[Sca-cooks] Brighid's breads

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

-----Original Message-----
From: rtanhil <rtanhil at fast.net>

> Oh, the delight of Brighid's breads. She's modest, and I
> don't want to make her blush, but they are heavenly.

My lords and ladies, please don't be alarmed.  That fierce red glow you see on the horizon, in the direction of northern New Jersey, is neither a forest fire nor a nuclear accident.  :-)

My bread is good, and people like it.  I am a competent home baker.

> You know, I followed the Italian loaf recipe she uses, and
> it just wasn't as good. Maybe she has a better house for
> baking? 

I have a pizza stone in my oven -- that might make a difference.  Other than that, it's a perfectly ordinary electric oven.

> Or it might be a timing thing. I tend to let the bread rise too much (go away while it rises, forget about
> it, come back to a dough monster, bake it anyway).

Timing is very important, and you can't gauge rising by the clock alone.  A very loud electronic timer helps me to remember to check the loaves.

> Anyway, we all have different strengths. Baking will never
> be one of mine. But I'm willing to have another go at it and
> see if I can get it right next time.

Maybe we could have a baking workshop some time?  There might be some other folks who'd be interested, too.  Bread-making is easy, once you learn the look and the feel of dough that's ready for the next step.  I turned out quite a few doorstops when I started baking, because I was slavishly following the flour quantities in the recipes. 

> Berelinde



Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom