November 13, 2010 - 1:54am
You know you are addicted to baking bread when...
You know you ae addicted to baking bread when...
...you wake up in the middle of the night, reach for the calculator and start working out hydration levels.
...you plan the weekend's activities around what the dough is doing.
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When, instead of reading a book before you sleep, you think of your levain ripenning time and the baking schedule, and sleep with that thought.
Hehehe
start to refuse going out on Friday night, as you have to prepare the dough for Saturday morning bake. Of if you really have to, you give excuses to your friends that you have to leave early because you are feeling sick:(
or when you're going to go on holiday, first thought to your mind, "who will do your starter-sitting?" "will your pet starter survive?"
Sue
http://youcandoitathome.blogspot.com/
I have tried putting the mixing bowl with the dough into my bed room so that i can check on it if I decide to do an overnite fermentation.
I'm up by 6:00 a.m. on Sat. mornings to shape the dough that's been prepared on a Fri. nite after work for the past couple of weeks. I seriously need to get a life!!! :)
This, from a real addictions counsellor (who's also an outstanding baker), on the issue:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/19694/are-you-addicted-baking-bread
I knew I was addicted when I bought a drug dealer's jeweller's scale for weighing yeast more precisely (down to 0.1 grams) and considered buying a small bar fridge to keep my levain and my fermenting bread in.
That's much worse than all the local librarians knowing me by name as the patron that checks out all the bread books in the system.
Ok foodslut, you take the prize for biggest bread freak. I knew I was addicted when I spoke with the order lady at King Arthur more often than my own mother!
..... proving my addict status: I have a calendar devoted SOLELY to my hobby baking schedule (pre-ferments, time to buy new fresh yeast, scheduling multiple big bakes, etc.)
During the ice storm of 1998, we lost power for 10 days, then had to move to a hotel when the power came back on and all the radiators exploded. The hotel suite had a tiny kitchen, and yes, I made bread in that teeny little oven. The whole floor was filled with the divine smell of freshly baked bread, and I even took a couple of pieces down to the guy on the desk. He'd given me some packets of salt, one of the ingredients I'd forgot to bring with me.
More than one might be a sign of a serious addiction. Watch for it!
when you don't sleep well cos you're excited abt the bread you'll be baking tomorrow
when the first thing you do when you do wake up is run downstairs to check on the starter altho you really need to pee
when you lug your jar of leaven to work cos the air-conditioned office is better for it, and for once be thankful for the arctic temperatures at work
when you bring your dough in its bowl out for dinner so you can excuse yourself and go fold it at the appropriate moments (this happened only once, at an impromptu dinner)
...and you embarrass your friends and family by begging a local bakery for one of its used full-sheet baking sheets, cuz no store in the vivinity carries them
Sigh, how about when you start talking bread and everyones eye's glaze over and they look for an escapt route? They are sure willing to eat the fresh bread though.... two big hits this week....
sourdough baguette and lunch lady rolls, my dh absolutely loved both and wants me to make some rolls for the big party at work the first week of December!
Who needs friends like that?
Really can't blame my friends, most have no clue what an autolyse is or what to do with a sourdough starter and don't have much time for baking. Don't worry, they definitely have their fine points.... one is my main supplier of pumpkin rolls and friendship bread and has no clue what to do with yeast breads!
When you break out in a panic induced cold sweat when your stash of bread is down to a few slices
Wasn't it Count Dracula who said, "For the BREAD is the life, eh, Mr Renfield"?
Oh, sorry...he said BLOOD
A baking calendar!
YES! What a great idea :)
... when you bring more breadbaking paraphernalia (I had to google how to spell that) than clothes when moving into a friends house for a fortnight of house/dogsitting :).
I just got here, and the poor dogs were almost in a panic, because I was finding a good spot for my starter and checking out the oven instead of feeding them.
I know I'm addicted because when I go out to eat I avoid things with bread such as sandwiches, hamburgers to eat because I know it comes with substandard bread. Or as your being directed to your table your checking out the bread quality at the tables your passing before you make your order.
Once I went to a very expensive restaurant and talked with the owner about his horrible bread and the virtues of baking it fresh. This bread was so nasty I hate to think about it.
You know you're addicted when you post to a baking forum at 2:54am (I'm talking to you, Syd.)
Or when you set your alarm for 1:30am on a weeknight so you can get up and shape your baguettes at the precisely right time. Who cares that you'll fall asleep during the staff meeting the next morning? Your bread was great!
Or when your significant other offers to bring you jewellry from his business trip to the Middle East and you tell him that you'd really rather have a brotform.
Or when you start keeping your dairy products in a Styrofoam cooler on ice because they can handle the temperature fluctuations better than your sourdoughs, which have completely taken over the refrigerator.
Lol! That is probably accounted for by the time difference between Taiwan and the States, but I have been known to wake up suddenly in the middle of the night with an idea in mind that just has to be written down lest it is forgotten!
You know you are addicted to baking when you absent mindedly run a red light because you are so engrossed in calculating recipe tweaks in you head. Whoops! (Promise to myself NEVER to do that again)!
when you choose to stay home and cook because you know that it will be better than anything you can order in the restaurant.
I hate to spend the price of a week's worth of groceries on a mediocre dinner out for one meal.