The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

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davidg618's picture
davidg618

I know this is off topic, but we're so pleased with the results, just had to post it.

The old stove never failed to deliver, but it was time to go

typical between-times mess

Finished. The stove is a dual-fuel Electrolux Icon

Just in time for the holidays!

1/3/2013 Update

A spice drawer still needed installing when I first posted. Here it is. Yeah, it's rather unassuming...

...until you open it.

I've forever wanted to have those spices I use most frequently immediately at hand. Now I do.

David G

proth5's picture
proth5

We've seen it before - a person goes "missing" on TFL.

But I'm still out here and kicking. Just not baking.

My time in Okinawa "morphed" just a bit and I'm still commuting across the Pacific.  I've already survived earthquakes and tsunamis and now am looking forward (not) to typhoon season.  It's a beautiful place, but it has a lot of ways to kill you (won't even mention the snakes, spiders, and cone shells -oops, I did...)

I managed to ship quite a bit of Okinawan flour to that property that I own in the US, but alas, have not managed to pack it up and ship it to the lab for testing.  My theory is that the ash content is lacking, thus these beautiful but bland breads.  Really, I will get to it soon... Inquiring minds want to know.

To all of you who are baking beautiful breads, I say "Nice breads!" but understand that even when I get home time is so short (and stuff to do so much!) that baking is difficult and the baking deprivation is hitting me hard.

I did go to an upscale department store on Kokusai street where one of my colleagues had to pull me away from watching the baker slash breads  (with the very same tool I use...) and use a very ingeneous folding loader to load them in the oven.  I'm sure he was quite alarmed by the big blonde woman who practically walked into the tiny space near the oven, but was too polite to give any clear indication of it.  We did try the bread there which had the most taste of any I have tried in Okinawa.

I am no stranger to being set down in places where the culture is different and I don't speak the language, but this has been quite an adventure.  They tell me I'll be back in the US for good - soon.  Although I've heard that before :>)  When the time comes for the summing up, I feel that I will never be quite the same.  Some things I will be able to talk about then - others not.

So, best wishes to Norm and his test bakers (I knew I wasn't going to be able to do that...), happy milling to all you new (and old) home millers, and don't worry - although breadless, I am happily nourished on Okinawan soba and sticky rice!

Oh, and - I'll be back!

Pat

proth5's picture
proth5

So,this is off topic and I am somewhat sorry.  I've hit baking deprivation in a big way (which is demonstrated by the fact that I just bought a cute little pullman pan with the rationale that I have already committed to having to ship a few things from the Ryukyu to home and that I've never seen one that size in the US) and I'm only one month in.  Sigh.

But, yesterday my wakeup call was the shaking of the earth and the tsunami warnings.  This is not my favorite way to wake up.  But I figured that the weekend's excitement was over.

As I type, Okinawa is on tsunami alert due to the Chilean earthquake.  It is one thing to be shaken awake.  It is another thing to prepare for and speculate on disaster as it approaches.  My limited Japanese keeps me mostly in the dark, but I do know that places where I normally work/play/shop are closed and evacuated.  Fortunately my hotel is on the East China Sea side of the island, and I am more than 30 feet up, but it is strange and stressfull to think  tsunami may be hitting this tiny island. Obviously I have been glued to the internet, but we don't seem to be newsworthy.  The one English language TV station that we have is not helpful.  I'm used to weathering the weather of the Rocky Mountain region.  It is frankly freaky to me to have these threats coming from the earth itself.

Although the Japanese stations continue to flash a map (with Okinawa in red - that can't be good) what numbers I can understand (and it is amazing how desperation is a fabulous language teacher - these were just sounds to me a matter of weeks ago and now I can figure out some words - and I used my first Japanese words to get what I wanted rather than pointing today.  Hooray!) tell me that while I have typed and fretted the worst was not as bad as it could have been and has probably passed.

I'm not sure that I will ever be able to process news reports about earthquakes around the world in quite the same way ever again.

Please remember the victims of the Haitian and Chilean earthquakes. 

And bake a loaf for me...

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