GrongarBlog – Page 77

Ciabbata – BBA Challenge bread 7

The challenge bread two weeks ago was ciabatta, and I was thrilled! After weeks of various enriched breads, I was longing for a basic, real loaf I could slice and butter or eat with cheese.

We had a choice of five variations of this bread (two different starter methods: poolish or biga; and three additional variations: with wild mushrooms, with cheese, or with caramelized onion and herbs).

I chose to use the biga version, and to make it plain. And it turned out pretty much the way I wanted. Continue reading “Ciabbata – BBA Challenge bread 7”

A load off my mind

Remember way back when, when did that little house move/renovation project?

Back then, we were looking for ways to cut costs and one of the decisions we made was that we would do all the painting ourselves. We figured we could handle it and it would cut a good chunk out of the budget. We’ve done a lot of the interior and things look okay (though we just bought paint last month to finally do the stairs and my office). We also did one exterior coat, and paid someone to do the second coat on the second story, figuring I could easily complete the second coat near the bottom last summer.

Well… that didn’t happen. And it’s been hanging over my head all spring. I really enjoy the painting, but it turns out I don’t have as much free time in the summer as I was hoping I’d have, and it also turns out that my free days rarely coincide with the non-rainy days.

We finally got smart this spring and hired someone a friend recommended. He’s great! He knows his stuff, and he’s fixing some of the things that the last (non-pro) painter didn’t do so well. And, best of all, he’s out there doing it right now, while I’m here doing the things I’d rather be doing. Check that one off the list!

so much bread, so little time

Since my last bread post, I’ve baked two more BBA challenge breads (ciabatta and cinnamon rolls/sticky buns), but haven’t had a chance to write about it. soon!

She’s ready, but are we?

Every summer, Hyla attends a local day camp for one or two sessions. On the second Tuesday of each two-week session, campers who are old enough are given the option of staying overnight for one night. Each year that she’s had the option, Hyla has said “no”. Last year, she skipped it not because she was worried to be away from us for a night, but because she was worried about the 9 o’clock lights out policy. Because she cannot fall asleep until at least 10 pm and didn’t know how she’d handle that.

At the start of this year’s session, she said she might consider the sleep over — it all depended on who was in her cabin this year (a group of about 8 girls) and how many of them were doing the sleep over. By the time the permission slip came home, she was emphatically in favor of the overnight.

So this morning we packed her sleeping back, extra clothes, flashlight, bug repellent, and pillow, and then M dropped her off at the bus stop. On one hand, it seems a small step (a single overnight at a very familiar place); on the other hand, it seems like the first step of many to letting go.

A bad year for our paws

Last week, we had Gryfe’s brother, Lu, with us and the dogs had a blast together for the first four days, until Gryfe stepped on some mystery object in the woods/yard (glass? metal?). Something so sharp that it sliced a big clean cut through one of his toe pads on his left, front paw.

One trip to the vet later, his paw is wrapped in bandages, he’s on antibiotics, and he’s wearing the “cone of humiliation”. The cone didn’t last long (we took pity on him), but the bandage was supposed to stay on for a week and, worse, no running, jumping playing, getting it wet. What a way to spoil a dog’s dream week with his brother.

He survived and his bandage is off, and he’s spending this 4th of July weekend with Lu, making up for lost time.

Yeesh, though. First Hyla’s ankle, then I hurt my knee in a freak trying-to-change-my-pants-when-I-was-too-tired accident, and now Gryfe’s paw. If you’re related to us, please watch out for your limbs.

17 years ago today

I can’t figure out how to embed the image here so you can see it on this page, so you’ll need to click this link to see the view from Mount Fløyen at the moment.

Challah – BBA Challenge bread 6

Challah’s the bread I know best. I’ve been making it longer than any other bread, and I’ve made it more often than any other. I’ve tried several recipes, but hadn’t yet tried the one in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, so I was pretty excited for this particular challenge. What if I found a recipe that was even better than my old tried-and-true? That thought actually made me a little apprehensive. What if I’d had the ability to make an even better challah and I hadn’t known it?

For this recipe, I decided to put my old recipe to the challenge. I’d bake both recipes, on the same day. Continue reading “Challah – BBA Challenge bread 6”

Casatiello – BBA Challenge bread 5

Michael was backpacking on Mount Washington this week with five others, so I figured this bread (filled with fried Italian salami and grated, local aged cheddar) would make a perfect welcome home treat for tired, wet, hungry men.

Unfortunately, the weather was so bad, they came home a day early, so the bread wasn’t waiting for them on their return. But I did make it today and, I have to say, I like it much more than I thought I would.

I’m in the middle of packing for my own little trip (nothing quite so adventurous), so I won’t take the time to write up the whole process for this bread, but you can see pretty much everything in the pictures.

Next up is Challah, which is the bread I’ve made more than any other, so I’m interested to see how PR’s recipe compares with my old tried-and-true one.