So coming off of the cold front that passed through on Sunday, I opted to spend most of my day indoors. Here's what I did..
- Dropped some mail off before the post office opened (Eww.. People)
- Edited some YouTube videos
- Baked a couple loaves of bread
- Cleaned the pool filter and added in more chlorine
- Went on a walk after dinner
Hours of content creation dominated my day, but that really does get me Zen. My wife wanted to make Italian Sausage & Pasta for dinner, so I figured I'd contribute with some French Bread. Check it out..
I basically just used a simple and standard bread recipe, forming half of the dough into a French Bread loaf, and the other into a glass baking pan. I swear this was the best bread I've ever made, and the French Bread loaf was devoured by the family at dinner. The other loaf will be sampled shortly for some hot toast this morning.
I've made so much bread in years past, and none of it has ever tasted as good as this batch. I do however have an idea why. There was basically no air pressure in Colorado where I used to live. This wreaked havoc on the bread I used to bake. It was always dense and I could never get a light an airy loaf no matter what I tried. The last couple years I lived there, I started adding in extra yeast and gluten which helped a bit.
Being at sea level has immensely changed the quality of my bread for the better, and I used two tricks when making this bread. First, I used about two tablespoons of honey along with the sugar in the recipe to help kick the yeast into high gear while proofing. The second trick I used, is right before I closed the oven door, I tossed a few ice cubes into the bottom of the oven which then creates steam. That helped the bread to form a nice crispy crust.
I only used one packet of yeast, and the bread dough nearly tripled in size! The loaves rose so much, I was afraid they were going to fall with the slightest bump on the oven or surrounding kitchen cabinets. I was channeling my Mother when anyone would walk into the kitchen, as I told them things like "Don't bump the oven" or.. "Don't slam any doors because the bread will fall!".
The bread and pasta dish were a match made in heaven. The massive amount of carbs had us feeling guilty, so my Bride and I went for a nice long walk immediately after dinner. That's about it for now. you will continue to see the content I've been creating as of late trickle through to the blog, and I hope to produce even more soon.
Thanks for reading folks, and we'll see ya soon.