 |
| I'm like'in this medallion over the stove. |
Yeah! He looks young. This photo was in 2002 when the cabinets looked newer and spiffier.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Kitchen Makeover Hangover
We're not done yet, but at least the sink is in! Two weeks without the sink--awful. But the stove--didn't matter. Bob has bought the 2" alder lumber to make the end grain high bar counter next. Ayn calls the wall color "pumpkin pie." Behr calls it Butter Rum. Both sound good to me.
Remember the BEFORE?
Yeah! He looks young. This photo was in 2002 when the cabinets looked newer and spiffier.
Yeah! He looks young. This photo was in 2002 when the cabinets looked newer and spiffier.
Cone of Shame
I was mountain biking with Hazel. I heard her yelp and then she continued on. She's a trooper because she finished the ride with me. The next morning Shannon and Whitney found her wound. We think she ran into a broken off stick.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Challah or Egg Bread
10 egg yolks! Can you believe it? I guess this makes two 2 lbs. loaves. Five egg yolks a piece is not that bad:)
Every recipe from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Bread Every Day is awesome. This type of enriched egg bread recipe can be used for dinner rolls, cinnamon buns, yeasted coffee cake and sweet or savory swirl breads.
In this recipe you make the dough and refrigerate it overnight or up to 4 days.
2 1/4 C (18oz/510g) lukewarm water (about 95F or 35C).
1 1/2 T (0.5 oz/14g) instant yeast (I use Dry Active Yeast and its OK, too)
10 egg yolks (6 oz/170g) depending on weight
5 T (2.5 oz/71g) vegetable oil
6 T (3 oz/85g) sugar, or 4 1/2 T honey or agave nectar
1 T (0.75oz/21g) vanilla extract (optional) --I used it. It was good!
7 1/2 C (34 oz/ 964g) unbleached bread flour
2 1/2 tsp (0.66/ 19g) salt, or 4 tsp coarse kosher salt
1 egg white or whole egg, for egg wash
2 T water, for egg wash
2 T poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or a combination, for garnish (optional)--I used poppy seeds.
Do Ahead
Combine the water and yeast in a mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to dissolve. Add the egg yolks, oil, sugar, and vanilla and whisk lightly to break up the egg yolks, then add the flour and salt. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 2 minutes. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for about 2 minutes. The dough should be coarse and shaggy. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, or continue to mix by hand using a large, wet spoon, for 4 minutes.
Use a bowl scraper to transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour. Lightly knead for 1 to 2 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. The dough should be soft, supple, and tacky but not sticky. Form the dough into a ball, place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Immediately refrigerate the dough overnight or for up to 4 days. It will double in size as it cools. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)
On Baking Day
Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours and 10 minutes before you plan to bake. Transfer it to alightly floured work sufrface and cut it into the desired number of pieces to make strands for braiding, making sure all of the pieces are the same weight. Flatten each piece with your hand, then roll the pieces into a cigar or torpedo shape. After doing this with each piece, return to the first one and roll it out into a rope 10 to 14 inches long. (The bigger the piece of dough, the longer the rope.) Make sure each rope is the same length.
I checked YouTube for ways to braid the Challah. I like this five strand braid. Once the loaves are braided, transfer them to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Make an egg wash by combining the egg white (or a whole egg) and the 2 T of water and whisking briskly until thoroughly combined. Brush the entire visible surface of the loaves with the egg wash, then refrigerate any remaining egg wash and let the loaves rise. Brush with the egg wash again, then sprinkle on the optional seeds. A combination of poppy and sesame looks very impressive. Let the loaves rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until increased to about 1 1/2 times their original size.
About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350F (177C), or 300F (149C) for a convection oven.
Bake for about 20 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 15-30 minutes, until the loaves sound hollow when thumped on the bottom and the internal temperature is about 190F (88) in the center. If you used a whole egg in the egg wash, the crust will get darker than with an egg white wash; don't be fooled into thinking the bread is done until it passes the thump and temperature test. The crust of the loaf will seem hard when it first comes out of the oven, but it will soften as it cools.
Cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing or serving.
Every recipe from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Bread Every Day is awesome. This type of enriched egg bread recipe can be used for dinner rolls, cinnamon buns, yeasted coffee cake and sweet or savory swirl breads.
In this recipe you make the dough and refrigerate it overnight or up to 4 days.
2 1/4 C (18oz/510g) lukewarm water (about 95F or 35C).
1 1/2 T (0.5 oz/14g) instant yeast (I use Dry Active Yeast and its OK, too)
10 egg yolks (6 oz/170g) depending on weight
5 T (2.5 oz/71g) vegetable oil
6 T (3 oz/85g) sugar, or 4 1/2 T honey or agave nectar
1 T (0.75oz/21g) vanilla extract (optional) --I used it. It was good!
7 1/2 C (34 oz/ 964g) unbleached bread flour
2 1/2 tsp (0.66/ 19g) salt, or 4 tsp coarse kosher salt
1 egg white or whole egg, for egg wash
2 T water, for egg wash
2 T poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or a combination, for garnish (optional)--I used poppy seeds.
Do Ahead
Combine the water and yeast in a mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to dissolve. Add the egg yolks, oil, sugar, and vanilla and whisk lightly to break up the egg yolks, then add the flour and salt. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 2 minutes. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for about 2 minutes. The dough should be coarse and shaggy. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, or continue to mix by hand using a large, wet spoon, for 4 minutes.
Use a bowl scraper to transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour. Lightly knead for 1 to 2 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. The dough should be soft, supple, and tacky but not sticky. Form the dough into a ball, place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Immediately refrigerate the dough overnight or for up to 4 days. It will double in size as it cools. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)
On Baking Day
Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours and 10 minutes before you plan to bake. Transfer it to alightly floured work sufrface and cut it into the desired number of pieces to make strands for braiding, making sure all of the pieces are the same weight. Flatten each piece with your hand, then roll the pieces into a cigar or torpedo shape. After doing this with each piece, return to the first one and roll it out into a rope 10 to 14 inches long. (The bigger the piece of dough, the longer the rope.) Make sure each rope is the same length.
I checked YouTube for ways to braid the Challah. I like this five strand braid. Once the loaves are braided, transfer them to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Make an egg wash by combining the egg white (or a whole egg) and the 2 T of water and whisking briskly until thoroughly combined. Brush the entire visible surface of the loaves with the egg wash, then refrigerate any remaining egg wash and let the loaves rise. Brush with the egg wash again, then sprinkle on the optional seeds. A combination of poppy and sesame looks very impressive. Let the loaves rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until increased to about 1 1/2 times their original size.
About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350F (177C), or 300F (149C) for a convection oven.
Bake for about 20 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 15-30 minutes, until the loaves sound hollow when thumped on the bottom and the internal temperature is about 190F (88) in the center. If you used a whole egg in the egg wash, the crust will get darker than with an egg white wash; don't be fooled into thinking the bread is done until it passes the thump and temperature test. The crust of the loaf will seem hard when it first comes out of the oven, but it will soften as it cools.
Cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing or serving.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
What a Terrific Email I Received from Shannon
A Mother's Love
I love you like a mom would her child
Her child so meek and mild
But then her child begins to grow
And then out of the house she will go
That mom will always love that child
And that mother will never let that child go.
This is a little poem I made up just now.
Love,
Shannon
P.S. A mother's love
P.P.S. You sould send it to your mom
Friday, April 1, 2011
April Fools--I've Got Truck Nuts
These make me look tougher.
I've always wanted them. They are a bit small, but small is better than none. Wow! Bob was thinking ahead when he was at Home Depot the other day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)