What I like most about bread is…

eating it, of course!
But what I like most about making bread is the versatility of design and pattern that you can incorporate into your loaf or bun/roll.

Yesterday I made two different doughs-

~rye with caraway seeds~

~sourdough peasant ~

I had different purposes for each bread- the rye for sausage rolls and the sourdough for a picnic sandwich loaf.  They worked out perfectly – I folded the rye and sliced it (as Celia showed in one of her posts , entitled school rolls.)

It was so easy and fun and they rolls were a perfect complement for the Italian sausage I fixed for supper.

This dough was made with Ohio grown and milled rye and wheat, and topped off with caraway seeds I grew in my herb garden.  Freshly harvested caraway seeds are magnificent in fragrance and flavor- and very easy to grow and harvest.  If you love caraway seed at all, I suggest you try growing your own.  It is very rewarding!

I braided the sourdough peasant bread.

It is called peasant bread because of the addition of a handful or so of the freshly milled rye flour in with the high gluten bread flour.  This dough was so pliable and fun to work with- it begged to be braided  !

Sorry these pictures are so dark- it was stormy looking all day yesterday, and I didn’t realize how dark it was until I looked at these pictures this morning.

Dividing the dough into  pieces I rolled them into long snakes and then started braiding in the center- leaving the ends loose, I then turned the entire braid over and finished braiding backwards. 

Braid loosely so there is room for the bread to raise!

I used a pizza pan to shape the wreath, and connected the ends to each other by pinching and cajoling (hah- a little bread humor!).  Then brushed on an egg white wash and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Allow to raise about 1 1/2 hours and then bake for about 25 minutes at 375 F.

Isn’t it beautiful?

I’m going to slice through it and make it into a giant picnic sandwich !

And look how the rye rolls turned out-

They tasted even better than they look!

Yesterday was a very good bread day!

My new motto.

Once, long ago, someone asked me  what was my philosophy of bread.

It was not an innocent or friendly question.

This person was not my friend and by the way she asked the question I realized she was not interested in becoming my friend.

I shouldn’t have answered her question.

Now I would look at her and lift my left eyebrow as I looked over my glasses quizzically at her and smile slightly.

Then, I felt obligated to be sociable, if not nice, to such inquiries.

So I stammered ” Philosophy of bread?  I like to make it and I love to eat it.”

Major fail – in her opinion- she smirked and walked away.

So, I found a working philosophy to hand out to my students when I was teaching bread baking and shaping classes-

And it still works for me.  But it was just a safe substitute because I was still in the – make it- eat it- phase of my life.

Then, we went on a family vacation where we rented a home with a fully stocked kitchen.  The island we were staying on had two choices for bread, soft-unflavored white loaf and dry and heavy wheat bread. 

The first day there I made bread.  Two glorious high rising chewy and crunchy loaves that smelled like a bit of heaven.   My family thanked me and I responded to them my real philosophy of bread.

Wherever I am – there will always be bread.

Today, I am making bread with flour I ground-

and sourdough starter I’ve been keeping-

and caraway seeds I’ve grown and harvested.

( I left the seeds too long in the garden- because I wanted them to self seed some plants for next year and it has been too hot to check everyday.

I left them over long- which has brought me to come to another philosophy-

Anything that crawls away should be allowed to depart in peace.

eww.  )

Any way, I’m off to make bread- which I still like to do-

and later, we will eat it- which I still LOVE to do.

Because, where ever I am , there will always be bread.

At least, that is my philosophy.

Bialy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bialy, a Yiddish word short for bialystoker, from Białystok, a city in Poland, is a small roll that is a traditional dish in Polish Ashkenazi cuisine. A traditional bialy has a diameter of up to 15 cm (6 inches) and is a chewy yeast roll similar to a bagel. Unlike a bagel, which is boiled before baking, a bialy is simply baked, and instead of a hole in the middle it has a depression. Before baking, this depression is filled with diced onions and other ingredients, including (depending on the recipe) garlic, poppy seeds, or bread crumbs.

The name bialy is short for bialystoker kuchen (Bialystok Cake). The bialy was formerly little known outside of New York City, but has started to move into the larger market. They were originally brought into the United States by Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

I found the recipe here.  You can click over there from Zeb Bakes on my side bar of blogs and scroll down to see her breads. 

The bialy is a cousin of the bagel- just more depressed than holey.  The flavor and texture is wonderful- chewy and toothsome- I ate two still warm from the oven and I’m not a bit sorry.  I made them smaller- the recipe spoke of 12- I made 18.  These are really worth the effort- I just wish I could figure out why I start baking on stifling hot days.  The baking temp for these is 450 degrees F- so my face got a little singed every time I opened the oven.

The buns are from the same  source.  Joanna at Zeb Bakes is a dedicated bread baker- and I love to try some of the artisan breads she tries.

These are from  a post she wrote  this week- ” If you don’t know it, Dan Lepard writes a great baking column each week in the Guardian newspaper, usually with ingredients that are easily available and fairly straightforward techniques for the home baker to follow. ”

Mine don’t look as good as hers, but they sure tasted good.  I made them to go with hamburgers- and they are great!  They don’t get soggy, aren’t doughy or too big, and the flavor is delicious on its own.

They are easy to make, just indent the lines on the large rectangle before the second rise, and then bake them in the pan.

Cut them in half…

…and load them up with goodies!

Everyone loved them!

I really love  eating,making, eating, shaping, eating and baking bread.

I’ve been playing with it for years- making pretzels, braids, wreaths, loaves, bowls, rolls, turkeys, bunnies, bears, cats, turtles, alligators, otters, babies,stars, sunny faces, cottage loaves, batards, baguettes, and today, I made a horse.

A pony, really

.

Not really very realistic,  but recognizable.

It’s a Chincoteague pony- they are rounder in the belly and shorter in the leg.

I made him for my grandson, who loves the Chincoteague ponies.

He really looks much better on the other side.

Don’t you agree?

Anyway- I made 3 kinds of bread today-

French, in baguettes and an epi loaf.

Sourdough rye with caraway seeds.

And whole wheat with sesame – into stars and horses-

And Bunnies and bears and loaves.

BREAD!!!!