So we picked and left Madison just like that and headed to Washington state with all our stuff, the kids, and the cats. Oh did I mention we had no place to live yet. To our good fortune we shacked up at my sister's. Eager to get baking I decided to recreate a little bit of Madison in her kitchen with Spicy Cheese Bread. ( the bread from Stella's everyone craves at the Dane County Farmer's Market)


I used my favorite Challah recipe, added crushed red pepper flakes to the dough, and provolone cheese as the filling.


Well it turned out nice looking. The inside was gooey a bit so maybe next time I'll make 2 smaller loaves or bake at a lower temp. for longer. Still this tasted very close to the bread that inspired it.





Thank you Erica and Todd for sharing their kitchen and home with us, and for helping us find our new one.

Some Pictures to Tide Me Over

I am in the process of finding a new home and don't have a kitchen of my own, SO I will just post some of the things I have made already from the BBA Challange. Starting with Greek Celebration bread. I brought this in to work and was a big hit!

These bagels were so yummy, I loved the way they looked. I can't wait to make them again.

After my travels this summer I made this lovely Baklava. I used ground cinnamon and a cinnamon stick I brought back from Turkey. The recipe was from one of the activities on the cruse ship “How to make Greek Baklava” I must say that this was so tasty and the Baklava at Madison's Greek Festival wasn't even in the same league. :)

I can't wait to get baking again. I am really behind on the BBA challenge but am determined to get through it. I also want to start experimenting baking some bread using only wild yeast. Making the starter for this takes some time, but I am excited to share the process and do some learning.

Oh, and here is my newest baker to help me in the kitchen.

BBA Challange #1- Anadama Bread

--This is a bread my Uncle David likes to make with his Bread maker. I don't know what recipe he

uses.

-- So here are the stages of my Anadama bread. Starting with the soaker on day 1.

On day 2 I mixed the pre-ferment and let it ferment in the mixer bowl covered with a cloth.

. Then with the dough hook I added the remaining ingredients.

In this stoneware bowl my Mother-in-Law gave me I let the dough double in size.

After shaping the two loaves I let them proof till again they have doubled in size. I sprinkled cornmeal on top and put them in the oven. I placed a dish of water on the bottom rack for part of the baking time to help make a good crust.

The loaves cracked on the sides a little, I'm not sure why that happens, yet but I will find out.

I was happy with my Anadama Bread, it looked yummy to me.

Blake liked it too!!

For my first BBA Challenge I think things went well. Anadama bread has a fun texture as it is soft but also has a little crunch from the corn meal.

-- The next week I made the Greek Celebration Bread or Artos, just before my trip to Greece.

My first post

Hello ! Welcome to my first ever blog post on my first ever blog page!
There are so many things I want to create in the kitchen that I get overwhelmed and don't even get to half of them. I've tried a monthly list of recipes to choose from, hoping that narrowing down my options would make it easier, only to find it hard to stick to those few chosen items. I spend much of my free time paging through one of my many baking and cook books dreaming of how each recipe might taste and come out in my kitchen.
Very unofficially I have joined the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge. While I have only completed the first two challenges in the book, I have already learned a little about the baking process and that documenting it can be very satisfying even after all the baked goods have been eaten.
I now take a student's approach to a recipe that I have chosen. The whole thing starts days before the baking even happens. First I read the recipe so that I be come familiar with it. Then I read it again to make sure I have all the right ingredients and tools. I read it again to plan when the event will begin, keeping in mind how much time is needed to make the goodies. I go over it in my head so there are no surprises when the day has arrived. By this time I should be able to go through the recipe in my sleep and am probably dreaming about it. When it's time to actually do it I feel prepared with all my ingredients and tools ready to go. I carefully read the recipe step by step like it's the first time I'm reading it. (since the BBA Challenge I've taken to photographing each process) While I wait for the timer to go off I am eager and excited to see all my work and preparation had paid off.
So any way this is what I am doing and hope to have lots of pictures.