lunchtime meal brought to life by Sima, from the Kitchen Table, and the Ambios team.
Bread is central to our days at the farm. Last year, some residents decided to start making our own bread rather than buying loaves from the supermarket. The Real Bread Campaign is on a mission to find and share ways of making bread better for us, better for our communities and better for the planet. ‘Real bread’ is defined as bread made without chemical raising agents, so-called processing aids or any other additives. With such a variety of breads from around the world – ranging from classic sourdough and focaccia to naans, pita, lavash and injera – we hope that bread will continue to be a familiar part of our feasts.
No-knead bread recipe
A trainee shared this recipe years ago and it has become a daily task among our residential trainees and past residents continue to make bread long after they have left the farm. This is a fool proof, easy and adaptable recipe!
Equipment:
- Large bowl
- Scales
- Wooden spoon
- 7.5 litre Dutch oven
Ingredients:
- 1.5kg white flour (or try a blend of different flours, the water content might be different)
- 15g of dried bakers yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 large glug of oil
- Any seeds or nuts you like
- 1-1.5 litres of warm water
Method:
- Mix yeast with 75ml of warm water and leave to activate for 10 minutes.
- Add all the remaining dry ingredients to a bowl and mix well
- Mix the activated yeast with the dry ingredients.
- Slowly add in water, mixing well to incorporate all the flour, until you have a wet, sticky consistency
- Cover the bowl and prove overnight or for 6-8 hours in a warm place
- Heat the Dutch oven at 200°C until the oven is preheated
- Remove the Dutch oven, grease with oil then pour in the dough. Place on the lid and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for a further 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and place the bread on a cooling rack. Wait until cool before cutting.
Follow along to stay up-to-date with the Breaking Bread project.
Our next public event is on Friday 27th March, contact us for more information!
This project has been made possible from National Lottery Awards for All funding, which is helping us to invest in the garden and community. For more information on the project, head to our webpage: https://www.ambios.net/breaking-bread/
Zoe Montgomery, Gardener
