January 02, 2006

I Need You....

....to knead me.

Yep - I'm makin' bread this morning. For a couple of reasons. I'm making a nice ham dinner and thought some European Italian/Roasted Garlic bread just sounded yummy. That, and because I can.

So - I pull the ingreadiants together, grease up my favorite glass bowl and get started. I combine all the yummy stuff that makes this so special and it's time to start the kneading process.

Now I got burnt years ago with the whole kneading thing when my Grandma was teaching me how to do pie crust. She was already getting pretty confused and instead of telling me to barely touch the pie dough she had me work that puppy over like yesterdays whore. (ok, my words not her's but you get the idea.) Needless to say that was the toughest pie crust ever known to man.

Since then I've always had a difficult time letting myself go and really kneading. And if the dough isn't kneadrf enough - it never really rises correctly. Never really comes into it's own, as it were.

This morning's loaf is not really any different. Sure European bread is a bit denser, doesn't rise as much - but still. So I've punched it back down and placed it into the loaf pan waiting for the second round.

It'll still taste good. It just won't be that perfect, beautiful loaf I know it could be. All because I have a hard time kneading things.

Hmmmm - I wonder if the cooking Gods are trying to tell me something?

Posted by Tammi at January 2, 2006 11:13 AM
Comments

My mother always said - people can either make bread or they can make pastry... very very few can do both. Mainly because pastry requires a VERY light touch and bread absolutely needs to be kneaded very thoroughly!

Now if you are into making pastry and have a light touch - it's so very difficult to get the feel of bread dough and when you've done enough kneading. If you do wonderful bread - it's very difficult to pull back and not over work the pastry dough.

I can only do bread with a dough hook on my Kitchen Aide mixer - there is NO WAY I can knead by hand - I end up with a brick! But I do excellent pie crust. *grin*

Posted by: Teresa at January 2, 2006 03:38 PM

Sounds perfect to me, mouth watering perfect in fact.

Posted by: Sgt Hook at January 2, 2006 03:50 PM

I'm with Sgt. Hook on this... and may I add my services in helping you with that loaf!!!

Posted by: Bou at January 2, 2006 07:02 PM