Make Really Great French Bread

“Like the sun in all its glory suddenly breaking through the 

shades of gloom."

Julia Child after finally succeeding in making real French bread

There have been a lot of shades of gloom here in the Northwoods.  Yes, it is gray and snowy outside, but the lack of a good bakery in the area is what really makes it gloomy.  The spongy, overblown slug shaped thing that is labeled French bread at the local grocery store is hardly comparable to the sun or anything else that might brighten one's day.  Unfortunately, other stores in the area don't offer anything much better.

Good French bread makes me happy. The taste, the texture, the memories are substantial and sunny.  My goal is to bake really glorious French bread.  My attempts with the bread machine have not been consistent.  Even if I can get the taste, the texture and the shape are not up to par.  I have tried using the machine only for the kneading and the rising, but this hasn't worked well either.  I am beginning to have some success with a recipe from a book Gwen gave me for Christmas, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.  I've been using their recipe and baking the bread on a Chicago Metallic Professional Perforated French Bread Pan, which Gwen also gave me for Christmas.

French Bread Pan

I'm finally getting the crustiness I've been looking for.  Brushing the dough with water prior to putting the loaf in the oven and then keeping a tray of water on the oven's lower rack helps provide the crusty crust.  The taste is good, but the inside texture isn't quite right. I don't think it is rising or resting enough before I put it in the 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

The task of making really great French bread continues.

Winnow My Library Down to 50 Books

I love books. I love reading them, I love reading about them, I love talking about them, I love checking lots of them out from the library and I used to love having them.  I thought you could never have too many books; they symbolized intellectual wealth and who doesn’t want to be wealthy?  Books make nice surroundings. 

The problem comes when you have to move, especially when you are moving to a smaller residence.  Moving books is costly, time-consuming and heavy work.  I used to keep my books for many reasons including the chance that I may have to refer to them for a quote or a fact, the idea that my collection said something about me and for their decorative use in an artless apartment.  It was worth it to me to move boxes and boxes of books despite the complaints of helpful friends.

These days I find my reasoning doesn’t really hold water anymore.  If I need to look up a quote or a fact I am more likely to use Google than one of my good books.  As far as my collection telling a story about me, it is a story I already know and hold in my head.  I rarely have guests who even glance at my bookshelves, much less attempt to read me through my book choices.  Now, I see my books as clutter which distracts me from clear thinking and new ideas. 

I have decided to keep only those books that are really helpful, valuable or have some sentimental value.  They should be books that I cannot replace, find at the library or read on my Kindle.  Kindle is the key.  I am not getting rid of any of my Kindle books, only hard copy books. I will keep some gardening and cooking books that are easier to refer to and work with as a hard copies.  They should also be books that I use often, such as the Joy of Cooking.  I want to keep some books from my childhood that have sentimental value to me.  I have a number of coffee table books, which have great pictures and would be hard to find in the library or view on Kindle.  I guess another consideration is what books would I want to read over and over in the case of a long-term disaster that would prevent my Kindle from working.  I usually don’t read a book more than once; I’m not the type of person who reads Pride and Prejudice every year.

I will sell, donate to the library and give away books that don’t make my top 50.

So, today I am starting to go through my collection and build my top 50.  I have two years to do this, and I am sure my list will change as I re-evaluate other aspects of my life, but I would like to start the process now and dig out of some of the clutter.

The List of Fifty

Animal Books

1.     First Aid Companion for Dogs & Cats, Shojai

2.     Veterinary Guide for Animal Owners, Spaulding and Clay

3.    Barking Buddha, Bryan

4.    101 Dog Tricks, Sundance

5.    Why Cats Paint, Busch and Silver

Cookbooks

1.     Joy of Cooking, Rombauer

2.     Greene on Greens, Greene

3.    The Tassajara Bread Book, Brown

4.    Chez Panisse Vegetables, Waters

5.    Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, Hertzberg and Francois

Gardening Books

1.     North Country Gardening, Avery

2.     The Garden Succulents Primer, Smith and Van Wyk

3.    The Complete Herb Book, McVicar

4.    Beds I Have Known, Smith

5.    An Island Garden, Thaxter

Books from Childhood

1.     The Fairy Tale Treasury, Crown

2.     Funny Town, Merriam

3.    Junior Girl Scouts Handbook

4.    Frederick, Lionni

Outdoors and Nature

1.     Seasonal Guide to the Natural Year, Bates

2.     Trailside Botany, Bates

3.    Encounters with the Archdruid, McPhee

A work in progress

The Fabulous Feats List

1. Bake really great French bread
2. Take up yoga
3. Create a blog and update it at least 3 days a week
4. Winnow my wardrobe down to 50 spring/summer and 50 fall/winter things
5. Learn conversational Spanish
6. Run 10 5K races
7. Raise chickens for eggs
8. Train a dog to pass AKC good citizenship test
9. Watch a women’s ski jumping event
10. Learn everything I can about Peru for a future trip
11. Work with a food pantry
12. Create a website
13. Learn to knit something I would wear
14. Learn to play the ukulele
15. Go for a balloon ride
16. Learn to mediate
17. Learn to ride a motor bike
18. Take a llama trek
19. Plan/design a GREEN house
20. Have a signature potluck dish
21. Enter 50 contests
22. Learn how to can/preserve food
23. Create a zine
24. Make my own safe cleaning supplies
25. Learn how to cross-country ski
26. Winnow my physical library down to 50 books
27. Learn how to run barefoot
28. Keep bees
29. Teach a Red Cross Dog/Cat First Aid Course
30. Create a succulent wall hanging
31. Have a worm farm
32. Learn to scull
33. Learn how to care for a wide variety of animals
34. Find a dog a home (not mine)
35. Create a really great dog biscuit
36. Sell something on eBay
37. Write a grant
38. Grow my own vegetables year-round successfully
39. Try skijoring
40. Become a Wisconsin Master Gardener
41. Learn how to wood burn
42. Take up biking for short-distance commuting – efficiently and safely
43. Create a home with an inviting, joyous, comfortable, loving atmosphere.
44. Refinish a piece of furniture
45. Learn about Wisconsin Outsider Artists and visit 5 sites
46. Start a small side business that serves animals and/or their owners
47.  Reconnect with old friends and make new friends
48.  ?
49.  ?
50.  ?

Empty Bucket Ready for Some Fabulous Splashes