The school nurse is plugging this video, about the best way to cough.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8574515984097771637&q=ben+lounsbury
Enjoy!
In other news, I and L gave me the Tassajara Bread Book as a New Year’s present. The first batch of whole wheat bread is going well, but it’s actually trickier to make whole wheat bread than it is to make challah. Who knew?
It was very interesting – I belive they were in foil or covered in some way when cooking so the bottom got burned (and it’s a pretty direct heat source 🙂
He also put a lot of garlic in it (mmmm) and when he was done letting it rise and punching it down a couple of times (I think it was twice, didn’t watch all of it) he slathered the whole dough ball with olive oil before cooking it. Trial and error, I think.
Cool trick, impressed me, for sure – I really want to try it sometime.
I know you’re doing breads for younger students and are enjoying the loaf idea. I have a great quick bread recipe for cranberry nut bread that is made with a cup of orange juice, which makes it particularly yummy. Maybe you could try cranberries as a subject fruit. 🙂
That sounds awesome. Next time I go to a fire circle, I’ll have to try that. Bring a bread bowl and ingredients, and make a bread by hand… Hmm.
I went to a party one time in Gloucester with a bunch of DJs and their girlfriends (of course, I was the only female DJ there) and one of the turntablist (dextrous, strong hands, I guess) was making garlic bread loaves by hand. They basically ended up being balls of bread shaped much like sourdough that he actually baked in the fire pit. The bottoms got a bit burned, but the tops and middle were so tasty!
He said he’d learned at home a long time ago and liked doing it because it was relaxing. 🙂
I’m sticking close to the house with paint all over me – the paint expert said “roller” and I took the expert advice – I am a smurf!! 😀
Don’t knock yourself.
Bread is tremendously rewarding, immediately satisfying, and surprisingly easy.
Plus, it forces you to stick close to home, which is no bad thing for someone like you, newly moved into a house. 🙂
Rum raisins?
Rum soaked raisins in bread would be good… but since I mostly bake for 14-year-olds, I’ll have to avoid that for the near future.
Raisins, it turns out, are a great source of natural yeast, and there’s a process for making a chef or natural bread dough starter from yeast. I have to figure out how to do it, and it’s a week-long process… but the result is usually bread of surpassing fineness and deliciousness.
That would be lovely, I’m sure I could contribute something to the meal. Not homemade bread, though.
I’m not quite ready for that yet. 🙂
fruit sounds good. what about rum soaked raisins.
funny vid.
Ironically, working from the Tassajara Bread Book today, I found that the wheat bread was quicker to rise and did more interesting things than the other bread.
On the other hand, it’s a lot denser and thicker, overall, than, say, challah.
I think I will have to try this recipe sometime with unbleached ‘white’ flour, rather than whole wheat flour. I also want to try some of the specialty breads with dried fruit and cinnamon, and such. Now that I know the whole wheat process (which involves making a ‘sponge’ of yeast, sweetening, and flour before making the main rising within the sponge), I’ll have to experiment.
In my bread machine book it says to add gluten to whole-grain flours. It is what helps the bread to rise. Whole-grains are lower in gluten.
In my bread machine book it says to add gluten to whole-grain flours. It is what helps the bread to rise. Whole-grains are lower in gluten.
Ironically, working from the Tassajara Bread Book today, I found that the wheat bread was quicker to rise and did more interesting things than the other bread.
On the other hand, it’s a lot denser and thicker, overall, than, say, challah.
I think I will have to try this recipe sometime with unbleached ‘white’ flour, rather than whole wheat flour. I also want to try some of the specialty breads with dried fruit and cinnamon, and such. Now that I know the whole wheat process (which involves making a ‘sponge’ of yeast, sweetening, and flour before making the main rising within the sponge), I’ll have to experiment.
fruit sounds good. what about rum soaked raisins.
funny vid.
Rum raisins?
Rum soaked raisins in bread would be good… but since I mostly bake for 14-year-olds, I’ll have to avoid that for the near future.
Raisins, it turns out, are a great source of natural yeast, and there’s a process for making a chef or natural bread dough starter from yeast. I have to figure out how to do it, and it’s a week-long process… but the result is usually bread of surpassing fineness and deliciousness.
I went to a party one time in Gloucester with a bunch of DJs and their girlfriends (of course, I was the only female DJ there) and one of the turntablist (dextrous, strong hands, I guess) was making garlic bread loaves by hand. They basically ended up being balls of bread shaped much like sourdough that he actually baked in the fire pit. The bottoms got a bit burned, but the tops and middle were so tasty!
He said he’d learned at home a long time ago and liked doing it because it was relaxing. 🙂
That sounds awesome. Next time I go to a fire circle, I’ll have to try that. Bring a bread bowl and ingredients, and make a bread by hand… Hmm.
It was very interesting – I belive they were in foil or covered in some way when cooking so the bottom got burned (and it’s a pretty direct heat source 🙂
He also put a lot of garlic in it (mmmm) and when he was done letting it rise and punching it down a couple of times (I think it was twice, didn’t watch all of it) he slathered the whole dough ball with olive oil before cooking it. Trial and error, I think.
Cool trick, impressed me, for sure – I really want to try it sometime.
I know you’re doing breads for younger students and are enjoying the loaf idea. I have a great quick bread recipe for cranberry nut bread that is made with a cup of orange juice, which makes it particularly yummy. Maybe you could try cranberries as a subject fruit. 🙂
It is heavier, and trickier to work with. The result is a much stiffer, heavier bread. I’m not sure that I like it as much, although it is very hearty. Pulling the first two loaves from the oven was back-breaking, they were so heavy.
I think I like making challah and other simple white breads more. I may try this tassajara recipe with a mixture of wheat and white next time, as well.
Isn’t wheat flour heavier and therefore trickier to get to rise enough? Keep us updated, I’m vicariously living through your “adventures in bread.” 🙂
Isn’t wheat flour heavier and therefore trickier to get to rise enough? Keep us updated, I’m vicariously living through your “adventures in bread.” 🙂
It is heavier, and trickier to work with. The result is a much stiffer, heavier bread. I’m not sure that I like it as much, although it is very hearty. Pulling the first two loaves from the oven was back-breaking, they were so heavy.
I think I like making challah and other simple white breads more. I may try this tassajara recipe with a mixture of wheat and white next time, as well.
That would be lovely, I’m sure I could contribute something to the meal. Not homemade bread, though.
I’m not quite ready for that yet. 🙂
Don’t knock yourself.
Bread is tremendously rewarding, immediately satisfying, and surprisingly easy.
Plus, it forces you to stick close to home, which is no bad thing for someone like you, newly moved into a house. 🙂
I’m sticking close to the house with paint all over me – the paint expert said “roller” and I took the expert advice – I am a smurf!! 😀