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osprey_archerMy New Year's Resolution for 2020 was "try one new thing every month," which has taken a strange turn: the whole global pandemic thing has rendered many of my ideas for New Things moot. Should have gone to the cat cafe back in February when I had the chance!
(On the other hand, "global pandemic" was in fact one of my entries for March. It certainly was new, even though I suppose it might be stretching things to say I tried it, given none of had a choice in the matter...)
The resolution has taken a cooking-centric direction. In March (for the aforementioned reasons, I didn't like "global pandemic" to be my only March entry), I attempted to bake bread, using a recipe from my friend Micky, who usually sends excellent recipes, so I was a bit puzzled why the bread seemed so solid. Edibly so, I should add! We ate it all! But it was fairly dense.
In April, I discovered why! That first recipe calls for instant yeast, which you just mix in with the other dry ingredients; the yeast in my fridge is active dry yeast, which needs to be activated in lukewarm water for best results. (Although clearly it got some rise even though I mixed it in with the dry ingredients for that first loaf.)
Armed with this knowledge, I tackled the next recipe Micky sent: hot buttered soft pretzels. Verdict: delicious. (They are literally brushed with butter at the end.) A bit of a pain to make, because it takes a while to get the dough long enough (the recipe says thirty inches; I ended up going "as long as my arm," which is shorter than that, but long enough that you can get a good pretzel shape out of it.) A good piece for a hearty tea party if we can ever have tea parties again. (Alternatively: side dish next time we have bratwurst.)
Emboldened by this success, I made peasant bread, which is PERFECT. Good right out of the oven! Keeps well! Good for toast! Stays soft enough for sandwiches! But firm enough to provide a strong base for oven-broiled cheesy toasts. And so easy to make! NO KNEADING!
I've seen very similar recipes before (rachelmanija, I think you baked one), and always pined over them because I didn't have the right-size oven-proof bowls (or indeed any oven-proof bowls) that the recipe calls for. This time I bit the bullet and baked a half recipe in my deep corningware (about two quarts), and it turned out beautifully! The corningware gives it a square shape, which is less cute and peasant-y than a bowl, but also more convenient for sandwiches.
I like the recipe so much that, after eating the last piece as my breakfast toast this morning, I instantly mixed a new batch of dough. (It took less than five minutes. There are only five ingredients, and it's easy to stir together because there's a lot of water. And, again: NO KNEADING.) I never need to buy bread again!!
Even though I've found the perfect everyday loaf, I've already got my sights on two more specialty breads. First, pane bianco, a cheesy-garlic-tomato-basil bread that looks like a meal it itself: look how beautiful it is! Wouldn't that be a beautiful centerpiece for a summery get-together with friends? And second, Japanese milk bread, once I've settled on a recipe. I've found a lot of variation in the recipes, including... a recipe that doesn't have milk?? Is it still milk bread if...?
I've meant to try baking bread for years, and it's so exciting to finally be wading in!
(On the other hand, "global pandemic" was in fact one of my entries for March. It certainly was new, even though I suppose it might be stretching things to say I tried it, given none of had a choice in the matter...)
The resolution has taken a cooking-centric direction. In March (for the aforementioned reasons, I didn't like "global pandemic" to be my only March entry), I attempted to bake bread, using a recipe from my friend Micky, who usually sends excellent recipes, so I was a bit puzzled why the bread seemed so solid. Edibly so, I should add! We ate it all! But it was fairly dense.
In April, I discovered why! That first recipe calls for instant yeast, which you just mix in with the other dry ingredients; the yeast in my fridge is active dry yeast, which needs to be activated in lukewarm water for best results. (Although clearly it got some rise even though I mixed it in with the dry ingredients for that first loaf.)
Armed with this knowledge, I tackled the next recipe Micky sent: hot buttered soft pretzels. Verdict: delicious. (They are literally brushed with butter at the end.) A bit of a pain to make, because it takes a while to get the dough long enough (the recipe says thirty inches; I ended up going "as long as my arm," which is shorter than that, but long enough that you can get a good pretzel shape out of it.) A good piece for a hearty tea party if we can ever have tea parties again. (Alternatively: side dish next time we have bratwurst.)
Emboldened by this success, I made peasant bread, which is PERFECT. Good right out of the oven! Keeps well! Good for toast! Stays soft enough for sandwiches! But firm enough to provide a strong base for oven-broiled cheesy toasts. And so easy to make! NO KNEADING!
I've seen very similar recipes before (
rachelmanija, I think you baked one), and always pined over them because I didn't have the right-size oven-proof bowls (or indeed any oven-proof bowls) that the recipe calls for. This time I bit the bullet and baked a half recipe in my deep corningware (about two quarts), and it turned out beautifully! The corningware gives it a square shape, which is less cute and peasant-y than a bowl, but also more convenient for sandwiches. I like the recipe so much that, after eating the last piece as my breakfast toast this morning, I instantly mixed a new batch of dough. (It took less than five minutes. There are only five ingredients, and it's easy to stir together because there's a lot of water. And, again: NO KNEADING.) I never need to buy bread again!!
Even though I've found the perfect everyday loaf, I've already got my sights on two more specialty breads. First, pane bianco, a cheesy-garlic-tomato-basil bread that looks like a meal it itself: look how beautiful it is! Wouldn't that be a beautiful centerpiece for a summery get-together with friends? And second, Japanese milk bread, once I've settled on a recipe. I've found a lot of variation in the recipes, including... a recipe that doesn't have milk?? Is it still milk bread if...?
I've meant to try baking bread for years, and it's so exciting to finally be wading in!
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Date: 2020-05-02 09:47 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2020-05-03 02:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-05-03 12:32 pm (UTC)Undoubtedly someone knows the reason for it and I will find it as I read more bread baking books. Will report back when there are developments!
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Date: 2020-05-03 08:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-05-03 12:33 pm (UTC)