We 3 gmas baked together
Today's bake was Ciabatta bread... and actually we ended looking pretty similar this time... Helen's bread leads into this post... you can see the similarity of our efforts this week. ;-)... This was Helen's and my first time making ciabatta and we will definitely do it again. Barb had made it before but likes today's end result so much better than her first adventure. Here are the photos... and as usual it was fun to share the baking and the love.
Just take a look at those great loaves. They are golden iand lovely... She, and I, used the KAF recipe... Mine are below... I love the texture of this bread... Helen made a sandwich and said that hers is delicious.. You can see that, I say!!!
My loaves are below.
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My loaves turned out pretty derned good, if I can so so myself!... I will definitely make this bread again, and again. 
Barb's loaves are wonderful also... but she had more than loaf making going on in her Washington kitchen... Her great-granddaughter Maria, our great-great-niece... made pizza and salted the pretzels... that is taking it to another generation... I don;t know why she skipped the two in between... yeah... I do know... but shhhh!!! There is nothing like inspiring a sweet great grand babe! ... Check this out!
How about that??!! A family day bake across the mile and across the generations... what a great way to spend the day with family...by long distance, texting and cyberspace... I love ya'll.
Happy Baking.... we will see what we come up with next week... I am having my second "total reverse shoulder replacement" tomorrow... we shall see if I am kneading next week... or just posting what my sisters do... Stay tuned! LOL
Barb, Helen, and Diane
Good luck with the surgery and may this arm shoulder turn out as well as the other! Secondly, your apprentice,about the same age as mine, is definitely more; helpful, dedicated and better looking than mine....and less hairy too I might add - all good things. What a cutie! Thirdly, your ciabatta all turn out very well and any sandwich would look and taste good inside . The pizza looks delish but those pretzels look professional in every way. Were they a KA recipe too? We do want to be adopted into your family so your Great, Great Grand Daughter and niece, who has to be a great baker too, can teach us how to make pretzels - something my apprentice has never tried to do and would want to pumpernickel them no doubt ;-(
all will go well... anything less is unacceptable... pumpernickel pretzels... hmmm... I will think on that! You really must be adopted in because your thinking might be a little "twisted" too... LOL... thanks for the comments... and yes, Barb's great granddaughter is definitely less hairy than your apprentice... but they are BOTH cute!
Diane
Next week in deference to the surgery, we are going to bake Peter Reinhart's recipe for cornbread. It begins with polenta and buttermilk and goes on to a swirl of crispy bacon and cornmeal nestled in more bacon fat. Should be a sure cure for any lingering soreness. http://leitesculinaria.com/7175/recipes-cornbread.html
Hope you join us, we will look forward to the additions that your apprentice makes to this recipe.
Happy Baking
Caraway seeds on rye pretzels? Mmm, Maria may have started a trend with her colored sprinkles. I thought I had finally come up with a pretty good recipe for pretzels but a while back someone posted pictures of Food Network's Alton Brown recipe so I tried it and it is straight forward, fast and easy. What's not to love? This time I forgot to add a little barley syrup but don't think there was a noticeable difference. I don't know that I would ever have the nerve to use lye although I'm sure the taste benefits are there. Having apprentices safely helping make the loss in authentic taste nothing at all. We will have to think of something kneadless for our next week's baking. Diane is amazing though and may just present us with a new challenge that the 3 gma's plus one will have to take up!
Happy Baking