Making Bread

This is my 100th post for the year, already over double the normal annual number.

Amazing what a bush fire emergency and a pandemic, forcing one into self isolation, will produce. 

The New York based daughter is making her own bread. They find the normal supermarket offerings there  a bit sweet (I can relate) and artisan breads a little expensive.

So she found a recipe for a no knead bread which she has been encouraging me to try. She has modified it a little by adding oats, flax seeds and pepita (pumpkin) kernels.

So I got all the fixins’ and got my lesson over two days via Skype.

Mixing the dry ingredients with water was very easy. Then it was covered up with GladWrap for 24 hours to let the yeast do its thing.

It tripled in size and was very bubbly.

The next step wasn’t so easy.

I got my instructions and a practical demonstration via Skype ie. “Baking with Kate”, Series 1, Episode 2.

But I think my mixture was too wet and folding it into a ball and wrapping it in baking paper and a tea towel was a real challenge.

But eventually there it sat like a neat parcel for two hours to double in size, which it did, while the oven and the pan heated up to 220℃(425℉) during the last 30 mins.

So then it was a matter of getting it off the baking paper, folding it into a ball again and putting it in the hot pan.

Boy, this was a real struggle. 

It didn't want to cooperate at all, sticking to the paper which began to tear and spreading out all over the place. I fought with it for 5 minutes getting nearly all the dough off and then dumped it unceremoniously into the hot pan and into the oven. No chance of ball folding.

Forty minutes later, off with the lid for another 15 minutes to brown and then out onto a cooling rack.

Actually it didn’t look too bad. 

But in comparison to the daughters (see pic below), not so good.

The big test was next! 

Taste and texture.

After a few hours we cut it in half.

Nice crispy crust, nutty taste but a bit doughy and there were pockets of dry flour.

Oh well, it was a first try.

Next time I will be more careful with the water addition and try to make the dough drier.

But it was really fun to do, especially with the ‘live’ lessons from New York City.