Tasty Things
Feb. 11th, 2011 03:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bluesgardenSo Wednesday I was finally able to make it to town and exchange the jar of instant yeast that D was kind enough to pick up for me, for the jar of regular yeast that I actually needed. (He had a jar lid with him but, in his defense, he said the store he went to only had the one kind.) This led to me actually having the necessary ingredients to try the Bread in Five Minutes a Day method and last night I mixed up the dough. This one actually rose after a couple hours on the counter (unlike the last attempt with the old yeast) and it was a bit puffier after a night in the fridge.
I didn't quite get the shaping right - having missed a spot - and I watched nervously as no more rise seemed forthcoming while it rested before going into the oven but I sallied forth bravely. For baking I do have a baking stone although unlike most it is glazed (and therefore not absorbent) but it still retains heat, so I used that and a small cast iron skillet to pour the water into. Naturally, I completely forgot to slash the top before it went in the oven but remember that spot I missed in the shaping? That's where most of the expansion occurred. :P
It's probably a good thing it had somewhere to go, thus keeping the bread light. Ultimately, the dough ball started out the size of an orange and ended up about the size of large grapefruit plus the extra bit on the side. I only baked it for 25 minutes with the thought that it was somewhat smaller than the recipe was directing for, as well as being nicely browned and sounding hollow at that point, but after cutting into it, I think I'll go for the full 30 minutes next time.
Oh, wow is this tasty bread! Crackly, delicate crust (not thick or tough) and soft, slightly chewy insides. It seems a bit salty to me at this point and I did use kosher salt as directed, but I hardly let it cool before I was tearing into it. NOM NOM NOM.
Now I've milk in the crockpot turning into yogurt and Wheat Berry and Sweet Potato Bake cooling. I may also get to making some granola today, but we'll see.
eta: Wheat Berry and Sweet Potato bake is very good. I used sliced muenster cheese instead of shredded gruyere as I bought the wrong thing at the store, and water instead of vegetable stock as I suddenly realized I'd used the last of everything except my beef stock in vegetable soup yesterday.
I didn't quite get the shaping right - having missed a spot - and I watched nervously as no more rise seemed forthcoming while it rested before going into the oven but I sallied forth bravely. For baking I do have a baking stone although unlike most it is glazed (and therefore not absorbent) but it still retains heat, so I used that and a small cast iron skillet to pour the water into. Naturally, I completely forgot to slash the top before it went in the oven but remember that spot I missed in the shaping? That's where most of the expansion occurred. :P
It's probably a good thing it had somewhere to go, thus keeping the bread light. Ultimately, the dough ball started out the size of an orange and ended up about the size of large grapefruit plus the extra bit on the side. I only baked it for 25 minutes with the thought that it was somewhat smaller than the recipe was directing for, as well as being nicely browned and sounding hollow at that point, but after cutting into it, I think I'll go for the full 30 minutes next time.
Oh, wow is this tasty bread! Crackly, delicate crust (not thick or tough) and soft, slightly chewy insides. It seems a bit salty to me at this point and I did use kosher salt as directed, but I hardly let it cool before I was tearing into it. NOM NOM NOM.
Now I've milk in the crockpot turning into yogurt and Wheat Berry and Sweet Potato Bake cooling. I may also get to making some granola today, but we'll see.
eta: Wheat Berry and Sweet Potato bake is very good. I used sliced muenster cheese instead of shredded gruyere as I bought the wrong thing at the store, and water instead of vegetable stock as I suddenly realized I'd used the last of everything except my beef stock in vegetable soup yesterday.
