Bread Belongs Everywhere

You don't believe it? Take a look.

Sourdough and Yeasted Bread

There are so many ways to make wonderful bread, I find it interesting that two diverse camps emerge. Some add manufactured yeast to their ingredients while others rely on the more natural sourdough starter. Too often those who use sourdough look with distain at those who use yeast. It's just another example of the holier than thou philosophy-something else that keeps people apart.

Energy

A friend of mine recently said that burning wood to make bread and pizzas was really a "no-no."He then talked about the significant air pollution caused by burning wood. Yes, he was right about the air pollution, but there are very few ways to make bread and pizzas without causing pollution. My friend does all his cooking and baking in a conventional electric range in his kitchen, and this is indeed a clean way to prepare food at home, but then you have to ask where the energy comes from to produce the electricity. The electricity probably comes from burning coal or oil, hardly clean methods. The electric power might also be generated from nuclear, but nobody has really figured out what to do with the waste products nor how to keep fissionable materials out of the hands of very unsavory people. Large amounts of energy are produced from hydro projects, but look at all the people being displaced in China right now, and consider the longterm effects of changing whole ecosystems. Natural gas is another option, but consider the attendant drilling required and the long pipelines.
I know people who produce their own electricity from photovoltaic cells, but I can't imagine them producing enough power to bake bread in their electric stove.
And then there are the political considerations when we rely on energy sources from other countries, or for that matter when we rely on American corporations for anything.
There is simply no easy answer in an overpopulated world when it comes to choosing energy sources, but I don't want to play the "I'm greener than you" game.

POW Camp Bread Oven

During WWII, many German prisoners were brought to Maine and kept in the Maine forest for the duration of the war. All that now remains of the camp located in upper Somerset County is the bread oven.

Sourdough Starter

The primary cause of sourdough bread failures usually has to do with weak starter. A poor or weak starter will not leaven the dough properly. Starter should be bubbling, robust and pleasant smelling. It should look something like the starter in the photo. Much more about this later.

Soft Crust

The last sourdough bread I baked had a soft crust, but I'm not exactly sure why. In this case the outer surface of the dough was coated with olive oil before it went into the bowl to rise. Rarely do I place a dough in the refrigerator to retard its leavening properties, but this time I had no choice. Friends were visiting and we already had plenty of bread. I wanted to bake the next day, and that's what I did.
After preheating the oven, I took the bowl of dough from the refrigerator and flopped the cold dough directly on the quarry tiles. Then I covered the dough with my flower pot cover. The dough was much softer than usual when it went on the tiles. I baked it at 475 undercover for 15 minutes and then at 400 for 30 minutes.
The bread was excellent, but the crumb was quite uniform. Usually I get irregular mouse holes.
The reason for the soft crust probably had something to do with the olive oil and the long proof in the refrigerator. More experimenting is called for
Check out the photos.

Winterbake

Although it's officially Spring, someone made a mistake because it's really still Winter.
However, the weather should never stop you if you're passionate about bread baking and pizza making.
This is Ollie's first try at baking in an earth oven, and the results were astonishing. We were a little concerned about the oven not heating up properly because of the weather, but we got the oven so hot we were baking right by the oven opening, the coolest spot. Even then, without constant attention, the pizzas would burn in less than 2 minutes. After we were done baking and eating, the oven was then at the right temperature for baking, but who wanted to wait?
To find out how to build an earth oven, go to http://www.breadhunter.com and go to bread books.

Experiment #136

cover on for 10 minutes at 475 and then off for 30 minutes at 400. Made with 1 cup starter.
another excellent bread, but the crust is still a little too thick. Have not yet been able to make a thin crust.
The hornos photo is from the Isleta Pueblo

Gluten Free Pizza

The other night at Grand Central Cafe, Elise and I made a gluten free pizza that might be of interest to a lot of people. To begin, we crushed up some corn tortilla chips on a circular pizza tray, and then we spread cheese on the top. We placed it into the brick oven until the cheese melted and fused the chips together. After taking the tray from the oven, pizza sauce and various toppings were added and it was sent back into the oven. The pizza baked for about 5 minutes and we sliced it up and served it. Yes, it was a little weird, but gluten free pizzas are always a little strange. However, people who are gluten intolerant are used to foods that are a little different. The pizza was in fact, quite good.
Next time I'll try to take some photos.

High Cost Of Wheat

Consider making thin crust pizzas because they use about half the flour that a "standard" crust pizza uses. The cost of wheat has gone through the roof, and the cost of flour will follow, and we can blame this on George Bush and his failed presidency.