SC - fancy feasts vs. simple feasts
LrdRas@aol.com
LrdRas at aol.com
Wed Aug 25 06:36:00 PDT 1999
I was very ill-prepared for Pennsic this year, and consequently made no
advance plans for the potluck. I didn't even have any cookbooks with
me (though Devra's tempting wares quickly changed *that* situation). I
had a vague notion that I might go into town and get some fruit or
something to contribute.
On Monday I took a fascinating class on campfire bread-baking. Now,
you have to understand that I'm a Coleman-and-cooler gal -- there's only
my lord and I to share the shopping, cooking and cleaning, plus I have
health-related dietary restrictions. And living where I do, I attend very
few camping events. Still, the class was intriguing, and made me
wonder what I could do had I brought my little Dutch oven from home.
On Monday, I also bought a copy of "World Sourdoughs from Antiquity"
from Poison Pen Press, and noted with growing interest that there were
several flatbreads that could be cooked on a griddle. I had brought
some starter along for pancakes (used it all up on Saturday, and fed half
my barony).
I decided to make some flatbreads for the potluck. I used one of the
most basic recipes in the book -- starter, flour, salt, sugar, oil. The oil
was vegetable oil, since that's what I had in camp, and the flour was all-
purpose, not bread flour, as I had only been expecting to make
pancakes at war. I mixed the dough, and was pleased to note that
several years of depending on a KitchenAid mixer have not caused me
to forget how to knead by hand. Rolling out rounds was more difficult,
as I had not brought along the necessary equipment. I improvided with
a cutting board and an aluminum cylinder from my camp coffee pot.
The cylinder was too short and too lightweight to be effective, and my
"rounds" were neither round nor evenly flat. I had to guess at an
appropriate temperature for the griddle (actually, a cast-iron frying pan),
and my first few efforts were significantly scorched. Subsequent pieces
were edible, though not up to my usual standards of baking.
Nevertheless, the flatbreads proved useful at the potluck, as several
gentles had come without feast gear, and had no plates.
The next day, I tried a different recipe from the sourdough book. It was
for seasoned flatbread, which I made plain, without the suggested herb
topping. This recipe, though not substantially different from the first,
produced a more flavorful bread, and I wish I had been able to bring that
batch to the potluck. The main difference between the two is that the
latter recipe has no added water, and thus a higher proportion of starter
to flour. I am eager to try this recipe at home with bread flour, olive oil,
and the baking stone in my oven.
The potluck was a veritable feast, and I practically had to roll back to
camp afterwards. It was wonderful being able to put faces to the names
on the computer screen. I look forward to future such gatherings.
Brighid, who is in the frustrating position of having to take off the few
pounds gained over Pennsic, and who has several new cookbooks...
Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
harper at idt.net
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