Friday, September 25, 2009

Italian Bread Sticks

We just got back from a lovely vacation in the Boston and Wells Beach, Maine area. A trip we make on a yearly basis to visit with my darling husband's lovely family. I am very blessed with some awesome in laws. Here is a picture of my darling husband and his lovely dad seconds before they learned they were going to Pappy (grandfather) and (great granddad). My son and his lovely bride are expecting their first baby in April of 2010. I will be honey and my mom-in-law will be GG (great grandma)
Now to get back to the bread baking. Here is the biga after waiting on me for two days. It was bubbly and just raring to start to work.
Per the instructions. I took out my blade and sliced it into ten kinda equal portions.
Now for my Miss in place. There is one ingredient that is not here. Can you name it? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10... Bing... times up... If you guessed water, you are right, it is in the microwave getting warmed up to 100 degrees.
The biga meets all its dry ingredients friends in the KA's bowl and the mixing begins.
A little blurry but you can tell that all the ingredients are really getting to know each other well during the kneading stage.
Time to let the dough sit for two hours to rise for the first time.
I had decided to make Italian Bread Sticks to go with the Spaghetti and Meatballs that my hubby loves having for dinner.
During their second rise awaiting on the time while vegging out on the pan.
I sprinkled half the bread sticks with celery seeds, sesame seeds and poppy seeds. I liked all three but would love to make just celery seeds on some single sticks. My hubby asked for plain bread sticks. I just couldn't make naked bread sticks, so I put garlic powder on them. He said they tasted alright but he would prefer just plain. This coming from a man who puts Tabasco on everything (including me, but we won't talk about that right now.)
Fresh out of the oven. They look lovely because they are definitely rustic and handmade. They are very yummy.
A close up of the seeded sticks.
The crumb shot. They were airy and with enough holes that they look as good as they tasted.
When I asked dh(darling hubby) if he wanted me to take them to work. He responded, "Yes, please, they are too good to stay here." Translation, I can resist your cakes and cookies woman but your bread sticks, drive me crazy. So, being the devoted wife, I took them to work to share with my co-workers. They loved them. They are very happy that I have taken on the bread challenge.
Would I make these bread sticks again?? You betcha... They were fun and easy and very tasty.
One of my co-workers mentioned Olive's Garden. I just don't understand what Popeye's gurlfriend, Olive Oyl has to do with my bread sticks. I didn't think that anyone knew what happened in Olive Garden.


Tuesday, September 22, 2009

French Bread

I tried twice to bake the French Bread.

After I baked it, my darling husband told me it was hard as a rock.

I will not try this bread a third time.

As a very good friend told me, if I master all but 1 of the 43 breads, then I can hold my head up.

Terri