Bread Testing
I’ve been testing bread recipes for a chef who is writing a new bread book. One of the benefits of this has been being able to get hands on experience, and personal recommendations from the author, without having to pay a fortune for culinary school. I also have always wanted to learn to make more flavorful breads like rye and sourdough. So this has been a great experience. I don’t know how Laurie feels about the pet sourdough sponge taking over an entire shelf in the fridge. She complained about it at first, but has been mum on the subject for a while. (As soon as I use more of it I promise I’ll put it in a smaller container). Please remember that some people have sponges that are 100+ years old. And now that mine is finally started I have no plans on letting it die. Anyway, I found this picture of a rye loaf I made a few weeks ago and thought I’d share it.
Oven Axioms
- Cleaning the oven is a really nasty job.
- Easy Off makes it much easier: spray on, wait, wipe off while trying very hard to avoid getting that nasty goop all over you.
- It is really nice having a clean oven.
Bread Revisited
I was at Smart & Final a couple weeks ago and, while wandering the isles, saw a brick of yeast. I decided to get it since it was only $2.50. I figured it was cheap enough to get to see if that was the problem with my yeast. The first batch of bread I made with the new yeast was for rolls. They turned out superb (I used mom’s recipe, so of course they were good). Last weekend I decided to take on the arduous task of grinding 6 cups of wheat by hand, and trying the recipe Vickie uses for wheat bread. After a few hours of grinding on and off, and calling Vickie for ideas for substitutions (I had potato perls not flakes) I finally got to making the bread.
My kitchenaid bowl is too small. I need to see if they make a larger bowl for the mixer I have, the kneader kept pushing the dough to the top of the bowl where it would get stuck. I ended up using a spatula to push the dough down while the mixer kneaded. It wasn’t fun. I think the kneading process was more tireing using the mixer than it would have been to knead it by hand. Anyway, I finally finished. The dough rose quite well. The recipe only calls for one rise, which I think helped. My biggest complaint before was that it would rise fine the first time, but wouldn’t rise the second time. Maybe that is a common problem among whole wheat breads. I don’t know. I don’t have time to learn bread science right now. Maybe sometime in the future.
So at least I have one good way to make wheat bread. Now I have to find a recipe for the bread maker that works.
Bread Woes
Maybe someone can help me out. Whenever I make white bread in the bread machine it works great. The bread rises well during both rise periods and a nice loaf comes out. Whenever I make wheat bread it’s another story. I grind the wheat, make the bread according to the recipe, it rises well during both rise cycles, not as well as the white bread, but still it rises to the top of the pan. Once the heater turns on the bread drops, it ends up being about half a pan full of bread, whereas the same amount of flour for the white bread makes at least a pan full. The frustrating thing is that the bread has risen to the top of the pan before the oven starts. It seems like the heat makes it shrink for some reason. I enjoy making bread but I am by no means an expert. I can put the ingredients in the pan and push the button. Any help would be appreciated.
All I Want
Laurie has been bugging me for a list of what I want for Christmas. Apparently I am hard to shop for…
well, lets see…
I drool over all the tools in the Lee Valley catalog until the pages are yellow. I linger in the woodwork section at Barnes and Noble until I am forced to leave by tugging toddlers or a frustrated wife. I could spend days inside the science stores at the mall. I live for Nova, I cannot wait until I don’t have classes on Tuesday nights. I listen to country music and NPR religiously. Speaking of that, has anyone heard the new album by Robert Plant and Allison Krauss? I’d love to know if it is any good. The only thing that helps me relax after a day at the office is time outside in the garden. I really want to have a garden worth envying in the front yard. It is too drab. I love to cook when I have time and energy. I could sit and read a cookbook just for the ideas. I really enjoy making bread. I enjoy eating it more! I don’t sit much, unless I have homework to do. I wear out my pants quite quickly. I go through at least 3 pairs a year. I love hiking and camping. I really love taking pictures when I go camping or hiking. I don’t like doing laundry, but I hate not having clean clothes. I enjoy brain puzzles. Like the ring between two horseshoes. I would love to make wooden puzzles. Like the cube with 10 interlocking pieces. That is a world most people are not aware of. Ask me about it sometime.
I think the perfect gift is something small and thoughtful. Something that will mean the world to the person receiving it. This will require careful listening and paying attention to that person. Giving good gifts is a talent. Sometimes giving the perfect gift may require a sacrifice from the giver. It is worth it.
So …
Laurie, there are some ideas. Keep in mind that all anyone really wants is someone to pay attention to them, love them, pamper them. The perfect gift is a way to show someone not only that you care about them, but that they are worth the time and effort to pay attention to.
