Thank goodness we're making bread again! Didn't realize how much I missed the lovely aroma. This one even smelled good before baking. It looked daunting with that page-long list of ingredients, and 3 pages of instructions, but watching the video gave me renewed confidence. I even did the kneading by hand. I needed that (no pun intented, LOL!). Hands-on time with bread dough is so comforting.
Here are the pictures:
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| I would never have guessed there was chocolate in pumpernickel. And of course I couldn't fine prune lekvar at the grocery, so made it myself. |
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| Note to self: next time don't use the shortening directly out of the freezer, and remember to let the yogurt warm a bit. Mixture was too cold so I had to gently warm it on the stove before adding the yeast. Thank goodness for metal bowls. And a TRUE CONFESSION: I don't own a wooden spoon! |
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| Except for this little art project in my pantry. "Spirit Beads" from an Artist's Way group. |
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| Heating pad helped with the rise. |
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| I wasn't about to cut holes in my towels, but big clips worked great. We usually use them to close chip bags. |
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| The loaves in their little slings looked so cute! |
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| Didn't have sesame seeds, but I did add some salt that we brought back from Hawaii |
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| With cream cheese, a smear of the leftover lekvar, and a sprinkle of walnuts! Yum! |
This week's shoe - a man's dress shoe in the middle of the Buford Highway ramp. I must admit that yesterday one of my facebook friends posted a comment about seeing a shoe in the road (no picture) and I almost blew my cover. Still flying under the radar, nobody in my real world knows I'm here. One day, I'll have to come clean.
Your bread looks delicious, especially topped with cream cheese, prune lekvar, and walnuts...a nice combination. I used binder clips too, and hung the slings from a pot rack. I like your Spirit Beads.
ReplyDeleteCloset blogger, are we? I don't think I could manage without wooden spoons! Heating pads and ice packs - what would we do without them? Your bread looks great.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, Cathleen, I'm mainly writing these entries so I'll remember what to change if I ever make these recipes again. But of course, I find myself throwing in personal memories too. Not even my family knows. Is that horrible? I have a feeling that a couple of wooden spoons will show up in my Christmas stocking this year. Santa always seems to know exactly what I need...
DeleteMy family didn't know I blogged until about a year and a half into it. Most people in my circle still don't know :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat looking bread. Very clever sling with the binder clip :-)
Great post! And your bread looks wonderful. I was a little overwhelmed looking at the recipe, but the video made me feel much better. It really wasn't that hard of a bread to make. And it is lovely to have the smell of baking bread in the house.
ReplyDeleteBinder clips - genius! I also enjoyed the hands-on time with the dough - hadn't done that in a while, and forgotten how much I enjoy it. I am also sure my Kitchen Aid would have gone on strike if I had tried to force it to do that work for me.
ReplyDeleteI really love looking at the different ways the members of the group "hang" their loaves: it's so funny!
ReplyDeleteYour pumpernickel bread looks great.