The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Bronx-to-Barn Baker

Sylviambt's picture
Sylviambt

Bronx-to-Barn Baker

Hi all. It's been quite a while since I contributed to this site. Lots of changes in last 18 months: bought a farm, began raising grass-fed/grass-finished beef, sold house, now building farm house, started hosting an FM radio show about sustainable farming and its links to sustainable local economies and community. I've been relying on my bread machine for months, but I'm itching to get back to "real" bread baking. I've signed up for a Hamelman challenge to push me along. A secondary challenge is that my bread books are in storage while the farm house is under construction. I'm relying on a copy from the local library to help me make it through.

Hope you're all staying warm this wild winter.

Sylvia

Comments

janij's picture
janij

Where did you buy your farm?  We bought one about a yr ago.  I am finally back to baking as well.  My propane oven had issues.

That is very cool about the FM show.  I just love living on a farm.  But we have decided, no more babies in January and February!!  Too cold.  Good time for baking, bad tome for babies!

Sylviambt's picture
Sylviambt

So nice to meet you! Our farm is along the Western border of Wisconsin, just a bit more than an hour from the Minnesota metro area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Right now we're in a rental in town until construction can resume on our house on the farm. We were stopped by the icy weather. Yes, we'll be cooking with propane but baking with an electric oven. Hoping for more even heat.  

You can check in on the radio show via the Internet. It's streamed live, 8:30-9:00 a.m. Saturdays at http://www.wpcaradio.org. Hope you can listen in and email me with any pointers. If you miss the show, you can catch a podcast on my blog, http://www.bronxtobarn.com. 

Hope you have a good baking weekend.

Sylviambt

Bronx-to-Barn Baker (blog)

janij's picture
janij

I will try to listen in next week.  Beautiful cows.  We have British White cows, pigs, milk goats and chickens.  My kidsa re in heaven!!

The propane oven works well now that we have the regulator was not in there right.  But once I got that fixed it bakes fantastic.

Hoep the weather gets better so you can get back to building your house!

Sylviambt's picture
Sylviambt

This'll be short. My pre-ferment for Country Bread is now 14 hours old and looking very immature. The kitchen's cold. I'll start worrying in a couple of hours.

Note: I use a sharpie to jot notes on the plastic wrap to keep things organized. Especially helpful when many different loaves are under construction.

Just read the first three pages of 52 Loaves, by William Alexander. I'm hooked. Engaging, funny writing. He features quotes from the famous, including this one by Julia Child, "How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?" Says it all, doesn't it?

Till later.

Sylvia