Feeling down? Enjoy my "Therapy Bread".......

[Gloria]

Feeling totally impotent with regard to the current political situation, I decided a few week back to do something useful and comforting...this is a French Wheat loaf.....no oil, just salt, yeast, water and whole wheat and bread flour. I throw a 1/4 cup of wheat bran for extra fiber.

Smell, enjoy. Up permanently way at the bottom of the URL in my sig for future comfort sessions. If I had a digital camera I would take pictures of my other bread and replace this picture more often.....until then, meditate on this one.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Wow! Did you really bake that!!? It looks wonderful!!!!!!

How can I order a couple?

[pscot]

2. That is just a great idea

and a great looking loaf. How do you proof it and how do you get from there onto the baking surface without it falling?

[Gloria]

5. The key is....I use my KitchenAid food processor to mix and knead the

dough...it takes about a minute. Then I let it ferment (first rise for about and hour and a half. Then I stick it in the refrigerator overnight (most times), take the dough out, let it warm up for about 15 minutes, then shape it and put it on the baking sheet with cornmeal and let it rise again, about an hour (dough temp at a minimun of 60-62 degrees) or until a light poke springs back slightly). When it bakes, I use water to steam the loaf....

The other way I do it is to let it do the first rise, punch it down, do a second rise, shape the loaf and put it in the fridge overnight. It's just a matter of a different crumb.

Either way, retarding in the fridge enhances the taste....which is DIVINE!! The key to it all is "the slow rise." It is not "over-inflated" dough and it never has a problem with "falling."

[madison2000]

7. The kneading is the best part!

It works out frustrations. Nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread though.

[WindRavenX]

3. that looks AWESOME

Mmm..some butter, and a nice glass of milk :9

[LilBitRad]

4. My doctor made me try the Atkins diet

in an attempt the lower my total cholesterol along with the Zoccor, it worked, down from 199 to 135, but I miss bread.

Looking at that piece of art almost makes me cry.

How about if I just smell the aroma?

[Gloria]

6. I'm going to kick this because it is NOT made of bones....

eom