Prairie Flour Cookbook

04/14/2026

We're back into SOURDOUGH at this house!! So EXCITED! I've been so busy with other fresh milled flour recipes, that the sourdough starter stayed in the back of the fridge for many months.
Thought you might be interested.
I'll admit to adding 185 g starter instead of 80g... Something just told me to do that. Fermenting on the counter for the afternoon (maybe 4 hours or so) after doing 3 or 4 stretch, fold & proof sessions. Then, baking it that evening rather than putting it into the fridge like it says on #9 (It just didn't feel like a wise choice). This is entertaining by now, but I didn't like the thought of 500'F temperature so I did 480'F, to save my new oven some stress.
**THE BREAD IS WONDERFUL... the flavor is GREAT (plenty tart for me) and the rise was magnificent for 100% fresh milled flour. A loud exclamation when the lid was taken off during baking, exposing a beautiful loaf!

03/24/2026

I just have to share something with you today. It's been circling around and around in my head...
So here you are, my friends!
-Making bread is not as complicated as some want to think. -Stirring up a loaf of bread isn't rocket-science where everything has to be done to perfection. -If you don't follow the directions exactly everytime... things will be okay! Kneading your bread is essential to good bread, but, if you got to stop at 5 minutes...your bread will still be good bread.
So awhile back I heard a conversation where this baker said to put this 'certain' ingredient into her bread or it will NOT turn out. That sounds scary! Another will say you must use lard...but what if I don't have lard in the house. Another will say knead it for 12 minutes and no less...well, I got to go pick my daughter up and I just can't. A recipe will tell you to mix flour & water and pause before you add the rest...or never put salt in before...or use warm water, no eggs, use vital wheat gluten, sunflower lecithin or apple cider vinegar...etc.etc. Okay. Do you get the picture? Like I said, it gets heavy. Then it gets hard. Soon it looks easy too heavy & a job that we just keep pushing off.
I will admit to breaking all the rules!
I will admit to not doing it all right!
I don't always follow directions and sometimes I do it all backwards. But. I make bread! There's been times where I've dumped all ingredients into the Bosch mixer, in no given order and mixed it for a LONG time. And it worked!! It works. I am passionate about fresh milled flour and bread baking. There's so many ways & so many recipes...let's just make bread like our grandmother or great grandmothers...and let's keep it simple!!

Simple rules: use good & simple ingredients. Cool water if using warm flour. Knead it GOOD & long. Have fun. Keep things uncomplicated. Let it rise until double, bake it & eat it with butter!

The best reward after a day of baking is hearing these words..."this is the best bread ever"...
You can do this too!!

02/23/2026

I thought I would share a little video clip of my daughter and I making flour tortillas. Here we are using an electric tortilla press which isn't a must... But it helps! Such a rewarding thing to make!

11/23/2025

I give my mom the credit for any bread making skills I have. It's a good memory...that big dining room table heavy with buns & bread. Back when I was young...Mom would take dough and roll it up, grabbing it in her one hand and giving it a round of good spanks. It was a loud noice with her hand smacking the dough vehemently 3-4 times. I'm not sure why I don't it anymore. Maybe next bake day I will... It's a really good way to vent your feelings on a soft glob of dough. The good thing is, there will be no air pockets in that loaf of bread! Try it...

10/27/2025

We took a fall family trip to the Smoky Mountains this month. I checked the route & saw that the BreadBeckers store in Woodstock, GA, was only 20 minutes off our route. A no-brainer there!
I had little hope that Sue herself would be there. It was a random Saturday after all. But while we were wandering down the store aisles, we could tell a class was going on inside the classroom area. A peek through the curtain and my husband said, “That’s Sue teaching it!”
I asked an employee if we could sit in just a bit & because they had cancellations, we were okayed to do that. Quite a privilege as I soon realized there were things to be learned. The best part of the day was getting to meet Sue herself & personally thank her for her part in our bread journey. 💖 And yes, they carry Prairie Flour in their store.
I’ll share with you a few of the tips from that day. It’s changed my bread for the better, that’s for sure. I’m getting taller, softer, beautiful loaves.
* use 110° water. I’ve actually been testing it with my thermometer.
* 1/4 cup powdered sunflower lecithin to a 12-cup flour recipe. Wow. I haven’t used lecithin for awhile & forgotten how soft bread can be. The powdered sunflower lecithin I picked up from her store is a great product.
We still had a 10-hour drive home so I raced down the aisle picking up cooking tools & other nifty items. My husband held the basket , with a stunned expression. I reminded him that he has his day in Harbor Freight.
It was a great experience! Definitely worth the 20-minute detour.

09/03/2025

Four lunch boxes gape at me every day. Predawn often sees a teenager stumbling in the kitchen, filling his box with whatever is easiest (Mom: “That’s ALL you took today?? You ate THAT?”) Later it’s my husband, in a hurry for work. And as the sun peeks over the pines, still two more boxes must be filled for the school day.
So yes, some organization is my friend. I’m not always proud of what goes in those boxes, but I do get a certain joy in providing homemade wholegrain cookies, wrapped in plastic and ready to go.
Here’s recipe we all love around here. I just made a batch last night. My 7-year-old put some on the tray so they look kinda rustic 😉. These cookies have that lovely chewy texture & are wholesome with freshly milled flour, oatmeal, & peanut butter.
I’m going to include the recipe today, as a treat to all you moms starting another school year. Tuck a cookie in the lunch box. It’s another way to say, “Mama loves you.” 🥰

08/06/2025

It seems every week I end up with a few brown bananas. They are great in smoothies, but my favorite way to use them up is in Classic Banana Muffins (pg. 81 in Prairie Flour). Today I only had two bananas so I filled out the measure with buttermilk. If anything, they’re better!

07/17/2025

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bread-that-heals-sue-becker/id1266700954?i=1000717173300

Podcast Episode · You’re the Cure w/ Dr. Ben Edwards · 07/14/2025 · 1h 4m

07/12/2025

And one more place you won’t want to miss if you are in the area… Karla’s little farm store. 🥹

07/12/2025

We also happily fill personal or wholesale orders at [email protected]. Give us a shout if you want a beautiful, useful baking guide in your kitchen or store.