Saturday, June 3, 2006
When I asked Jim what kind of bread he wanted this weekend, he said, "a crusty one." Instead of telling him that all bread has crust, as I might do if I'm in a snarly mood, I, like a good wife, looked through The Bread Book until I hit on the Pugliese.
There are no good stories about this bread because it came together as easy as pie (why do people say that anyway--has pie ever been easy?). I went to two garden stores with my friend JoAnne while it was rising; then I came home and shaped it and JoAnne and I went out for lunch while it was rising a second time. It was almost ready to put in the oven when we got back from lunch, but it was willing to wait patiently until I preheated the oven. The day was hot, and so was the oven, but the bread took only 15 to 20 minutes to bake.
This bread is stupendous. Look at those nice big holes--does this bread not look like I've been baking bread for years instead of months? And what a treat! I planted the flowers I bought, and Jim installed a new irrigation system. When we were both done, we rewarded ourselves with Pugliese with olive oil and glasses of Pinot Grigio and sat on our back porch, admiring our handiwork. There was a nice breeze and the scent of the last lilacs filled the air. Life is very good.
3 comments:
You're just getting better and better. That looks fantastic.
Thank you--but I don't think I can call myself a bread baker yet. I still need to hear Rose's voice with every step I take. When I make the last recipe and she leaves my kitchen...well, then we'll see. I love your dachshund logo by the way.
You are too kind, but I'll feel ready to drop the "novice" label only when I get to the point that I can say, "Hmm, wonder if this would work...." I still want to follow a recipe exactly.
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