Hello readers! 2010 was a great year for the Handmade Blog. My readers came from all over the world, coloring my visitor stats with flags as familiar as the red, white, and blue bars of the U.K. and as foreign…
Blog Archives
Home for the Holidays
There’s nothing like family traditions to remind you it’s holiday time. When I was growing up our family would make Christmas bread each December, locating a floury notecard with the recipe my grandmother jotted down in slanting cursive. Every year…
Handmade Gifts
I love the idea of homemade gifts but really I don’t know how to make many things well. I tried to make a bookcase for my wife and with the uneven routed edges and sloppy sealant it basically looks like…
Thanks for Making it Easier
Every year my wife comes up with an ambitious Thanksgiving menu. I’m all about handmade foods but when you’re trying to clean the house, chase Toddler Harbat, and decipher a ten-page recipe for gratinee of seared confit in a bed…
Bread and Horses
We had a lot of both this weekend. The great ciabatta bake day was a pretty simple affair. No-knead ciabatta is mostly about leaving dough in a bowl to bubble on its own—it’s the perfect lazy man’s bread. So bake…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: baking, bread, ciabatta, farm, horses, kids, thanksgiving, whole wheat
Baking Day!
Short post today. I’ve got the batter for 16 loaves of ciabatta fermenting away in the kitchen. Mixing bowls, stock pots, even the shell to the salad spinner are all pressed into service to hold all this dough. This afternoon…
Yes! Holes!
We all have our little victories and for me it’s getting holes in bread. “Easy!” you say, “Just poke your finger in there!” But were it that simple. My recent problems with ciabatta led me to think my dough was…
Ciabatta and More Ciabatta
I’m not sure what I’ve gotten myself into. I’ve agreed to make 16 loaves of ciabatta for a fundraiser event. In a way, this will be easier than any other type of bread because I can use the no-knead recipe. …
Oh Yeah…Bread
Sometimes I think I’ve figured out a technique for making bread. This is the right way, I say with confidence. Then I slap myself upside the head because I’m obviously wrong. I used to create steam in my oven with…
Monday Miscellany
My ciabatta is off, and no, that’s not a medical euphemism. I realize my recipe for no-knead undead ciabatta on the bread page was coming out too dry. Think, Uncle F$#k-Up! The hydration is supposed to be 100%. This means…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: autumn, baking, bread, ciabatta, fire truck, neighborhood, parenting
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