I baked bread

I am getting better but still not there. I am struggling with the interactions of yeast, sugar, flour etc. My loaves are turning out pretty well but not perfect. Have a look.

Maybe I am just stubborn, a born experimenter, or just a guy, but I am trying to figure this out by trial and error. I am sure I can find someone who can answer my questions but this a journey… well,  more of a tangent off my love for making homemade pizza.

I follow a lot of blogs of people who do this for a living. I am trying to discover that thing little by little. Hiring an expert would ruin my fun! I have to develop. Loaf by loaf.

I really like pulling a loaf out of the oven and sitting down with cheese or butter or a handful of peppers and a glass of wine and trying to figure out whether or not what I have just created is any good or not. And,  if I like it or not, why do I like it?

Sometimes I didn’t bump  in enough salt or this one was stuffed with cheese and olives and turned out too this or that, or the dough didn’t rise enough.

That’s the fun for me. The pursuit. Finding the balance. Tastes good or not?  Looks good or not? If I saw this in a store would I buy it? I remember buying a loaf of bread in Tokyo once for $12. I also ran into a VERY VERY famous actress in Santa Monica one afternoon at a bakery and she actually bought the same thing I did. ( there is no meaning in this at all… just a coincidence.) Funny though, I KNOW she remembers THAT loaf and THAT order on THAT day, and DID write about buying the same thing as me…damn straight she did… oh sorry!  I digress. 

Like I was saying. I am probably not the first person to bake a loaf of bread… (I checked) The point in baking is that it is creative.  That perfection is elusive as in so many other endeavors. Really when you think about it, perfection isn’t the goal anyway. Bread is food, yes. But baking a loaf of bread is a kind of amusement.  Waiting for dough to rise tests you. Coming to the conclusion that kneading gently instead of punching the shit out of the dough works better is a kind of wisdom you earn.  And living with certain facts like twisting and braiding loaves does not require 40 ft lbs of torque is just liberating. I am living proof. What goes in the oven comes out… but for me… I never know what will come out. Ah, yes… dp@large is a risk taker. Living dangerously. Boldly forging ahead. The guy is a maniac!

Anyway… I will settle back and wait for the oven.  Can you smell it coming out of the oven now? I have flour finger prints on my keyboard, a glass of wine, some brie, some ice cold pickled jalapenos, cold cuts, mustard, anchovies, olives, sliced onions, all at the ready.

Ding!

Bread is ready.

Anyone care to join me?

Cheers!

dp

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