JoeV
Washing Up
Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Joe and I live in Mentor, Ohio with my wife Linda and our son David (22). He likes it here and is not ready to fly the coop like his sisters did. I'm 57 and have been cooking since my mother taught me and my four brothers to do so at an early age. Mom always said she did not want her boys to be a burden on any woman, so she taught us cooking, baking and even how to mend socks (shows how old I am), sew on a button and even to crochet.
Just before Easter I started to bake bread because my mother-in-law passed away and none of her daughters were willing to bake the Easter bread for our traditional Easter brunch that Mom always did. Not wanting to lose this tradition for all the kids and grandkids, I bellied up to the bar, fired up Google, and the Easter bread was not only a reality, but it was also a big hit. Three loaves were toasted for 13 people for brunch, then two additional loaved were eaten with dinner at my twin brother's home that evening. BTW, my twin makes the Slovenian potica that our mother made when she was living. he's been doing that since 1999. Here's the Easter bread along with some mini loaves of banana bread:
Getting the white, egg and wheat breads was not too bad of a learning curve, but the sourdough breads are my current quest to get the perfect crumb. I use the cookie sheet and water method to get the steam in my oven, and I now have that nice crunchy, chewy crust on my bread and kaiser rolls. I still have a ways to go to get those nice big holes in the bread, but that will come with time, trial and more research. Here's the batch from last night's baking session:
These were made a few days ago:
The taste is great and the loaves disappear quickly, which gives me reason to do more baking. We have not bought bread from the store in over 4 weeks, and don't miss those prices, especially for the 9-grain and other specialty breads. I've learned that I can buy all the ingredients and put it right into the dough at the right time, thus achieving the same (or better) taste, and without all the preservatives.
Enough about me, I look forward to contributing some of my recipes and pictures in the near future.
Joe
Just before Easter I started to bake bread because my mother-in-law passed away and none of her daughters were willing to bake the Easter bread for our traditional Easter brunch that Mom always did. Not wanting to lose this tradition for all the kids and grandkids, I bellied up to the bar, fired up Google, and the Easter bread was not only a reality, but it was also a big hit. Three loaves were toasted for 13 people for brunch, then two additional loaved were eaten with dinner at my twin brother's home that evening. BTW, my twin makes the Slovenian potica that our mother made when she was living. he's been doing that since 1999. Here's the Easter bread along with some mini loaves of banana bread:
Getting the white, egg and wheat breads was not too bad of a learning curve, but the sourdough breads are my current quest to get the perfect crumb. I use the cookie sheet and water method to get the steam in my oven, and I now have that nice crunchy, chewy crust on my bread and kaiser rolls. I still have a ways to go to get those nice big holes in the bread, but that will come with time, trial and more research. Here's the batch from last night's baking session:
These were made a few days ago:
The taste is great and the loaves disappear quickly, which gives me reason to do more baking. We have not bought bread from the store in over 4 weeks, and don't miss those prices, especially for the 9-grain and other specialty breads. I've learned that I can buy all the ingredients and put it right into the dough at the right time, thus achieving the same (or better) taste, and without all the preservatives.
Enough about me, I look forward to contributing some of my recipes and pictures in the near future.
Joe
