Extra, Extra! Read All About It! Philadelphia's Finest Pizza! Hurry, Hurry!

Photo Courtesy: Ditte Isager, GQ Magazine

Who's got the Monday blues? Not this girl. Certainly not this girl! I had a fantastic weekend to start this Monday off right! For starters, I had the best pizza of my life. No need to take off your glasses and clean them off, you read it correctly, the best pizza of my life. Considering the husband-elect and myself are pizza junkies, this is quite a feat.

This weekend, the husband-elect and I went to Tacconelli's Pizzeria for his birthday dinner. We have always wanted to go to this much-raved pizzeria. It wins tons of local pizza honors and recently was given a huge nod from GQ, ranking it the 9th best pizza in the United States. Um, yeah, no kidding... when we heard this, we nearly dropped everything we were doing and sprinted over there! Good pizza in Philadelphia? Nuh uh!! says the critics in the peanut gallery... Yes huh.. check out the article yourself!! Philadelphia is not only the land of the cheesesteak, Lager beer, and soft prezel, but also that of great pizza. Yeup. That's right! I love my City!

There are a few things to note! You must make reservations for this pizzeria earlier in the day to "reserve your dough." This is because Tacconelli's still employs a brick oven to make their pizza, which is what makes their pizza so darn incredible. They produce a thin, crispy crust that is so light, but just enough to fill you! We ordered a half tomato pie (in my lack of cheese eating, I know, stop being mad at me already!!!!) and half regular cheese pizza. As you take your first bite into this pizza, the sauce fills your mouth with such a magnificent blend of spices. It has just the right about of garlic, spices, and tomato. I did break down and try some of the cheese pizza on which there is just the right amount of cheese. Being a cheese lover myself, I had never thought twice about an extra-cheesy, extra gooey, runny pizza, HOWEVER, Tacconelli's Pizza Maker Extraordinaire uses the cheese sparingly, allowing the sauce to be showcased with each bite! The cheese was not in the spotlight, but the sauce, WHY DIDN'T I EVER THINK OF THIS BEFORE?! It complements so beautifully and gives the great amount of cheeziness that makes pizza PIZZA! Blown away. Absolutely blown away. The husband-elect and I finished a whole pie to ourselves. If it weren't for the fact that we had only reserved enough dough earlier in the day for one pie, we would have quickly placed a second order and finished that pie as well. I am not kidding people, it is really that good!

You may find yourself thinking:
Why should I care about this place? I live in Caracas, New York, Deluth, London or San Francisco!! You should care. Because I said so!

..Okay, well, that's partially true, but the main reason you should care is that the best part of visiting any town or any city is getting a hold of the local flavor. True? Yes. So this is why I'm partially correct when I say I said so. Should you ever find yourself in Philadelphia, head to the Port Richmond neighborhood, and get your touchas to Tacconelli's and order your pizza (and, honestly, if you live in NYC, it's less than a two hour drive to Philadelphia.. and it's that good to drive here for some, if you ask me!)

Needless to say, the husband-elect and I have found our new go-to pizza place. For $13.50 you can get yourself the most amazing pie that is so light and bursting with flavor!

Tacconelli's: Pizza, Philly-style. Don't miss out on it!!!


Here is a mini-history of the pizzeria from Tacconelli's website:
"In 1918 Giovanni Tacconelli came to Philadelphia from Italy. After a few years working as a laborer, he decided to do what he had done in his native Italy. "Bake Bread". The best and only way, he said, was to bake it in a brick oven. So along with a few of his friends he built his 20' by 20' brick oven. The bread business went well until the outbreak of World War II when all of his sons who had helped him in the business were drafted into military service. Having no one to help and since the bread business was so very time consuming, he stopped baking bread.

"In 1946, still having the brick oven, Giovanni pondered over what to do with it since everyone had come home from the War and had different careers in mind. He decided to make tomato pies, something that his mother had taught him to do many years before. They were and still are tomato pies to our family consisting of fresh made dough, little cheese and a lot of sauce cooked in our brick oven to give it a crisp light taste.

"In 1992, we realized that our oven, which had given us 72 years of service, needed a face-lift. We never thought that was supposed to be a 3 month "project" would turn out to be a 7 month "nightmare". Thanks to your loyal patronage The Tacconelli family, now in its 5th generation, is still baking tomato pies the Giovanni Tacconelli way."

Light Whole Wheat Bread

Okay!!! Happy Friday everyone! You did it, huzzah! Another week down!

I am beyond infatuated with Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg’s bread recipes. Saying that I am infatuated is more than likely an understatement. So that you can get a better understanding as to how wonderful Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is, allow me to begin by relaying a mini, mini summary of myself: I am baking challenged. Baking challenged. Yeup. You heard it. Me.... Emily.... Challenged in the baking field. It is quite difficult for myself to admit, too. Admitting is the first step toward recovery, I know. It has been an arduous process- I have had many trials and tribulations in the kitchen when I am baking. It usually begins with a stare down with the ingredients. Imagine.... the theme from The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly... Me vs. baking powder, baking soda, flour, yeast, and anything else baking related. Oh yeah. Trash talking usually follows with the sweat dripping over my brow. One could easily think that myself, at my towering 5'5 and ½" stature, would undoubtedly be the victor against such a feeble opponent. Nope. Not so. My record against flour and alike ingredients for a great period of time was 0-5 (a guestimation, to be sure!). Finally, this grew to occasional triumphs (we’ll guess a 3-8 or 4-8 record). It was not until I discovered Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg that my overall record improved dramatically. I am quite proud to say that, although my focus within baking has changed from sweets to more every day eating essentials, I am slowly becoming a well-seasoned baker. Oh yes. Me..... Emily..... A well-seasoned baker. Yeup. You heard it first here on Cleanliness is Next to Godliness (although, unlikely to be reported elsewhere).

In a few months’ time, I have gained a great deal of confidence in the baking realm. It is no longer The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Chocolate Cake, but The Baguette, The Roll, and The Whole Wheat Bread.

Yes, my friends, there is hope still to be had in this crazy world! If you are afraid, NEVER FEAR!, you can take control of that daunting baking powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, or what have you. I serve as a living testament!


Hehe! Enough with dramatics. On a more serious note! I really wanted to make whole wheat bread the other day, but I unfortunately could only find about 2 cups worth of whole wheat flour. Sad, I know. I perused my cherished book from Zoe and Jeff (yes, I like to pretend that we’re the oldest and dearest of friends) and tried to find what I could make with what I had to work with!! This is the result, a delicious Light Whole Wheat Bread! I tell ya, my good ole pals Zoe and Jeff have done it again!


Light Whole Wheat Bread
All thanks owed to Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois, aka my heroes, from their book: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day




As I am sure you are aware, I'm a massive spaz, and only took one photo, yeah figures, so it's as blurry as sin, forgive me?

Makes four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

3 cups lukewarm water
1 ½ TBS granulated yeast (1 ½ packets)
1 ½ TBS salt
1 cup Whole Wheat flour
5 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
Whole Wheat Flour for pizza peel (sigh... which I still need to purchase)

1. Mixing & Storing the Dough: Mix the yeast and salt with the water in a five quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Mix I the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14 cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with a dough hook). If you’re not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.
3. Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately two hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when it’s cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 14 days.
5. On Baking Day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit size) piece. Dust the piece with ore flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal covered pizza peel for 40 minutes.
6. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F., with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray on ay other shelf that won’t interfere with the rising bread.
7. Sprinkle the loaf liberally with flour and slash across, “scallop”, or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top using a serrated bread knife. Leave the flour in place for baking; tap some of it off before eating.
8. Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time.
9. Allow to cool before eating.

Apple -n- Walnut Oatmeal

Photo Courtesy: Vintage Ad Browser

Good morning ladies and gents!

For the past few days I have decided to completely jazz up the oatmeal I eat each morning and have decided to pass on the good news to you! It is an apple-walnut-cobbler-meets-healthy-boring-oatmeal dream! I love it! Unfortunately, my photo of my morning oatmeal was quite unpresentable since I bring it to work in Tupperware (oh yeah, it's so sloppy). And the photo would not do the delicious breakfast justice! So... Here are some other fun oatmeal pictures to fill the void!


Photo Courtesy: deimos.apple.com


Photo Courtesy: Vintage Ad Browser


Photo Courtesy: Vintage Ad Browser


Okay, so now that we're in the clear and you can picture oatmeal in your head, let's continue! These ingredients really help spruce up an otherwise bland breakfast! The best part is that it is GOOD FOR YOU!!!

Apple -n- Walnut Oatmeal

1/2 cup chopped apples
1 TBS chopped walnuts
1 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup of milk (I recommend either skim or soy)
1/2 cup of instant oatmeal (or regular oatmeal, if you have the time in the morning!)


Even though it seems unconventional, I combine all of the ingredients at once, place it in the microwave for approximately 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. And voila! You have yourself a low maintenance, delicious, and hearty breakfast.

No, it's not fancy schmancy, served at the Waldorf, over-the-top-beautiful, but what Thursday morning is? Honestly? (insert Austin Powers' voice).


Photo Courtesy: Vintage Ad Browser


Stayed tuned for my posting on Light Whole Wheat bread tomorrow!! Big things, my friends!

Homemade Whole Wheat Pasta

Sorry for the terrible photos! It still gets dark so early!

On the train ride after work, I decided I really wanted to take a stab at making homemade pasta. I have seen plenty of videos on how to make your own pasta by way of hand or pasta maker. Unfortunately, I don't have a pasta maker, so I decided to brave it, making it by hand. Don't be terribly discouraged, but it takes a long time to do it by hand. I do believe I named all of my unborn children during the process of rolling out the dough and slicing it down to the size of a linguine. I may now, this weekend, go out and purchase a pasta maker, to cut the time in half!

The pasta tasted delicious, although it was not too pretty (it's a mix between pasta and funnel cake, if you ask me!!). It was good, nevertheless. I decided to make a healthier form of a white sauce to go with the pasta. I have given up cheese (I know, I know, it breaks my heart, too) in preparation for the wedding in 100 days (ummm.. yeah, I said it, 100 days... it's FLYING BY). I am very happy to say that even though I didn't put any cheese into the white sauce, it is still delicious and fools you into thinking there is cheese!


Homemade Whole Wheat Pasta
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 TBS salt
2 TBS water

1. Combine the two flours into a medium sized bowl, along with the salt. "Burrow" a little whole in the middle of the flour so that the bottom of the bowl can be seen, and pour in the egg mixture.



2. Stir in the middle, slowly making your way to the unmixed flour, using a fork. Take your time, this isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. Stir the flour in very slowly so that it becomes quite uniform. This may take quite some time.



2. After the flour and egg mixture is mixed and the dough is formed, knead the dough many times, incorporating any left over flour. I kneaded the dough for a little less than 3 minutes.



3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough using a lightly floured rolling pin. Roll the dough until it is 1/8 of an inch. You may have to flip the dough, and re-flour your surface and rolling pin occasionally. Once it is the desired size, roll the dough around the rolling pin and remove it from the rolling pin onto a cutting board (folded like a business letter).



(If you have a pasta machine, which I really, really, really wish I had, then now is the time to do your thang and skip to the sauce- you lucky bum, if you don't it's okay, follow my directions below).

4. Using a knife (I actually found a pizza cutter much easier to use) slice the dough very thinly. Picture the width of your favorite linguine, that should give you an idea of the size to cut. After the dough is cut, allow it to dry (approximately 3 hours).

You can either store it to cook later, or cook immediately. (As it is fresh pasta, it will take less time than store bought pasta to cook).

5. If you're cooking it right away, boil some water with a bit of olive oil. Throw in your newly made pasta, and cook to your liking! Drain and put some of the yummy sauce that is below!


Emily's I Wish I Could Eat Cheese White Sauce
2 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups skim milk
1 TBS fat free sour cream
1/2 cup onions, sauteed
1/2 cup tomatoes, sauteed with the onions
2 TBS minced garlic
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and salt. Then add your milk and sour cream (sour cream helps to thicken it up a bit, without using heavy whipping cream). Allow the sauce to bubble and thicken. Add the onions, tomatoes, and garlic. Allow it to cook for a few more minutes to combine flavors. Serve over the pasta!





Bon appétit !! Oh darn my French degree, I mean Buon Appetito! ....or, while we're at it, for my Polish heritage, Smacznego! :o)

"How I Wish It Were Spring" Salad

For the past few days, Mother Nature has been so good to the Philadelphia Area by giving us pretty mild winter weather, with high temperatures in the 40s and 50s. Saturday was a whopping 50 degrees, I only had a fleece on all day! What a treat compared to the cold snap we had just a few weeks before!

As this weather feels more like early spring, I found myself longing for the crisp mornings and warm days of spring! In preparation for work last night, I decided to come up with as summery a salad as the refrigerator would allow! I am very pleased with the results! It consists of spring mix, strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, and my version of a red wine vinaigrette! The blueberries complement the vinaigrette and strawberries with its subtle sweetness! It ended up being just the salad I needed for this melancholy, wishing it were spring day!




"How I Wish It Were Spring" Salad
Serves 4

For the salad:
8 cups Spring Salad Mix (feel free to substitute with your favorite lettuce!)
3/4 cup blueberries
3/4 cup strawberries
1/2 cup halved walnuts
Feta Cheese, Optional (would go very nicely with this salad, if you're feelin' cheesay!)

For the salad dressing:
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp herbes de provence**
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp parsley

**Don't have herbes de provence? Don't worry, make your own version combining: rosemary, marjoram, thyme, savory, and lavender!!


Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients for a tasty salad that makes you wish it were spring!!

Homemade Wheat Thins

Yummm. My family is a Wheat Thin lovin' family. Let me tell you. There was always a box of these crackers in the house growing up. This past weekend, after perusing my King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook, I decided to make my own! It was a hit!!!! I was so surprised how much they actually tasted like the real thing! Let me tell you, King Arthur Flour's recipe NAILS it!!! I suggest you quadruple, fadruple, or mandruple (hmm.. I may have made up those last two words...) this recipe because these crackers go FAST!!

Homemade Wheat Thins
Courtesy: King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook



YIELD: About 13 dozen crackers
BAKING TEMPERATURE: 400 degrees F
BAKING TIME: 5 to 7 minutes

*1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) whole wheat flour, traditional or white whole wheat
*1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/4 teaspoon paprika
*4 tablespoons (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) butter
*1/4 cup (2 ounces) water
*1/4 teaspoon vanilla
*Additional salt for topping (optional)

1. TO MAKE THE DOUGH: Combine the flour, sugar, salt and paprika in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and mix it in thoroughly, using your fingers, a pastry blender, a mixer or a food processor. Combine the water and vanilla, and add to the flour mixture, mixing until smooth.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
3. TO ROLL AND CUT THE DOUGH: Divide the dough into 4 pieces; keep the other pieces covered while you work with one at a time. Lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin and roll the piece of dough into a large rectangle, which should be at least 12 inches square when trimmed. Keep your pin and the surface of your dough evenly floured. Flip the dough frequently to keep it from sticking, but too much flour will make it difficult to roll. Keep rolling until the dough is as thin as you can get it without tearing, at least 1/16 inch thick. Trim the dough to even the edges and use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut the piece into squares approximately 1 1/2 inches wide.
4. Transfer the squares to a prepared baking sheet; you can crowd them together, as they don’t expand while baking. Sprinkle the squares lightly with salt, if desired. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Save the scraps under plastic wrap and reroll them all at once just one time.
5. TO BAKE THE CRACKERS: Bake the crackers, one sheet at a time, until crisp and browned, 5 to 7 minutes. If some of the thinner crackers brown too quickly, remove them and return the remaining crackers to the oven to finish baking. These crackers bake quickly, so watch them closely - even 30 seconds can turn them from golden brown to toast! Remove the crackers from the oven and cool on the pan or on a plate; they cool quickly. These crackers will stay crisp for several days, but are best stored in airtight containers.


These are truly delicious. I think the Husband-Elect very much enjoyed eating them, check out that smile!:o)


NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING (20 CRACKERS, 29G): l8g whole grains, 101 cal, 5g fat, 2g protein, 11g complex carbohydrates, 2g sugar, 2g dietary fiber, 13mg cholesterol, 108mg sodium, 64mg potassium, 48RE vitamin A, 1mg iron, 7mg calcium, 53mg phosphorus.

Homemade Baguettes and Rolls!!!

This was my first attempt at making homemade bread and I was absolutely TICKLED with the results. This dough was so easy to manipulate and tasted so good after it was finished baking. I recommend this to anyone and everyone. It is so simple. I know that working with yeast can be intimidating, but I promise you it's not. I am a complete novice in this realm of baking. Trust me. Use the boule dough recipe I have recently posted to make baguettes, rolls, or any shaped bread your heart desires! I promise you will not be disappointed. I couldn't keep enough of this bread on the table. It was eaten up so quickly! It remains soft for quite some time, unlike what is purchased in a store. DO IT. DO IT NOW. MAKE THIS BREAD. :o)


Homemade Baguettes
Courtesy: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day


(so sorry for the terrible lighting... it was getting dark at this point in time, but I still wanted to get some pictures!)

1. Use a grapefruit sized amount of Boule Dough.

2. Here are the instructions, verbatim, from the cookbook: "The gluten cloak: don't knead, just "cloak" and shape a loaf in 30 to 60 seconds. First, prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal (or whatever your recipe calls for) to prevent your loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven. Sprinkle the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour.

3. "Pull up and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough, using a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won't stick to your hands.

4. "Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it's not intended to be incorporated into the dough. The bottom of the loaf may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten out and adhere during resting and baking. The correctly shaped final product will be smooth and cohesive. The entire process should take no more than 30 to 60 seconds."


[SIDENOTE: Okay, so I didn't have a pizza peel (it is on my list of things to get by the time I'm married), but you can make it work- either transfer the dough VERY CAREFULLY onto your baking stone by hand or slide it on by using a cornmeal covered cookie sheet.]

5. Work the dough so that it is cylinder shaped, approximately two inches in diameter. Make sure your work space is well floured. Once the dough is the correct shape and size, allow it to sit for 25 minutes. At this time, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

6. Place a baking stone and empty broiler tray into the oven AS IT IS PREHEATING. Put the baking stone in the middle of the oven, and place the broiler pan below it, on another rack.

7. Once the dough is finished 'sitting,' use a pastry brush and brush water onto the top of it, so that you can cut diagonal slits on the top of the dough using a serrated knife (I found this a touch difficult to do, but try your best).

8. Once the oven is ready to go, CAREFULLY put the dough onto the baking stone. Right after you put the dough onto the baking stone, put a cup of warm water into the broiler tray so that it steams. Quickly shut the door so that the steam stays inside of the oven.

9. Bake the bread for 25 minutes, or until it is golden brown and firm to the touch. Once it is finished baking, place it on a rack to cool. Once it is cool, it is ready to slice and enjoy!




Homemade Rolls!
Also courtesy: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

The next day, I had enough dough left over to make individual rolls for lunch! There are minor differences to the recipe above.

The dough only needs to be shaped in a ball. It must sit on a cornmealed surface again (either a pizza peel or cookie sheet) for 30 minutes. Place whole wheat flour on top of the dough as it sits. Use the serrated knife again to make the slits (the difference with the baguettes in this section of the recipe is that traditional baguettes do not have flour on top of the bread, so water is used instead). Preheat the oven to 450 degrees again with the baking stone and broiler tray in the same places as noted for the baguette recipe above. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch.


Enjoy!! It is truly delicious!!!!

A Boule Dough Recipe For Your Very Own Homemade Bread!!!!

In my quest in becoming Susie Homemaker, I picked up probably the coolest cookbook ever: Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. Each page is filled with awesome bread baking recipes that stem from a handful of basic doughs.

This weekend, my parents will be having close friends of the family over for dinner. Upon looking through my new favorite book, I volunteered to make baguettes from an awesome recipe I found in my newly cherished Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day cookbook, as well as a wheat thins recipe I found while perusing my newly treasured Whole Grain Baking cookbook from King Arthur Flour.



I prepared the Boule recipe last night. It is incredible what Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois have done; they have truly revolutionized the way one can make homemade bread (I would have to assume, to be honest, considering this will be my first attempt at making homemade bread!!!). What is amazing is that I made this dough last night, after it raised (and you don't have to punch it, or knead it, or anything that is seemingly tedious about baking bread), I put it in the refrigerator, saving it for tomorrow afternoon, when I will be baking up a storm!! Not only will the dough will keep, but it is preferable to refrigerate the dough to use for a later time (as it keeps the dough wet and easy to manipulate).

So here's the very simple boule dough recipe, which I will be using tomorrow to bake baguettes! C'est magnifique!


The Master Recipe: Boule (Artisan Free-Form Loaf)
Courtesy of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Makes four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.


3 cups lukewarm water
1-1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (1-1/2 packets)
1-1/2 tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt
6-1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour, measured with the scoop-and-sweep method
Cornmeal for pizza peel


Mixing and Storing the Dough

1. Warm the water slightly: It should feel just a little warmer than body temperature, about 100°F. Warm water will rise the dough to the right point for storage in about 2 hours. You can use cold tap water and get an identical final result; then the first rising will take 3 or even 4 hours. That won't be too great a difference, as you will only be doing this once per stored batch.

2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded (not airtight) plastic food container or food-grade bucket. Don't worry about getting it all to dissolve.

3. Mix in the flour—kneading is unnecessary: Add all of the flour at once, measuring it in with dry-ingredient measuring cups, by gently scooping up flour, then sweeping the top level with a knife or spatula; don't press down into the flour as you scoop or you'll throw off the measurement by compressing. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor (14 cups or larger) fitted with the dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the dough hook until the mixture is uniform. If you're hand-mixing and it becomes too difficult to incorporate all the flour with the spoon, you can reach into your mixing vessel with very wet hands and press the mixture together. Don't knead. It isn't necessary. You're finished when everything is uniformly moist, without dry patches. This step is done in a matter of minutes, and will yield a dough that is wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of its container.


Ready to go!!! Hopin' she'll rise!!!

Allow to rise: Cover with a lid (not airtight) that fits well to the container you're using. Do not use screw-topped bottles or Mason jars, which could explode from the trapped gases. Lidded plastic buckets designed for dough storage are readily available (see page 14 of the book). Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flattens on the top), approximately 2 hours, depending on the room's temperature and the initial water temperature. Longer rising times, up to about 5 hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Fully refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and is easier to work with than dough at room temperature. So, the first time you try our method, it's best to refrigerate the dough overnight (or at least 3 hours), before shaping a loaf.


It's alive!!!!! :o)

[Side note]: The scoop-and-sweep method gives consistent results without sifting or weighing. It's easier to scoop and sweep if you store your flour in a bin rather than the bag it's sold in; it can be hard to get the measuring cups in a bag without making a mess. Also: Don't use an extra-large 2-cup-capacity measuring cup, which allows the flour to overpack and measures too much flour.

Jeff and Zoe tell ya to relax! You do not need to monitor doubling or tripling of volume as traditional recipes.


After it rose, I put the dough in the refrigerator and am anxiously anticipating putting it to good use tomorrow afternoon for baguettes!




To be continued tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen!!! Keep an eye out for a delicious baguette *fingers crossed* and yummy made-with-love wheat thins!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you!!!

May you find many blessings and joys in this new year! 2010 is going to be a big year for Cleanliness is Next to Godliness! Please stay tuned to see the many changes that will be taking place in my life! (116 days until I get hitched! Can you believe how quickly it's coming?!) Many experiments will be taking place in the kitchen as I prepare for such an exciting part of my life: wifedom!