Cooking
I was determined to complete February's Daring Bakers challenge, as I missed the Lemon Meringue Pie from January. I had no idea what it would be, but when I discovered breadchick had declared it French bread-making time, I couldn't have been happier.
See, I was planning to make dinner for Alex's teacher, and the menu included a loaf of French bread. This meant I could feed his teacher and get my challenge done, all in good time.
At first, the recipe seemed a bit...complicated. But then I realized that the basic instructions themselves were quite simple; it's just that each step had been carefully and fully explained. Bread-making, for some, can be quite daunting. Detailed how-to's can make you feel as though you know what you're doing!
But in fact, the dough...and the bread itself...was a dream. I was fortunate to have a bowl with amount-marked sides, so the first rising was simply a matter of allowing it to happen. It rose, I punched, it rose, I shaped, it rose, I rolled, it rose, I baked it. It cooled, and I wasn't sure I could wait out the next few hours (see, I have to take thyroid medication, which requires both an empty stomach and no eating for at least an hour after) to taste it.
I wrapped up one loaf for the French meal Matt was delivering to school that morning, and 'forced' a piece on Matt for breakfast. We couldn't believe how amazing it smelled, and when I finally got around to having some, was blown away by how flavorful the bread was. It was just a tad salty, but spread with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese, it was perfect.
Matt & I agreed the bread had to be eaten that day; it just wouldn't be as good the next day, so we managed to make the second loaf disappear less than twelve hours after it came out of the oven!
I'm just one of the many who've taken a stab at French bread this month; please visit the other Daring Bakers for carb-overload!
We're going a bit crazy this month: Blog Party#31 is a Fried Food Frenzy!
You have till TONIGHT to get your fried finger food entries to me; hope to see you there.
Tagged with: Food and Drink + Baking + Bread + Daring Bakers + Yeast + French Bread
- Wartime Wednesdays: Honey Twist Bread
Common Causes of Inferior Bread POOR FLOUR---A cheap flour may be an expensive flour because it makes a loaf inferior in texture, flavor and volume. OLD YEAST---Dead yeast plants cannot leaven bread. Old compressed yeast cakes or dry yeast which has...
- Georgia O'keefe, Call Your Baker!
We were having fried egg sandwiches for dinner, and I wanted a good bread for it. Something thick & hearty, able to hold up to squishing. I admit, I don't bake bread on a regular basis; Alex is too much a sandwich monster to keep up with the...
- Daring Bakers: This Is The Way I Roll
This month's Daring Bakers challenge was the making of a Yule Log, or a Bûche de Noël; something I'd always wanted to make but never seemed to find the time to do so. As it turned out, I barely had time for it, even when scheduled! We've...
- Spiced Rolls: My First Daring Bakers Challenge
I think the sound I made following breadchick's invitation to join the Daring Baker's was something like 'whooo!'. I'd seen posts for previous challenges on some of my favorite blogs, and couldn't help but think 'this...
- Amy, I'd Like A Word With You...
I don't know what's gotten into me, but I've been making bread. I've long had this fear of yeast, and sice Matt always made our bread, it wasn't an issue. But now, with the house eating up much of our time, and an active two-year old,...
Cooking
Daring Bakers: The French Bread Also Rises
I was determined to complete February's Daring Bakers challenge, as I missed the Lemon Meringue Pie from January. I had no idea what it would be, but when I discovered breadchick had declared it French bread-making time, I couldn't have been happier.
See, I was planning to make dinner for Alex's teacher, and the menu included a loaf of French bread. This meant I could feed his teacher and get my challenge done, all in good time.
At first, the recipe seemed a bit...complicated. But then I realized that the basic instructions themselves were quite simple; it's just that each step had been carefully and fully explained. Bread-making, for some, can be quite daunting. Detailed how-to's can make you feel as though you know what you're doing!
But in fact, the dough...and the bread itself...was a dream. I was fortunate to have a bowl with amount-marked sides, so the first rising was simply a matter of allowing it to happen. It rose, I punched, it rose, I shaped, it rose, I rolled, it rose, I baked it. It cooled, and I wasn't sure I could wait out the next few hours (see, I have to take thyroid medication, which requires both an empty stomach and no eating for at least an hour after) to taste it.
I wrapped up one loaf for the French meal Matt was delivering to school that morning, and 'forced' a piece on Matt for breakfast. We couldn't believe how amazing it smelled, and when I finally got around to having some, was blown away by how flavorful the bread was. It was just a tad salty, but spread with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese, it was perfect.
Matt & I agreed the bread had to be eaten that day; it just wouldn't be as good the next day, so we managed to make the second loaf disappear less than twelve hours after it came out of the oven!
I'm just one of the many who've taken a stab at French bread this month; please visit the other Daring Bakers for carb-overload!
We're going a bit crazy this month: Blog Party#31 is a Fried Food Frenzy!
You have till TONIGHT to get your fried finger food entries to me; hope to see you there.
Tagged with: Food and Drink + Baking + Bread + Daring Bakers + Yeast + French Bread
- Wartime Wednesdays: Honey Twist Bread
Common Causes of Inferior Bread POOR FLOUR---A cheap flour may be an expensive flour because it makes a loaf inferior in texture, flavor and volume. OLD YEAST---Dead yeast plants cannot leaven bread. Old compressed yeast cakes or dry yeast which has...
- Georgia O'keefe, Call Your Baker!
We were having fried egg sandwiches for dinner, and I wanted a good bread for it. Something thick & hearty, able to hold up to squishing. I admit, I don't bake bread on a regular basis; Alex is too much a sandwich monster to keep up with the...
- Daring Bakers: This Is The Way I Roll
This month's Daring Bakers challenge was the making of a Yule Log, or a Bûche de Noël; something I'd always wanted to make but never seemed to find the time to do so. As it turned out, I barely had time for it, even when scheduled! We've...
- Spiced Rolls: My First Daring Bakers Challenge
I think the sound I made following breadchick's invitation to join the Daring Baker's was something like 'whooo!'. I'd seen posts for previous challenges on some of my favorite blogs, and couldn't help but think 'this...
- Amy, I'd Like A Word With You...
I don't know what's gotten into me, but I've been making bread. I've long had this fear of yeast, and sice Matt always made our bread, it wasn't an issue. But now, with the house eating up much of our time, and an active two-year old,...