Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 342 Location: Chicago and other places
Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2005 5:44 am Post subject:
Gee, where do I start?! When I'm working in Chicago, I'm no more than a 10 minute drive to a piece of India, China, Viet Nam, Mexico, Ireland or Germany, with our truly regional neighborhoods. You can buy handmade loaves from a Mexican bakery for about $1.00 and Genuine Soda Bread from an Irish Deli for $3.00.
And then there's all the bevy of Designer Food Stores that cater to the Chicago Elite, where a posh loaf of Olive-Rosemary Proscuitto Bread will set you back $7.00, and be worth every bite.
We have Aldi's, where you can buy 10 loaves of crap for a Dollar, if that's your taste, or Health Food Stores where every ingredient is either sprouted, organic or hand ground.
Regarding making bread; there is a TRO (Temporary Restraining Order) out on me from the Yeast Council of America! If there is a way to kill yeast, I have accomplished it. I end up with Yeast Soup, Yeast Bricks, or Yeast Balls. Although I can make pies fit for the Angels, the Devil owns my Bread-Baking Soul.
Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Posts: 2498 Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2005 6:57 am Post subject:
Dairy_Queen, my great-aunt who taught me to make bread made great bread and lousy pies. You do realize, no?, that they require different flour and different handling techniques. I didn't until I had cooked for quite a few years and I don't know if my sweet great-aunt ever knew why all her pie crusts came out like leather.
If you want to give in another go, I'd be glad to talk you through it. OTOH, it's clear that you have a rich variety of things at your disposal in Chicago and may not need to do more than go to the right bakery to meet your need for great bread.
Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 342 Location: Chicago and other places
Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2005 5:04 pm Post subject:
Rainey wrote:
Dairy_Queen, my great-aunt who taught me to make bread made great bread and lousy pies. You do realize, no?, that they require different flour and different handling techniques. I didn't until I had cooked for quite a few years and I don't know if my sweet great-aunt ever knew why all her pie crusts came out like leather.
If you want to give in another go, I'd be glad to talk you through it. OTOH, it's clear that you have a rich variety of things at your disposal in Chicago and may not need to do more than go to the right bakery to meet your need for great bread.
Rainey: What a nice gesture on your behalf, to take my Yeast-Mangling hands and try to shape them around a loaf! Actually, I'm giving it some serious thought, lately. My girlfriends male roommate is an awesome bread baker and he'll just whip one up...for the heck of it! Unimaginable to me, but then, I do the same thing with a pie or frittata. Yeah, I do know there's a different flour and process but I think that it was because I was so young, in my early 20's when I tried, and I was probably very impatient. I haven't tried it since and that's over 25 years ago.
But for the time being, I'm leaving the bread baking to the bakers and give them their just due. I can't take the "bread" out of everyone's mouth, now, can I?!
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