Blog posts

We've been in Warszawa since Thursday.

It has been cold, but it is actually quite beautiful right now.

Firstly, thanks to all the comments on my previous posting ... I am sorry I haven't had time to reply and say how much I appreciate the support. Secondly the oven build is going amazingly well. The photos really tell the story ... thank you Dennis, Allan, June and Justin - our hardworking ovenbuilders.

For, me ... I am still spending much of my time wrestling with ovens and experimenting with schedules, ingredients and techniques. Still quite a way to go ...

Thank you to all who have helped me and continue to help and to push me further ...

... and some oof the regular posters might have wondered what happened. 

Rather a lot, I suppose.

In terms of TFL - I am still catching up - all those rye posts by the bakers who attended the Hamelman class ...

Let's start with christmas - I received what seems a brain-splitting present: A voucher for a pastry course with Ghalid Assyb at Bertinet's in Bath, this was given inside a book about the DASH diet...

Jewish Sour Rye Bread

March 15, 2013

pizza night!

Cheers,

Wingnut

Okay, I got rid of the baking soda in the bread.  It doesn't taste like baking soda anymore.  I added 1/4 cup honey to the bread instead of diastatic malt, added zest of one orange and one more cup of oatmeal substituted for about that much flour. 

Results- better but still not a loaf to write home about, rather bland in flavor.  My husband says it's not near as flavorful as the 100% whole wheat bread from Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads.  Hmmm, what to do next? 

I am very new to this but im a great chef and baker...I could cook just about anything. I am very young but very experienced.

My friend Eric was stopping by to go to lunch yesterday so I told him I would bake bread for him to take home.  He requested something simple and plain.  I don't do simple and plain...it's just not part of my DNA, so what I came up with is as close as it gets!

This is an Irish bread very similar to an Irish Soda bread, except an authentic Irish Soda bread only has flour, buttermilk, salt and baking soda in it's ingredients.  

Since I have 'Sylvia's Irish Soda Bread' recipe on my blog.  I wanted to add the Irish Buttermilk Bannock as well.  Here it is a very traditional type bannock, which includes raisins or currants and eggs.  Quick, easy and tasty to whip up to enjoy at teatime or anytime.

Irish Buttermilk Bannock

Pre-heat Oven 350F

For weeks I ventured into the herbal and spicy world of Southeast Asia. Cambodian mint, Thai basil, black and white peppercorns, cassia, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, star anise, and so on...

For days I spent fine-tuning an Indian beverage called masala chai---a brew consisting of black tea, milk, sugar, and an assortment of spices and herbs.