My favorite breakfast consists of: a soft-boiled egg, cradled in a blue egg cup that I bought in Dublin, Ireland; a bowl of pomegranate seeds and a slice of homemade bread with a light smear of sweet cream butter. The egg is timed for about three minutes using the same egg timer my mom used to time my dad's eggs each day. And yeah, I know pomegranates are a hassle, but they provide a much needed bit of patience to my day as I dodge the juice and corral errant pips when they scoot across the counter. The bread is a whole 'nother ballgame.
I love baking and bread is my thing. I'm not great at it and am constantly trying out new recipes to see if I can get the perfect loaf. But there isn't much you can do to bread that renders in inedible, so even if it doesn't have the right "crumb," it doesn't make much difference to me. I just go back to the bread board (which, actually, was my mom's).
For the past few years, I've been focusing on the no-knead artisan variety. It's healthy, quick, and makes the house smell wonderful. I love tossing crunchy seeds into the mix--sunflower, sesame, flax, etc.
Moldering in my filing cabinet for the past thirty years or so was an idea to write a series of children's books that used the Dewey Decimal System as a focal point. It should come as no surprise that in addition to baking, I love to write and have always loved libraries. And as a kid, I had quite the fascination for the life of a cowboy, to the point where I even had my own pair of chaps. I never owned a horse and very seldom got to ride one. I wasn't much good at that, either. But I also love quirky ideas, so when I resurrected my Dewey Decimal idea last year, it probably shouldn't have surprised me that my brain had somehow mushed everything together so that my first book, Aiden Pike: On the Sourdough Trail, was about libraries, bread and cowboys.
While researching bread recipes for kids for the book, I stumbled upon a blogger, Beau Dealy, from the heartland, who, in addition to penning www.somethingedible.com, has spent time as a stay-at-home dad. His "Bread in a Bag" intrigued me and we soon became Internet friends. (Please do not ask me how I ended up with not just one, but three stay-at-home dads working with me on this book. It was a gift, pure and simple.)
Anyway, cutting to the chase, I included a variation of Beau's small loaf recipe at the back of the book. I called it BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL BREAD. If you and/or your kids decide to try it, give it some time. Work your own magic on it. What turns out well one day may be heavenly the next.
I love baking and bread is my thing. I'm not great at it and am constantly trying out new recipes to see if I can get the perfect loaf. But there isn't much you can do to bread that renders in inedible, so even if it doesn't have the right "crumb," it doesn't make much difference to me. I just go back to the bread board (which, actually, was my mom's).
For the past few years, I've been focusing on the no-knead artisan variety. It's healthy, quick, and makes the house smell wonderful. I love tossing crunchy seeds into the mix--sunflower, sesame, flax, etc.
Moldering in my filing cabinet for the past thirty years or so was an idea to write a series of children's books that used the Dewey Decimal System as a focal point. It should come as no surprise that in addition to baking, I love to write and have always loved libraries. And as a kid, I had quite the fascination for the life of a cowboy, to the point where I even had my own pair of chaps. I never owned a horse and very seldom got to ride one. I wasn't much good at that, either. But I also love quirky ideas, so when I resurrected my Dewey Decimal idea last year, it probably shouldn't have surprised me that my brain had somehow mushed everything together so that my first book, Aiden Pike: On the Sourdough Trail, was about libraries, bread and cowboys.
While researching bread recipes for kids for the book, I stumbled upon a blogger, Beau Dealy, from the heartland, who, in addition to penning www.somethingedible.com, has spent time as a stay-at-home dad. His "Bread in a Bag" intrigued me and we soon became Internet friends. (Please do not ask me how I ended up with not just one, but three stay-at-home dads working with me on this book. It was a gift, pure and simple.)
Anyway, cutting to the chase, I included a variation of Beau's small loaf recipe at the back of the book. I called it BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL BREAD. If you and/or your kids decide to try it, give it some time. Work your own magic on it. What turns out well one day may be heavenly the next.
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