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Hot, sunny, California summer days do not lend themselves to baking. On days like these, the oven sits idle while the air conditioner blasts an ever-inadequate amount of cool air which the ceiling fans lazily circulate. Precious seedlings that we planted months ago shrivel in the intense sunshine, for lack of attention or suitability to an arid climate. But the grapevine continues to thrive, climbing the patio cover with reckless abandon and producing bunches of tart purple grapes.
Exactly one year ago I started my blogging adventure. I’ve baked many a tasty loaf of bread over the last 525,600 minutes, but lately I’ve been in a bread rut. When I achieved roasted garlic sourdough perfection, I became rather uninterested in baking anything else. I baked hundreds of garlic sourdough loaves and shared just as many as I consumed. I am thrilled to have discovered a consistent recipe that produces a tangy bread each time. But nobody should get stuck in a rut (even if it is a tangy, garlicky one), so for World Bread Day 2010 I have left my bread comfort zone to bake sourdough focaccia.
As summer finally begins to disappear, taking the 100 degree days with it, I look for ways to bring a bit of autumn into my kitchen. One of the first hints of fall that I notice is the steady stream of weekend tourists driving up the hill to pick apples. The cool weather is still elusive but the apples are starting to mature on the trees. Cider is pressed in the barn, and apple cider donuts are rolling off the conveyor belt. Autumn has definitely arrived.
What’s the difference between a cupcake and a muffin? This issue caused a bit of confusion while I was developing this recipe. Many of the sources that I came across wrote about similar recipes, some calling them cupcakes instead of muffins. So how did I make the final decision?
I’m looking for a few good book recommendations. It’s time to start making my summer reading list. I’ll be taking a trip in a few weeks so I need to discover some good books for the journey. I’ll tell you about my latest read and share a recipe, and then you can give me some book recommendations. Deal?
Sometimes good breads come in small packages. This bread was not a high-riser, but it certainly packed a lot of flavor! I may have used pans that were too large for the amount of dough. But looks aren’t everything, and I’ll eat a good slice of bread no matter what shape or size it comes in.
I’m learning to bake vegan. I really enjoy eating vegan goodies, so naturally the next step is to learn to make them myself. I baked a vegan cake last year (before I started blogging), and it was amazing! This time, I tried my hand at vegan muffins. I don’t drink cow’s milk, but I do use buttermilk when it’s called for in a recipe. It helps keep muffins tender and lends a somewhat tangy flavor as well. So when I discovered that I could make vegan buttermilk with soy milk and a little apple cider vinegar, I decided to bake some muffins!
I am so thrilled with this bread! You see, sourdough starter and I have had an on again-off again relationship for almost two years now. I cultivated a starter from scratch. It was bubbly and it smelled nice and sour. I used it to make pancakes and cake, with wonderful results. But something always went wrong when I tried to make bread. I didn’t want to give up on my starter so I tried again and again. Nothing worked…until now. I started a brand new starter from scratch last week, and just look at this bread! I suspect that my old starter may have been the source of my troubles.
When I learned that bread could be baked without commercial yeast, I had to give it a try. I love finding new ways to become self-sufficient, and making bread with a wild yeast culture definitely appealed to me. Plus, it sounded like a fun science experiment with the added result of delicious homemade bread. To bake with wild yeast, the first step is to create a starter. This starter serves as a master culture of the organisms necessary to leaven a loaf of bread. A portion of the starter is used each time you bake, and the rest of the starter is refreshed for next time.
Cornmeal and molasses give this bread a deep, rich flavor. You can taste the absence of refined sugar. That flavor is intensified with the addition of whole wheat flour. It tastes just as great with butter and fresh jam as it does with a savory tomato and olive bruschetta. I will definitely make this bread again and again. So how does this recipe compare with the recipe that I posted yesterday? Continue reading “To Knead or Not to Knead? Anadama Bread, Part 2” » |
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This work by Simple Math Bakery is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States. |
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