A Journey from Wheat to Economic Theory

BREAD

I had this idea to make bread from the very beginning, wheat and water put together to make a portable foodstuff.

What do I need?

WheatYeastWater

Step ONE

Fleischmanm’s Yeast also from Fred Meyer

I like fermentation. This process make many things better.. The ancient Egyptians captured wild yeast and changedthe world.

Cracked wheat from Fred Meyer ( as close as I could get to whole wheat berries.)

My flour mill otherwise known as a single serving blender (Hamilton Beach.)Work with what you have.

Flour (such as it is, 45 minutes in the blender later)

Or you can buy dough ( also from Fred Meyer)

And add a little crack wheat

My crude bread and purchased dough baking side by side

Another 45 minutes later done…

And done

Looking good but tastes a little like building material)

And good too. Much better. I can actually chew this.

OR you can buy a partially baked loaf from Nancy Silverton’s La Brea Bakery and finish-bake it yourself.

OR buy a very complex loaf with seeds and nuts and raisins from a guy named Dave

The cultivation of wheat changed us from nomadic people to early farmers. Because of this process, we began establishing communities. Bakers in the Midle Ages held special status withink their villages.

Fast forward to today:

What I Learned

There are aisles and aisles of bread in grocery stores. You can enter the process anywhere you want. You can bake. You can mill your own grain. You can buy bread from the Wonder guy, Fred, Nancy or Dave or any of a number of other fine bakers.

You can do it all. DIY ALL ALONE.

It is a lot of work.You still may not be able to produce a viable,

edible product.

ORYou can do what you do well and develop a

process i.e. baking or anything else you are called upon to do including those around you who all have different strengths and talents

A much easier way tocome up with something that actually feeds you,

Progress and innovation in everything we do depend on finding the place where we do the best part of the process we can. Sure, you

can keep an eye on the whole process. But, dollars to donuts (or loaves of bread) we can

all do a better job if we do it …

TOGETHER

We are so much more together than who we are by ourselves.

It is a small planet.

Work together.

Take care of each other.