JoeV
Washing Up
A couple of things happened since my last post on the hot dog and hamburger buns. First, the temperature sensor in our 16 year old Tappan range malfunctioned, and the repair was going to cost almost $200 for labor and materials. We decided say good bye to it, and went and bought a new range at the local appliance store. DW wanted to replace it anyway, because it was white and it clashed with the new ice box (black), so this just accelerated the decision (Personally, I think she put a whammy on it.) Here's out new toy (notice starters for tomorrow in bowls flanking the range):
It goes well with the black microwave and black granite tops (different shade of black).
Secondly, while shopping for the new range, I stopped into the local Half Price Books store, and DW pointed out a stack of brand new books on the closeout table; The Complete Book of Bread & Bread Machines, by Christine Ingram and Jeannie Shapter. They were only $7.98, so I grabbed one. I can't believe the volume of recipes from around the world, including step-by-step tutorials for making scores of different breads. There is a huge section loaded with recipes just for the bread machines, but they can easily be adapted to conventional breadmaking. This book has some of the best bread photography I have seen, and is a great resource for a newbie like myself. I also got a 10th printing of James Beard's Beard on Bread for meager $4.98. He covers some things in his book that are not in the other, so collectively they give me a better understanding of what I need to be paying attention to while baking bread.
I picked up and installed the new range today, and while "burning it off" for an hour, I started into the The Complete Book of Bread & Bread Machines. When I found the recipe for Focaccia bread, I said that's the one I want to try, since it's pretty simple and can be made on my pizza stone. I jazzed it up a little with some Italian seasonings and Parmesan cheese, and here's how the first item baked in the new oven turned out:
The pictures are not getting the true color of this bread, as it's a marvelous golden brown. Of course we had to cut it to sample it, so I got a shot of the crumb as well. I'm happy with it, but don't know if this is what I should expect from this bread:
We mixed a little Balsamic vinegar and EVOO together for dipping, and heated up a bit of Ragu Robusto Onion & Garlic sauce for dipping as well. It tasted great, and will be taking one of these for the kitchen rats at church tomorrow night. We have an event, so the help will all get a little treat as well.
I have a starter going for some seeded Italian I'll bake tomorrow, as well as the NY Times bread percolating on the counter. That will be made first thing in the morning. I found a Pyrex bowl with a matching lid at a flea market this morning for $2, so I'm going to try it out and hope teh darn thing doesn't crack when i throw the dough into the heated glass bowl.
It sure smells good around here today, and we like it that way.
Joe
It goes well with the black microwave and black granite tops (different shade of black).
Secondly, while shopping for the new range, I stopped into the local Half Price Books store, and DW pointed out a stack of brand new books on the closeout table; The Complete Book of Bread & Bread Machines, by Christine Ingram and Jeannie Shapter. They were only $7.98, so I grabbed one. I can't believe the volume of recipes from around the world, including step-by-step tutorials for making scores of different breads. There is a huge section loaded with recipes just for the bread machines, but they can easily be adapted to conventional breadmaking. This book has some of the best bread photography I have seen, and is a great resource for a newbie like myself. I also got a 10th printing of James Beard's Beard on Bread for meager $4.98. He covers some things in his book that are not in the other, so collectively they give me a better understanding of what I need to be paying attention to while baking bread.
I picked up and installed the new range today, and while "burning it off" for an hour, I started into the The Complete Book of Bread & Bread Machines. When I found the recipe for Focaccia bread, I said that's the one I want to try, since it's pretty simple and can be made on my pizza stone. I jazzed it up a little with some Italian seasonings and Parmesan cheese, and here's how the first item baked in the new oven turned out:
The pictures are not getting the true color of this bread, as it's a marvelous golden brown. Of course we had to cut it to sample it, so I got a shot of the crumb as well. I'm happy with it, but don't know if this is what I should expect from this bread:
We mixed a little Balsamic vinegar and EVOO together for dipping, and heated up a bit of Ragu Robusto Onion & Garlic sauce for dipping as well. It tasted great, and will be taking one of these for the kitchen rats at church tomorrow night. We have an event, so the help will all get a little treat as well.
I have a starter going for some seeded Italian I'll bake tomorrow, as well as the NY Times bread percolating on the counter. That will be made first thing in the morning. I found a Pyrex bowl with a matching lid at a flea market this morning for $2, so I'm going to try it out and hope teh darn thing doesn't crack when i throw the dough into the heated glass bowl.
It sure smells good around here today, and we like it that way.
Joe
