Thursday-2:30pm

Finally did something yesterday. I worked on some of the EDM challenges off and on.

And I made some bread.

The bread was an experience, let me tell you! I picked out one of my old recipe cards for white bread to try to adapt the recipe to the Cuisinart. Now, mind you, my bread recipes are from 20-25 years ago--I am no longer intimately familiar with them. In fact, the majority of my recipe cards were accumulated between about 1972 and 1982. A few more trickled in here and there until 1995 when I hurt my arm. I only just recently have been adding new recipes cards again--tada! Getting the love back for it!

Anyways, back when I was cooking and baking all the time--I wrote up most of the cards with abbreviated instructions--if any at all. This "Sally Lunn Yeast Bread" was one of those.

I got all the dry ingredients together and blended them in the Cuisinart with a couple of pulses--feeling like a pro. I got all the wet ingredients together and poured them slowly into the dry while the machine was running--careful not to add them too quickly this time. But--to my dismay--the same thing happened again! All wet in the center, nothing moving, I had to shut the machine off, and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

But--this time--the ball of dough never appeared. At all. Everything blended into this thick wet stretchy dough! I was totally perplexed! I had measured carefully. I knew I had put the right amount of flour in there--and yet the results were something alien looking--not batter and not dough??

I go to re-read the card and discover I had written something on the back--about coffeecake! That you should pour it into an angel food cake pan and butter & sprinkle it with cinnamon & sugar when it was done. But on the other side it said "2 loaves"? I've got this doughish mess to deal with and don't know what my instructions to myself were from 25 years ago.

I don't have an angel food cake pan, but have a springform. So--I put all the dough in there and let it rise and hope for the best.

Well, it turned out very well indeed. (Not that I had a clue what I was doing--hehe!) Apparently the coffeecake information on the back was an "optional" use of the soft dough. I could have made two regular shaped bread loaves, I guess. It almost has the texture of English Muffin Bread. Is quite edible. Especially good sprinkled with more cinnamon and sugar. There's one rising and no kneading at all. I can see why I kept the recipe--but I wish I hadn't given myself so much credit--thinking I could remember forever from practically no notes at all. I never assumed I would lose interest in baking and cooking--or be physically unable to knead dough any more. Never ASSUME, eh?

I think digging back into my old recipe cards is going to be an adventure!!