Sunday Post: March 20, 2022

Hello, my lovelies.

Fifteen years ago, I watched a video about bread baking. There was a baker in New York who claimed that he had revolutionized home bread making by perfecting a method of making bread with NO KNEADING.

Now, I have always wanted to be someone who bakes bread. Right about that time, I remember sitting at jury duty reading a very densely-packed book on bread making. I went all in that spring…I bought the vital wheat gluten, I kept dry milk on hand. I was determined.

And the results were…I mean, they were fine. But good bread from a bakery was beyond my skills.

Then I saw the video, and I thought—wow. I can do THAT.

If only it were that simple.

I had a Dutch oven, you see, but it had a plastic knob, so I ordered a nice metal one from the Le Creuset people, and in the time that it took to ship it to me, I had lost interest in artisan bread baking.

I am a NOTORIOUS dilettante.

Over the years, I circled back occasionally to the bread, but never back to the original video, the one with the no-knead dough. Instead, I focused on a fancy Japanese bread machine, and found some decent doughs that rendered acceptable bread via a machine.

Again, it wasn’t an artisan experience, but it was better than wonder bread.

And then…when was it? Thursday? I remembered about the no-knead bread and thought…if not now, when? And so, I present my first loaf of many, I suspect. Cause the recipe really is quite simple and kinda foolproof.

It’s SO pretty! And pretty tasty, too! Now I have to daydream about stuff to mix in. I’m thinking rosemary. Basil. OLIVES! Parmesan.

Here’s that original video, if you’re curious—

I read two books this week, which is a pretty small number for me these days. This brings me to 51/175, or about 14 books ahead of schedule.

Brilliance was a re-read for bookclub. It’s a sci-fi thriller set in an alternate earth where about 1% of the population since the 80s has been born “brilliant”, with some sort of enhanced abilities. Some of them are impressive, most are mundane, and all are threatening to the non-brilliant population. I found it an insightful look at the politics of othering, the lengths that people will go to to protect their families, and what happens when the people you thought were your family turn out t be the bad guys. I can’t recommend it enough.

The second was this ARC for the new Janet Evanovich book, which is welcome since I do think that JE can write, even though I hate Stephanie Plum like she washed my favorite wool sweater. Good start to a promising new series.

OK, that’s all from the 52 Bread Factory, where we mostly fear an underprooved dough.

Till next week, stay safe, hug the people you love, and make something awesome!