The first week of December featured a lot of baking, in marked contrast to the prior week. Having my hands in that much dough was a genuine pleasure. Even better was the knowledge that most of it was for the benefit of others, rather than for myself.
While there has been some baking going on here, most of it has been very pedestrian; basic stuff like sandwich breads and pain au levain. With our kids and their kids coming home for the Thanksgiving weekend, an opportunity arose to inject some variety. On the day before Thanksgiving, I made 2 dozen oat-wheat pan rolls. On the morning of Thanksgiving, I made cloverleaf rolls.
Just for grins, I searched for flour mills in the USA that sell to the public. It was a fun exercise. In addition to the larger, better-known names such as King Arthur Flour, there are some mills that are probably in TFLers’ back yards. Since I don’t know most of the millers or their products, I leave it up to you to do your own experimentation.
Last weekend had me going. My work schedule gives me every other Friday off and last weekend was one of my 3-day weekends. First up, repairing some of the heat and drought damage that my yard suffered. Lots of weeding and raking and seeding and watering, followed by loudly protesting muscles and joints. But it's done. In another week or so I should be seeing new grass growing in areas that were entirely killed.
Although my baking has waned recently because I need to reduce the bread backlog in my freezer, it hasn't gone entirely dormant. For instance, I baked some hamburger buns today (thanks, dolfs!) as a demonstration/interview for an instructor's position with the Culinary Center of Kansas City. It was a lot of fun and felt more than a little bizarre.
