Today's sourdough bread - "Have you eaten?"
Chinese had been poor throughout history. It's customary to greet people, "Have you eaten?" Up until recently, when I had to call someone on the phone, the first thing I said was, "Have you had lunch (or dinner)?" This is my hello, how's it going sort of greetings. Lately I've found that must have sounded absurd to people. I ran into Carol, our neighbour, and two (or should I say, three) nice looking lady friends of hers saying good-bye to each other at our cul-de-sac around mid-day today. What did I say? I said, "Have you eaten?" Immediately I felt absurd. Carol said, no; we've just had green tea. I said I had dough proofing at my countertop ready to be baked; would you like to try? Fortunately they said no; it wouldn't have been enough. So, here it is. The bread for today, a one-pounder.
Shiao-Ping
Comments
Beautiful loaf of bread. Nice job!
Chef Ryan
Lovely!
Looks so good, what a perfect crumb, thanks, shay-shay
David
That's the crumb I love, open and shiny. Well done, A
Shiao-Ping,
"Have you eaten" must be an Asian thing. It is not uncommon for Filipinos to say the same, as an expression of concern for the well-being (translation: full stomach) of the person being greeted, and also an intent to provide nourishment. And when we say "Eat!", this is not an order, but a manifestation of love and hospitality.
Culture aside, your bread is picture-perfect! Love the blisters!
Thank you everyone for the encouragement. For matthewf01, the recipe is Susan's ultimate sourdough (Susan of San Diego, http://www.thefreshloaf.com/blog/susan). I think one of the success factors in Susan's beautiful loaves is the high gluten flour she uses, which is a deviation from conventional artisan breads. I did not use high gluten flour because to this date I still can't source it locally. After I shaped my dough, I placed it on a lightly oiled baking paper to proof inside a soup bowl. The blisters came from the water I spayed before putting it into oven.
Shiao-Ping