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May 30, 2007
A Food Post
If you're dieting or don't want to see pictures of food, just move along. Come back tomorrow for an update on a finished pair of Jaywalkers! For those of you still here I spent a lot of time this weekend baking. I needed to make bread - I've basically stopped buying bread at the store and have been making it instead. It just tastes so much better and I love the process - I find it very relaxing. This time I wanted to try the Farmhouse White recipe from A Year In Bread. The recipe is really easy, except I let it rise to long on the second rise (when it's in the bread pans) and I got some weird bubbles on two of the loaves. I wasn't sure what to do with them so I was going to leave them, but I popped one when I was putting them in the oven. The whole thing deflated like a souffle!
The one that still has the bubbles looks odd
And one loaf turned out great. Go figure.
The good news is the bread tastes good so I'll definitely be making it again and hopefully I'll work out the kinks next time.
We had a barbeque on Monday for Memorial Day, but I made a cake for my mom's birthday. German Chocolate is her all time favorite. I looked in all of my cookbooks (and that's a substantial amount) and couldn't find a single German Chocolate Cake recipe. I ended up finding one online (you gotta love the internet!). The recipe wasn't particularly difficult but I had a really hard time with it for some reason. The cakes baked funny and the frosting didn't thicken like it was supposed to. I've decided cakes hate me. In the end (after about 7 hours from start to finish) it turned out well and tasted good, but only for my mom would I do it again.
My final contribution to the bbq (besides the burgers and dogs) was potato salad. This is the first time I've ever made potato salad - very un-American, I know. I made my friend Stacey's recipe (not to be confused with my sister Stacy) and I think I called her about 4 times to ask questions. She was a good sport and the potato salad turned out well and seemed to be a hit. What a relief.
I grafted the toes together on my Jaywalkers last night, so I'll have an update for you tomorrow. Hopefully things dry out a bit around here so I can get some outdoor photos - the rain and hail are screwing up my photo shoot plans.
Comments
that is funny how it baked with the bubbles! but, as long as it tasted great that's all that matters! I have to try that recipe - it looks really good, I just need a few more loaf pans so I can bake all 3 at once.....wow - 7 hrs for a cake - that is love!
Posted by: stacey at May 30, 2007 7:56 AM
Ooo...yum! Now I'm very hungry!
Posted by: margene at May 30, 2007 8:56 AM
Beautiful food! The only cake problem I've had was my crazy devil's food... That said, perhaps it is the altitude?
Posted by: Kristi aka Fiber Fool at May 30, 2007 9:59 AM
You've been baking/cooking up a storm. Everything looks wonderfully dee-lish! I've never made potato salad either.
Posted by: caitlyn at May 30, 2007 10:11 AM
German Chocolate is my dad's favorite cake too, and my mom always complains about how hard it is to make. So don't feel too bad, it's not just you. =) All of it looks delicious to me, though!
Posted by: Zarah at May 30, 2007 10:50 AM
MMmm. Potato salad.
Posted by: Carole at May 30, 2007 12:55 PM
So I've made pizza dough, and no knead bread.. I really need to get over my fear.. must do it.
Posted by: yaiAnn at May 30, 2007 1:30 PM
Good to know the Farmhouse White from A Year in Bread is tasty! I've been meaning to make it since I saw that post, but only remember at the most inopportune times (like now, sitting at work, rather than the 3-day weekend that was just crying for bread making.)
Posted by: Martine at May 30, 2007 4:03 PM
Oh, wow, I am hungry now!
Posted by: Knittripps at May 30, 2007 5:23 PM
Even with the bubbles, it's very pretty bread. I have had bread that ended up getting a third rise because it ended up slightly overproofed and bubbly. My sandwich loaf goes up tomorrow, come by and try another recipe if you get time.
~kitchenMage
Posted by: kitchenMage at May 30, 2007 11:04 PM
Stephanie! I wish that I lived closer, because I would find a way to come to your house all the time to eat.
I think you should ditch the lawyer thing completely and open a bakery.
Really.
Posted by: elisabeth at May 31, 2007 9:08 AM
bubbles, no bubbles, they all look great to me!
Posted by: kaetlyn at May 31, 2007 11:58 AM
The good thing about bread, you punch it down and let it rise again (develops the flavor more, too). The good thing about knitting, you frog it and start over. Ok, other good things about both. Makes me think about baking again; I used to...
Posted by: Judith at May 31, 2007 8:41 PM
Quick question about "instant yeast": what's the exact type of yeast I should be looking for in the grocery? I have both Rapid Rise yeast and then regular yeast but want to make sure I use the right one before attempting this recipe. Thanks!
Jody
Posted by: Jody Cheek at June 7, 2007 9:19 AM
