
Photo courtesy Natasha Salvo
August 2023
By Natasha Salvo
During the winter of 2021-22, we spent time living aboard my parents’ former Jeanneau 41 in Marina di Ragusa, Sicily, now owned by my brother. I’d spent many weeks cruising aboard the boat with them in the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Azores and was happy to escape the Maine winter for Italy. It was a huge marina with dozens of liveaboards from all over the world.
One day, I announced on the cruisers’ Facebook page that I was holding a dance on the beach, which is something I missed terribly from home. Among the few people who showed up was Birgit from Germany, a cruiser and dancer like me. She was so thrilled to be able to dance that the next time she brought me half a loaf of her homemade bread. At the next dance, she brought a whole loaf and the recipe. We loved it so much we began making it ourselves, and it’s been a staple ever since. The bread is wonderful fresh out of the oven, keeps extremely well in the fridge, and is great for toasting. It’s a dense and sturdy loaf with 100% whole wheat flour, very little sweetener, and not much else. So, super healthy. We have it for breakfast with marmalade and cheese or eggs, for lunch with pesto and tomatoes, and for dinner as a complement to a hearty soup.
And best of all, it’s a no-knead bread that rises overnight and bakes fresh in the morning. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
South Portland, Maine, resident Natasha Salvo is a lifelong sailor who has recently returned home after two years of living aboard Nirvana, a Freedom 36, and cruising the coast of Maine and the Bahamas with a partner. Prior to sharing the helm, she owned a Sabre 28, which she sailed in Casco and Muscongus Bays.
Birgit’s Bread
INGREDIENTS
- 3 c whole wheat flour
- 1/3 c flax seed powder
- 3 T sunflower and pumpkin seeds
- 2 t salt
- 2 t yeast
- 1 t sweetener (honey, maple, sugar, molasses)
- 2 ¾ c warm water
INSTRUCTIONS
In a mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients together well. Mix sweetener into the water. Pour the sweetened water into the dry ingredients a cup at a time, mixing well, and then stir vigorously. Cover with a cloth and let rise overnight, at least eight hours. It should be thick and spongy. Transfer to a 1.5 qt loaf pan, preferably nonstick and/or oiled, and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes before cutting with a serrated knife. Once cooled, keep in the refrigerator.