We need two things: a topic and a host.
The former can be debated and decided in this thread. The latter, well, someone will need to put their hand up.
I’ll be in Europe for a good chunk of October, so won’t be able to devote the time and effort to be a good host. Heck, I’ll be lucky if I even get to participate.
So, what do you want to bake? And who wants to herd cats? (It really won’t be that hard.)
Paul
Let's make it epic.
Panettone, either commercial yeast or wild yeast.
After all the holidays are right around the corner.
But I’m biased, lol!
11433 also known as Lin. She is a wonderful host, as well as an all around great kid!
What say you, Lin?
Since it is now autumn, at least here in the northern hemisphere, perhaps a bread or breads that have a harvest or autumnal theme.
Or, since winter holidays are coming up, maybe something that would be good for parties or family gatherings.
Paul
That’s a great idea Paul.
What about some danishes?
I would suggest to do bread soup. That theme celebrates breads as part of meals. It brings new challenge in a way that, it is not solely about the bread, but bakers' creativity to build well rounded product/ menu on top of it.
I like celebratory breads too, as Paul suggested. Also doughnuts! 😆
Jay
How are things in Wayne's world? I love seeing your posts. Your artistic nature begs the question? Are there other media you work with, besides flour and water?
Back to the discussion at hand. I like this Idea. I feel it could be expanded to dishes other than soup. Applications where bread is important to presentation and ultimately the consumption. Arab dishes were bread is the center of a plate of stew comes to mind. Basin is the name of a North African dish. As an example. Hope you have a great day!
P.S.
Doughnuts are always a good idea!
Will F.
Hi Will!
I'm rehabbing my enriched starter at the moment, have to take a step back for awhile! It's getting there!
I'm staring at my beyond-repairable flute right now 😆 Poor thing I was quite abusive during jazz improv practice sessions lol
That's a good idea! It's cool that many of us can construct sophisticated breads, and I feel their application in meals is just as important.
Thank you! You too!
Jay
Something that could be adapted to be plant-based would be inclusive - not just vegan, but for those with dairy or egg allergy / intolerance too.
The fresh loaf, is a very inclusive bread club. You may already know this about us. However, I just wanted to mention, that no matter the theme, or the day, breads made with or omitin certain ingredients are always welcome! Nice to meet you by the way.
Will F.
You could even specify one type like a yeast cake. Or a chocolate cake. Enough to keep everyone doing the same thing while having the freedom to still do a wide variety of cakes based on the theme.
Another idea is to post a very old recipe, for example something from the 14th century like Tasting History does over on YouTube, where the recipe is very vague and open to interpretation. Then we can see what we can come up with.
P.s. I can set up a community bake but won't be able to play host.
One Tasting History recipe I made recently was a variation on Bierocks ("https://www.tastinghistory.com/recipes/bierocks). It's not such an old recipe, only 20th century, but it was fun to do. A really old one, as Abe says, could be even more fun. Here are a few much older ones:
Egyptian spiral bread (circa 1100 BC) https://www.tastinghistory.com/recipes/spiralbread?rq=bread
Mersu (1800 BC) https://www.tastinghistory.com/recipes/mersu
Savillon (200 BC) (Roman cheesecake) https://www.tastinghistory.com/recipes/savillum
Pompeian Pizza (79 AD) https://www.tastinghistory.com/recipes/pompeiianpizza
I especially love the old ones where the recipe is a bit cryptic and one needs to work it out. Could be fun to see everyone's interpretation.
Tasting History really shines with those old cryptic recipes. It explains what the old terms and measures meant, and fills in the gaps based on contemporary evidence where possible.
And it's what YouTube is for. One has to sift through all the dirt to find diamonds.