Paper Whites Update

Well they are beginning to bloom. It is interesting to see which way they are pointing as it can change every few hours. Could be the snow on the skylight as we have had off and on snow showers for days!

New Year New Bread

This is my first attempt at ciabatta. I love the crust but not sure my inside texture was fully developed.

This bread was made from a starter sponge that was 24 hours old. I will be working with starters and sponges this month.

Since I was eperimenting with the starter I used an old favorite(my Italian bread)

the starter was one cup water and one cup flour and 1/2 tsp yeast left overnight in the bread machine to this I added 1/2 c water and then all the ingredients of my Italian bread(see my first post) this made a very soft dough that I had rise once in the machine, shaped then let set 30 min. I baked it off at 450 for 10 min and 375 for twenty min.

One very bad cat!

This little sweetie thinks he is so clever climbing the tree every time I sit down in my chair!

This four foot tree on the end table is his favorite climb as he winds his body round and round.

Paper Whites

One of my favorite things to do with kids in the winter is to grow paper whites.

My cat Dexter is very interested in my beginning to grow paper whites. I then had to put them on top of my cookbook bookcase. Well, I forgot they were there and found them Christmas eve

growing sideways as they were too close to the celing! They are now above the kitchen cabinets still getting taller ,......

Bye Bye December.....

I think I just made my last fruited bread for December. I am already working on a starter for a rustic loaf. Making rustic bread is tough with a bread machine and an electric stove but my experiments are getting better each time! It is just a challenge I hope to master this next year. Part of the trick is being extra slow to make the bread so the starter I started today will not be bread before tomorrow.

Merry Christmas

to all of those who have watched my bread baking

more to come....

many more books too!

Merry Christmas.

December Breads

This is the month of fruits and nuts.

It seems that the holiday season is decorate everything and so we do the same with breads.

this Challah bread was this weeks bread. Since I make single loaves with the bread machine you actually use very little dried fruit.

Fruited Challah

1 egg

1 cup water

3 cups bread flour

pinch of salt

2 tbs honey

2 tbs butter

2 tsp instant yeast

1/2 cup dried fruit

I start in the bread machine through the first rise,

Shape and let rise again (30-40 min.)

Apply egg wash and bake.

Again I bake this at 400 for ten minutes and 350 for twenty additional minutes.

This bread also makes great french toast!