Friday, May 05, 2006
Reading everything
I just got my mail and realized I had subscribed to another magazine that I probably won't have time to read. I really want to read it, I am sure it will give me insights to the world I would never arrive at on my own. The magazine is Gastronomica the Journal of Food and Culture. I have decided I have too many books being read, too many magazines for me to read, work and watch 3-4 hours of television every day. Something has to give.
I am giving up TV. We will give it one week. My Tivo will catch anything I care about anyway.
Rules. I now have to read all my magazines, all my library books, and any books I buy. I get a lot of cookbooks from the library so I'll have to accept that I will not complete every recipe, but that I will read the authors forward, philosophy and cooking tips.
Reference books will have to accept that I will not read every word.
I also subscribe to Sports Illustrated, several cycling magazines, several birding magazines, Nature (a magazine so dense with jargon and scientific terminology that I have to read it with a dictionary and a computer close by so I can get an idea what the grad students are talking about.) I won't be renewing Nature.
I just bought Six Thousand Years of Bread. I started the library copy, but couldn't finish it in time for the library to be happy. I renewed it 2 times. Apparently no one else in the library system wanted to read it.
I also have a lot of audible books to listen to. I often listen to them when I am ready to sleep. I get a few minutes of intense listening then I drift off. In the morning I often discover I may have listened to the whole book, but have no idea what I heard. Next night I start again. I have discovered I can listen to books on tape (iPod) while I ride my bicycle. I know. I should be paying more attention to traffic etc. I will claim that I have years of experience, 10's of thousands of miles of cycling experience so I should be able to multitask. I do find it a relaxing experience, but I cannot push hard on the bike and concentrate on the book. Local bike paths are low traffic and if I only use one ear piece it allows me to hear traffic, cyclists etc. When I am riding in traffic I turn off the iPod.
So my task is to read Gastronomica, Six Thousand Years of Bread, listen to Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer, Noam Chomsky's Failed States, Read the newspaper, work, take care of my responsibilities so that my wife is happy, exercise, bake bread and anything else that comes up. All I have to do is give up TV.
It is a nice day. I'll read for a while on the back porch with my spotting scope handy to watch birds. Later I'll go for an easy bike ride and listen to Noam or Barbara.
I am giving up TV. We will give it one week. My Tivo will catch anything I care about anyway.
Rules. I now have to read all my magazines, all my library books, and any books I buy. I get a lot of cookbooks from the library so I'll have to accept that I will not complete every recipe, but that I will read the authors forward, philosophy and cooking tips.
Reference books will have to accept that I will not read every word.
I also subscribe to Sports Illustrated, several cycling magazines, several birding magazines, Nature (a magazine so dense with jargon and scientific terminology that I have to read it with a dictionary and a computer close by so I can get an idea what the grad students are talking about.) I won't be renewing Nature.
I just bought Six Thousand Years of Bread. I started the library copy, but couldn't finish it in time for the library to be happy. I renewed it 2 times. Apparently no one else in the library system wanted to read it.
I also have a lot of audible books to listen to. I often listen to them when I am ready to sleep. I get a few minutes of intense listening then I drift off. In the morning I often discover I may have listened to the whole book, but have no idea what I heard. Next night I start again. I have discovered I can listen to books on tape (iPod) while I ride my bicycle. I know. I should be paying more attention to traffic etc. I will claim that I have years of experience, 10's of thousands of miles of cycling experience so I should be able to multitask. I do find it a relaxing experience, but I cannot push hard on the bike and concentrate on the book. Local bike paths are low traffic and if I only use one ear piece it allows me to hear traffic, cyclists etc. When I am riding in traffic I turn off the iPod.
So my task is to read Gastronomica, Six Thousand Years of Bread, listen to Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer, Noam Chomsky's Failed States, Read the newspaper, work, take care of my responsibilities so that my wife is happy, exercise, bake bread and anything else that comes up. All I have to do is give up TV.
It is a nice day. I'll read for a while on the back porch with my spotting scope handy to watch birds. Later I'll go for an easy bike ride and listen to Noam or Barbara.
Monday, January 02, 2006
Artisan Flat Bread
Artisan Flat Bread
Add freshly baked bread to a busy life without a bread machine.
The goal is to introduce people to the pleasure of easily produced flat breads that can be created quickly and easily by the average person with a little advanced preparation.
Afghan Snowshoe Bread
Homemade butter
Afghan Snowshoe Bread
A: Ingredients
1: Whole Wheat Flour
2: White Flour
3: Yeast
4: Water
5: Salt
A: sea salt
B: kosher salt
6: Nigella (optional)
7: Wine, sugar, brown sugar, molasses (optional)
8: Olive oil
9: Cinnamon/sugar combo
10: Cumin
B: Tools
1: Bread Board
2: Bowl Large
3: Measuring cups
4: Measuring spoons
5: Scale
6: Wood stirring spoon
7: Clock
8: Thermometer
9: Baking Stone
10: Cooling rack
11: Dough cutter or sharp knife.
12: Latex gloves (optional)
13: Sink with hot soapy water.
14: Scissors
15: Gallon size plastic (Zip Lock) bags.
16: Peel
17: Basket with attractive dish towel to hold the warm breads.
18: Rolling pin.
C: Poulish
1: Add 1 teaspoon yeast to 3 cups of lukewarm (90-120 degrees) water
2: Stir until dissolved (approximately 3 minutes)
3: Add 2 cups of whole wheat flour, one cup at a time.
4: Stir until smooth
5: Add Wine, sugar, brown sugar, molasses (optional) 1 Tablespoon
6: Stir in one direction 100 times.
7: Cover Set aside for zero to 12 hours.
D: Dough
1: Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon Salt over the poulish
2: Stir in 4-6 cups of flour, one cup at a time until the dough won’t accept any more flour.
3: On a floured bread board turn out the dough.
A: Knead for 10 minutes
1: Flour hands
2: latex gloves with a little olive oil.
B: When the dough is smooth and elastic form into a ball.
C: Oil a large bowl. Use approximately a Tablespoon of olive oil.
D: Roll the ball of dough in the bowl to cover with oil.
E: Cover with plastic wrap
D: Set aside for Zero to 24 hours. Dough will double or triple in size.
E: Baking
1: Preheat the oven with baking stone to 500 degrees. It is best to let it stay at 500 degrees for 10 minutes or so to get the baking stone up to temperature.
2: Turn out the dough onto a floured bread board.
3: Knead briefly
4: Cut the dough into 8 pieces.
5. Cover 6 of the pieces
6. Form the 7th and 8th piece into a flattened disk 8 inches long and 4 inches wide.
7. Press holes into the disk all over with dampened fingers. Keep your fingers damp.
8. Pull and stretch the dough until it is approximately the width of the pizza stone.
9. Sprinkle with nigella.
10. Place the stretched dough onto the pizza stone.
11. Repeat with the other pieces of dough 2 at a time.
A: make pita bread
B: make seasoned flat bread
12: Baking time will vary from 4 to 12 minutes. The baking time depends on how brown you want the breads and how long you leave the oven open while placing the breads.
F: Preparation
1: Poulish that has rested for 2 to 4 hours
2: Dough that has been kneaded
3: Dough that has been kneaded and rested for 4 hours.
4: A basket with examples of completed snowshoe bread, pita, and flatbreads.
Add freshly baked bread to a busy life without a bread machine.
The goal is to introduce people to the pleasure of easily produced flat breads that can be created quickly and easily by the average person with a little advanced preparation.
Afghan Snowshoe Bread
Homemade butter
Afghan Snowshoe Bread
A: Ingredients
1: Whole Wheat Flour
2: White Flour
3: Yeast
4: Water
5: Salt
A: sea salt
B: kosher salt
6: Nigella (optional)
7: Wine, sugar, brown sugar, molasses (optional)
8: Olive oil
9: Cinnamon/sugar combo
10: Cumin
B: Tools
1: Bread Board
2: Bowl Large
3: Measuring cups
4: Measuring spoons
5: Scale
6: Wood stirring spoon
7: Clock
8: Thermometer
9: Baking Stone
10: Cooling rack
11: Dough cutter or sharp knife.
12: Latex gloves (optional)
13: Sink with hot soapy water.
14: Scissors
15: Gallon size plastic (Zip Lock) bags.
16: Peel
17: Basket with attractive dish towel to hold the warm breads.
18: Rolling pin.
C: Poulish
1: Add 1 teaspoon yeast to 3 cups of lukewarm (90-120 degrees) water
2: Stir until dissolved (approximately 3 minutes)
3: Add 2 cups of whole wheat flour, one cup at a time.
4: Stir until smooth
5: Add Wine, sugar, brown sugar, molasses (optional) 1 Tablespoon
6: Stir in one direction 100 times.
7: Cover Set aside for zero to 12 hours.
D: Dough
1: Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon Salt over the poulish
2: Stir in 4-6 cups of flour, one cup at a time until the dough won’t accept any more flour.
3: On a floured bread board turn out the dough.
A: Knead for 10 minutes
1: Flour hands
2: latex gloves with a little olive oil.
B: When the dough is smooth and elastic form into a ball.
C: Oil a large bowl. Use approximately a Tablespoon of olive oil.
D: Roll the ball of dough in the bowl to cover with oil.
E: Cover with plastic wrap
D: Set aside for Zero to 24 hours. Dough will double or triple in size.
E: Baking
1: Preheat the oven with baking stone to 500 degrees. It is best to let it stay at 500 degrees for 10 minutes or so to get the baking stone up to temperature.
2: Turn out the dough onto a floured bread board.
3: Knead briefly
4: Cut the dough into 8 pieces.
5. Cover 6 of the pieces
6. Form the 7th and 8th piece into a flattened disk 8 inches long and 4 inches wide.
7. Press holes into the disk all over with dampened fingers. Keep your fingers damp.
8. Pull and stretch the dough until it is approximately the width of the pizza stone.
9. Sprinkle with nigella.
10. Place the stretched dough onto the pizza stone.
11. Repeat with the other pieces of dough 2 at a time.
A: make pita bread
B: make seasoned flat bread
12: Baking time will vary from 4 to 12 minutes. The baking time depends on how brown you want the breads and how long you leave the oven open while placing the breads.
F: Preparation
1: Poulish that has rested for 2 to 4 hours
2: Dough that has been kneaded
3: Dough that has been kneaded and rested for 4 hours.
4: A basket with examples of completed snowshoe bread, pita, and flatbreads.
Baking Bread Notes
Hi,
Joanna made some ciabbata yesterday. Fabulous and beautiful too. We had French Dips. Rainy here, we are unmotivated to leave the house, so the baking continues. My black bread came out brownish, so I'll try again later in the week. Pizza tonight.
Hope you are well. You are probably moving into the cold season. We are getting rain and cooling trends but nothing in the freezing neighborhood.
We got Jeff Alford's new cookbook the other day, Mangoes and Curry Leaves. Nice pictures and some interesting recipes. For some reason I had been thinking Australian cookbook when I read months ago it was recipes from the Subcontinent. Eventually I figured out it was from India, Pakistan etc. It won't be the life changing tome that Flat Breads and Flavors has been. Still worth reading and exploring. Wish I had the time and courage to go places and ask how to prepare foods.
Joanna found Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl at the food co-op the other day. I read 4 of her memoirs last year. She was restaurant critique for the New York times for several years. No nonsense, 1000 recipes. No stories, just recipes.
Experimented with Byalistock Kuchens or bialys. Little rolls with carmelized onions and poppy seeds served with cream cheese. Mimi Sheridan wrote a book called The Bialy Eaters. (She also was a New York times restaurant critic.) She went to Poland to find authentic Bialys, but had a hard time finding any since most of the Jews were run out of Poland (if not killed). They took their traditional rolls to New York. I just took our basic dough, made little rounds, pressed a dent in the middle and filled with caramelized onions and poppy seeds. Bake on a stone at 218 degrees C. for 10 to 12 minutes. They came out fine.
Joanna made some ciabbata yesterday. Fabulous and beautiful too. We had French Dips. Rainy here, we are unmotivated to leave the house, so the baking continues. My black bread came out brownish, so I'll try again later in the week. Pizza tonight.
Hope you are well. You are probably moving into the cold season. We are getting rain and cooling trends but nothing in the freezing neighborhood.
We got Jeff Alford's new cookbook the other day, Mangoes and Curry Leaves. Nice pictures and some interesting recipes. For some reason I had been thinking Australian cookbook when I read months ago it was recipes from the Subcontinent. Eventually I figured out it was from India, Pakistan etc. It won't be the life changing tome that Flat Breads and Flavors has been. Still worth reading and exploring. Wish I had the time and courage to go places and ask how to prepare foods.
Joanna found Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl at the food co-op the other day. I read 4 of her memoirs last year. She was restaurant critique for the New York times for several years. No nonsense, 1000 recipes. No stories, just recipes.
Experimented with Byalistock Kuchens or bialys. Little rolls with carmelized onions and poppy seeds served with cream cheese. Mimi Sheridan wrote a book called The Bialy Eaters. (She also was a New York times restaurant critic.) She went to Poland to find authentic Bialys, but had a hard time finding any since most of the Jews were run out of Poland (if not killed). They took their traditional rolls to New York. I just took our basic dough, made little rounds, pressed a dent in the middle and filled with caramelized onions and poppy seeds. Bake on a stone at 218 degrees C. for 10 to 12 minutes. They came out fine.
