OK, so I'm a really bad blogger. My last post was in February... spring and summer have come and gone, and fall is in the air. It's been a busy few months with the arrival of my twin grandchildren (OK, yes, I'll post pix later!) and a trip to the east coast to see some dear friends.
Along the way, I've been reading a lot of Michael Pollan. Yes, he's my current crush. I love his take on food and his deep understanding of the evolution of food and our relationship to it. While I was in PA, I ran across his newest book, Cooked. When I got home, I ordered it on Audible and have been entranced ever since. He uses the framework of the elements to describe the ever changing landscape of food and preparation. For air, he got into bread baking... and now I want to do that too!
My history with yeast breads has been somewhat less than illustrious. Somehow the act of adding dry active yeast to warm water and making bread had always been a process shrouded in mystery, an event that never quite succeeded. Even those pre-made loaves in the grocery store eluded me. I became the queen of doorstops. And I never baked bread again.
So after reading/listening to Cooked, I decided to give it a whirl. And found a recipe I thought I could follow and someday, master. Pollan, bless his foodie heart, uses a homemade sour dough starter for his artisan breads... but me, I gotta try the yeast thing.
Therefore, armed with a recipe for pita bread, I set off on the journey.
First batch, 2 weeks ago. Used whole wheat flour (all I had in the house) and the dough actually rose. I took pix with my phone to document the event. But the dough was very wet at the start and it took a lot more flour to even get close to what I thought was the desired consistency. But it was edible if not dense.
Second batch, last week. Used 2 c of white unbleached flour, 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour. Better, but still not like the pretty pictures on the webpage.
Third batch, today: Left out oil and honey on the advice of an experienced baker... maybe that's weighing it down. A bit more puffy, but didn't rise as much as with the oil and honey. Still not bad (I just ate the first one).
So now, I want to find out why I can't make puffy pockets like the recipe shows. And there is no middle part to stuff with yummy tabouli or hummus.
I live at 7000 feet, so I add a bit more salt and a generous measurement of yeast to account for the thin air. I find that the dough tears while kneading and I'm not sure if that's too wet or too dry. Back to research... and another batch next week.
Hmmmmmm.... the yoga of breadbaking. It's all about the practice.
