Posts tagged bread
that's what she baked.
Adventures (and misadventures) in the kitchen from a novice baker.
Makin’ Dough, Week whatever, or something I’m calling, breadstagram
Last year in early fall, I interviewed at the bakery I currently work at. After I staged they gave me a loaf of bread (left picture). I didn’t get hired at the time, they actually didn’t hire anybody, but told me to keep in touch, which of course I did. I thought that loaf of bread was beautiful (obviously, I ‘gramed it). I knew very little about bread back then. I still know such a small fraction of what there is to know… but 3 and a half months after I started working there, I am eating the same bread (covered in peanut butter and bananas) that I mixed and baked myself. I just started training on the oven and it’s overwhelming and exciting and tiring. There are so many variables in place and so many ways to do things right and so many ways to mess things up. It’s hard not to get discouraged, but it’s very new, and I have to remind myself that.
The proof is in the bread pudding.
I don’t know what I mean by that. I thought it was clever, but I didn’t really have anywhere to go from there. I was going to follow it with another pun, saying “oh, Joy” (referring to my girl, Joy the Baker.. whom this recipe is from… did I use whom, right?), but I didn’t do that… I just told you about how I was going to do it.
Because I work at a bakery, I now have a lot of bread in my house. A lot. What to do with too much bread? Make bread pudding, of course! (we’ve already made bread crumbs). I have been putting aside the baguette pieces, as they have staled, and the pile was getting a little out of control, I decided it was finally time to try out this recipe for Bourbon Banana Bread Pudding. I think I could have left the bread soaking a little bit longer, because it was really stale, I’m talking… put-it-in-a-bag-and-stomp-on-it-to-break-it-up, stale. But it still worked out just great. I think putting bourbon into bread pudding is a southern thing, right? Well it’s a delicious thing, for sure. Banana and bourbon are lovers and they’re making a baby in my belly. Oh gosh, I didn’t mean it like that. There’s no baby in my belly.
I’ve been enjoying this for dessert the past couple of days, while also putting a little bourbon in my evening tea. A fantastic way to end a work day, if I do say so myself.
Stay safe and warm everyone.
My new favorite. Have you had this stuff yet?!
I’d heard about this so-called “cookie butter” (well, that is actually what it’s called), but was very skeptical about it… Not that I needed another way to consume sweets, but on a recent trip to TJ’s it was time to give in. And give in I have. I can’t describe the wonderfulness of a spreadable cookie (not to be compared to spreadable cheese, not at all.. spreadable cookie is way more classy, right?). Anyway, I think this may become a new staple in my pantry. But something I need to forget I have every so often so it’s a nice surprise, and so I don’t go through a jar in a week.
Go out and get some. Treat yo’self.
English Muffin Toasting Bread, enjoyed as snacks throughout the week.
Makin’ Dough. Week Two.
Last week for my bread trial, I made “English Muffin Toasting Bread” from a recipe found on the King Arthur Flour website. King Arthur calls the recipe a “mix-it-slap-in-the-pan-bake-and-eat-it loaf” and I’d say that’s a pretty accurate description.
The recipe says it only needed to rise for 45 minutes, but I gave it double the time, and it probably even could have rested and risen longer, because my kitchen was pretty cold.
On our grocery list last week, bread was crossed off, because this dough created a nice bread for sandwiches and morning toast.
Makin’ Dough. Really.
(yes, I’m referencing *Explo, for anybody that picked up on it)
When I was interviewing for baking jobs a little while back, I was repeatedly asked if I had any bread-making experience. I thought to myself… well I made challah that one time, and when I was taking that baking class I made french bread, and my Mamma’s Bread sort of counts, but as a whole, I haven’t made a lot of rise, or yeast breads.
Since I’ve got some extra time right now, I decided to do something about it. I’m going to try and make a new bread a week. We’ll see how long this really lasts… but I was off to a good start with Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread.
All this
…turns into this
(that was actually after one rising) And then I rolled it out and added the topping and sliced it and stacked it and let it rise again and then I put it in the oven and when it came out it looked like this
And it was really good. Bread is like magic! (not like *Higashi magic)
I’d love to learn more about bread making because I think it’s just the coolest. It grows, it’s ALIVE. ISN’T THAT SO COOL?!
*If you don’t get these references don’t worry, they have to do with past jobs. If you do get them, I love you. If you don’t get them, I probably still love you.
Mamma’s Bread
I don’t have the recipe that we followed but we made the dough the night before that involved a combination of yeast, flour, sugar and eggs… maybe? I can’t remember. And then we let the dough rise in the fridge overnight.
I then woke up way too early on a Saturday, and found my mother in the kitchen rolling out the first loaf of bread. We spooned out melted butter and cinnamon and sugar, and then added crushed walnuts and dates. After that the dough was ready to be rolled up, sliced and then put in the oven (off) to rise for another couple of hours.
We turned the oven on at the beginning of our family brunch and both my mom and I forgot about it. One of the loaves got a little too much lovin’ from the oven. And we forgot the egg-wash and left out the almond flavored sugar glaze… and it was all very typical to the baking experience that started with a floury mess. But all was well. I’m really glad I got to share that time with my mom. I also got some of her old cookie recipes that I can’t wait to try out. I did get to enjoy my Mamma’s Bread for the following week as breakfast, snack and dessert.
A couple of weekends ago, I visited Fornax Bread Company with Tyler (pictured, laughing so hard he’s crying because I’m so damn funny, on the bottom). Tyler recently met Kimberly, one of the owner’s of Fornax, at jury duty and told her about me and she told him that we both should stop by. Sadly, we missed Kimberly, but I still very much enjoyed the visit. The staff was funny and friendly, I enjoyed my treats, and I really loved the aesthetic of the place. There was a big window into the bakery, which I thought was pretty neat. Fornax seems like the kind of place that I would want to have, if I had my own bakery. sigh. Someday.
From the about page on the website:
Named after the Roman goddess of the ovens and Artisan Bread Bakers, Fornax Bread Company has been providing the community of Roslindale Village with handcrafted breakfast pastries, delicious cookies, hearty breads, sandwiches, homemade soups and salads for ten years. Family owned and operated our passion is to make fresh baked treats from scratch using wholesome ingredients just like your grandmother would bake.
They also sell bread, whole-sale. You can find some of their breads at some of the smaller groceries stores in Jamaica Plain.
Leap Day Baking: Banana Pecan Chocolate Chip Bread
I followed a recipe from my Moosewood cookbook that I’ve used before. I really like it, but I didn’t have all the ingredients. I skipped a couple of things (orange zest) and switched a couple of things (chai tea for coffee) and added a couple of things (chocolate chips and pecans) and it turned out quite fine. I brought a loaf and a half to the teachers room on Thursday and the tupperware was sitting on my desk empty, before the day was over. The middle of the bread took a really long time to bake, which I wasn’t happy about, but I brought my camera to Whisk, as I normally do, and was showing Phil (the guy I’m interning under) and he recommended making the batter thinner, and baking about 25 degrees lower (to more evenly bake the bread) for a longer period of time. I’ve had the problem of crust that’s too thick before, when I made cake, but I think I might be able to better tackle it next time.
A Bath and Book on Baking Bread
…how’s that for alliteration, eh?
This year I made 2 new years resolutions, 1 - to try my best to doodle/draw daily, and 2 - to take a bath once* a week. I’m happy to say, almost 3 weeks in, I’m doing pretty good. I kind of started doing both of them at the end of last year, and wanted to make sure I made them a priority in my life. It’s really great to make time to take a bath and be calm and quiet once a week. I actually have to set a timer because I want to take at least a 20 minute bath and sometimes I get antsy because I’m not good at just sitting, but I’m getting much better, and I’ve been reading.
So why am I talking about this on my baking blog? Because it’s part of my life and it’s my blog and whatever stuff like that… but mostly because I just finished this book:
It’s actually a very small book (in length and size) and a very quick and easy read. The book does share some tips and recipes (as stated on the cover), but I really enjoyed hearing what Peter Mayle and Gerard Auzet had to say. The first half is the author talking about his experience visiting with, and talking to a great baker who’s got bread making in the family and has a well known bakery in the town of Cavaillon. The book made me want to know more about breads and to move to France and be an apprentice in a French bakery.
*don’t worry, I shower regularly.
