The musings of a 60 year-old quilter (wannabe quilt artist); married to Rick; mother of two sons, Andrew and Steven; who shares a house with two cats and is also interested knitting, gardens, classical music, and eating and cooking great food.
I finished 88 double four-patch blocks (the inside unit of my lunch box block). These are the blocks on the design wall. I really should have looked at this on my computer monitor at a much earlier stage in the design process but I'm learning! I need to make 90 blocks, 8 inches finished.
First loaf inspired by Jim Lahey's new book, My Bread. This is my adaptation of his Pane Integrale bread recipe. It is smaller than the recipe (513 g.) but uses his hydration percentage. In addition to bread flour, whole wheat flour, water, salt and 1 g. of yeast, I added rye flour, millet, and flaxseed. I also added my sourdough starter. I let it ferment for 15 hours and then baked it in a blazing hot cast iron pot at 475 degrees. It's cooling.
I have been a big fan of Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread recipe ever since Mark Bittman wrote about it in November, 2006.
I can't believe it has been almost 3 years. In that time I've become a baker. I have baked hundreds of loaves of this bread my way. I feel as if Jim Lahey is my bread mentor so it seemed only fair that I should buy his book. Lahey started out as a conventional artist but he became a bread artist. His story is explored in the beginning chapters of the book. It is very inspirational.
I bake a half-size loaf using a starter. I have made my own starter (and lost it) so many times that I can't remember. I end up not baking over the summer and either I'm not patient enough or unsure about it's qualities that I end up starting over. I currently have a starter that Linda made using Nancy Silverton's protocol with organic grapes.
My real quest is to figure out how to make Nancy Silverton's whole grain bread no-knead. That is why I bought Jim Lahey's book. Autumn is the perfect time to begin a bread quest. I spent almost all of yesterday reading his book and creating my own recipes. Let the testing begin.
I've been finishing Possession, by A. S. Byatt, the selection for our book group get-together tomorrow and between it and these blocks I'm not getting anything else done.
As promised, this is a sneak-preview of a piece I'm trying to finish up. These are 1-inch blocks. What was I thinking?
My friends and those who know me from my guild have heard me say that I am great at starting projects but not so great at finishing. I heard AS Byatt speak on Monday night at City Arts and Lectures in San Francisco. When asked if she shared her manuscripts with her sister (Margaret Drabble), she commented that she shows nothing to anyone until it goes to her publisher. I find that if I show a work in progress I'm discouraged if it doesn't receive positive reviews but I also can resist finishing something if it receives "raves" (fear of failing to live up to expectations?).
I am working on two ancient projects and making good progress. Perhaps a sneak preview in a few days?
Alice and I went to the plant sale at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek. It has been years since I saw it (and thought I wasn't interested in cactus and succulents). What an inspiration for making art.
I finished 88 double four-patch blocks (the inside unit of my lunch box block). These are the blocks on the design wall. I really should have looked at this on my computer monitor at a much earlier stage in the design process but I'm learning! I need to make 90 blocks, 8 inches finished.
