My Latest Culinary Adventure: Artisan Bread

I've been hearing great things about a cook book called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I finally purchased it and gave it a try.  The loaf below is for the most basic recipe and I can tell you it was a big hit with my family.  There wasn't a crumb left 20 minutes after we sliced into it with dinner and there is only three of us.

My loaf - Looks Great!

The concept of the book is very simple.  Instead of taking a few hours to make a loaf of bread in your home from scratch, this book simplifies everything. The results seem to be even better than what you get when you go to all the work of kneading and rising and resting and so forth.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois

The dough is a light, wet dough so you can simply mix it up with a wooden spoon.  There is no kneading. Instead of letting it rise in a warm place and coming back to check on it, you pop it in the frig and leave it.  A day or even two weeks later you come back and cut off a portion of the dough, quickly shape it (in your hands--you don't even need to get your counter messy), let it rise on a pizza peel, cut a pretty pattern into the loaf and then pop it into your oven on a hot baking stone.  You pour some hot tap water into a broiler pan for steam and let it bake.  You get a loaf that is crusty on the outside and luscious and flavorful on the inside. And the lovely thing is the longer you leave the dough the more it develops a sourdough flavor.

Dough quickly formed and resting on the pizza peel

The book says 5 minutes a day minus the time the bread is rising and baking and doing it's own thing.  I'm not even sure it took that long.  The 5 minutes must include the small amount of clean up time or time to add the extra ingredients or rolling out time needed in some of the more complex recipes.  They allow 15 minutes on the day you mix the dough--several loaves worth at a time to bake as needed.  I think that only took me about 5 minutes.  I can't wait to try some of the other recipes.  Commercial loaves of rye bread never have enough caraway seeds for my taste.  I'm going to load my artisan rye down with caraway seeds.

Oops

There was a little mishap with the first loaf.  My old pizza stone cracked.  For any fan of Dr. Who reading this you'll see that the Crack in the Universe came to my house.

Sue

Easy bracelet display tutorial

I've been meaning to figure out how to make one of these for a while so I've been saving cardboard tubes that are approximately wrist size to do it. But I hadn't figured out how to cap the ends to make them look finished and professional. Then it occurred to me that mailing tubes already are the right size and already have end caps.  This couldn't be easier. I used a scrap of fabric that resembles white Dupioni silk to match my other displays.

Supplies:

* Mailing tube that is wrist size (this one was 7 inches in circumference)
* Thin fabric of your choice (too thick and the end caps won't go on later)
* Matching thread

Instructions:

Cut a piece of fabric to cover the mailing tube.  Measure carefully so that the fabric is just 5/8 inch wider than the circumference of your mailing tube and at least two inches longer.  With right sides together sew the fabric into a long tube with a 1/4 inch seam. I used pinking sheers after sewing to trim the seam and keep the fabric from fraying.  Press seam open using just the tip of the iron.  Turn fabric tube right side out and slip over the mailing tube. It should fit very tightly if you measured correctly. Tuck the raw ends into the tube and slide the end caps on. 

Sue

What is your summer project?

For a change we are sticking close to home this summer.  So I thought I'd get out a big project that I've had planned for years and get to work on it. I'm scanning all our old print photos to digital.  This will also allow me to get rid of several shelves full of ring binder albums that are taking up space.

Me with my brothers 1969

My husband and his little sister

I expect this will take me months, if not years, to do. So far I've scanned all of my own photos and my husband's photos up to right before our wedding in 1989.  It's a trip down memory lane.

My husband, June 1968

Poor kitty

School I attended until 7th grade

What is your summer project?  Gardening? Landscaping? Organizing your recipe file? Garage sale? Cleaning out closets?  Leave a comment and let me know what it is.

Homemade Facial Scrub Recipe

my homemade facial scrub powder

Some of you know that I make my own lip balms, soap, skin care products and non-toxic cleaning products.  In making non-toxic products I've realized that most of these products that I make are actually far superior to those products that I've been spending a lot of money on for years and they are so much more cost effective. Some of my best recipes are available on my website.

Buying skin products over the counter comes with some risks. Most contain preservatives and fragrances which can be irritating if not downright toxic. And most also contain a host of ingredients that really haven't been tested over time.  One example is retinol. It's a form of vitamin A touted for it's wrinkle fighting properties, but it's been in the news lately as it has been found to cause birth defects even when used topically. And if it can cause birth defects how good can it really be for anyone? Retinols are found in a majority of the anti-aging skin moisturizers.

One of my new favorite products is my own facial scrub.  It's made with natural ingredients and no fragrances or preservatives at all. All ingredients it contains have been used for centuries for skin care products with no ill effects. It has a very mild texture that will leave your skin silky smooth, but is not as harsh as micro-dermabrasion scrubs. What is the downside?  Well, it doesn't come in a convenient tube or bottle and it's a little bit messy as it contains clay powder, but it's not nearly as messy as a typical facial mask as it is a light scrub. The addition of baking soda makes it easier to rinse off. I use this once a day.

GREEN CUMIN FACIAL SCRUB

2 tablespoons baking soda
2 1/2 tablespoons french green clay powder (or other clay powder of your choice)
1 teaspoon ground cumin, or more if desired
1 teaspoon green tea powder, optional
2 capsules olive leaf, broken apart (toss the gelatin capsule and use the powder), optional

1.    Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix together. 

2.    Place in a sealed container and store where it won't get wet.  I use a small demitasse coffee spoon to portion it out, but any spoon will do--even a plastic one.
3.    To use: place a small amount in your palm and mix with a tiny bit of water to form a paste.  Apply to wet skin and gently massage in with fingertips.  Rinse off.  You may also leave it on for a while as a facial mask to get the full benefits.  Alternately you can mix some of the powder into a paste using honey or Dr. Bronners liquid baby soap and store in a small container for use. Honey has many beneficial properties and Dr. Bronners liquid baby soap will make this more of a facial wash.  Mix up just enough for one week at a time and store at room temperature.

Cumin is high in vitamin E and has great antiseptic, anti-inflamatory and anti-oxidant properties.  Ground, it also has a nice texture for a facial scrub. Women in India have been using cumin on their faces for centuries, but, yes, it does smell like food. You can leave the cumin out of the recipe if you don't care for the scent. You can find ground cumin in the spice section at your grocery store. Olive leaf and green tea are well know for their many benefits for skin, but they do not contribute to the grainy texture needed for a good scrub like the cumin does. Olive leaf capsules are available at health food stores. Green tea powder is available at tea shops, health food stores and gourmet stores. It's the type of green tea used for Japanese tea ceremonies. Matcha is one type. If you only intend to use this as a facial scrub and not leave it on for a little while, there is no need to include the olive leaf and green tea.

You can use any type of cosmetic grade powdered clay for this. Some clays are more absorbent than others and are therefore better for different skin types.  I prefer French green clay for it's natural herbal scent and mildly absorbent properties and color. You may be able to find clay powders at your local health food store.  I purchase them from Majestic Mountain Sage on-line.

The baking soda makes a finely textured scrub and the clay powder gives a silky texture. You can customize this by adding other ingredients such as ground oatmeal or a few drops of tea tree oil.

As this is a dry mix, you can easily put a little in a small sealed container to take with you when you travel without worrying about leaks.

New line of satin necklace cords

I have to admit to being frustrated with commercial choices in necklace cords.  Not only is it nearly impossible to find any over 20 inches long to use for displaying pretty gemstone donuts as pendants, but so many also have sliding knot ends that come untied or crimp ends that pull off. I wanted a simple, affordable satin necklace cord with easy lobster claw clasps in different metals to display pendants. This satin cord is 1.5mm wide. It is slimmer than the standard 2mm cord so that it doesn't overpower your pendants. I currently can make these in three different satin cord colors.

My black satin necklace cord comes in many lengths and three different clasps metals so you can get just what you need. $6

Silvery grey cord necklace with shell donut  $12.50

Brown cord with turquoise donut  $15.50

I can make these in copper plated, gold plated or silver plated

Since I make these myself, I can do custom lengths

Get just the right length for you. Any length $6.

I heat seal each end, loop it over and sew it with strong thread and then cover it with hand wrapped wire coils turning the ends of the coils down to anchor them in the satin cord.