The calendar may not agree, but summer has definitely started around here. No, I'm not talking about the temperature for a change. =) I'm talking about the fact that school is out for the summer, which really makes my life easier. Instead of having to deal with drop-offs and pick-ups at both the elementary school and the daycare, I only have to go one place for a couple months. Of course, summer occasionally presents its own challenges...
When I went in to pick up Brianna one day last week, I immediately noticed that she was wearing a pair of black flats that I'd never seen before. I asked her where her sneakers were, and suggested that she get them back on her feet so that we could go home. This resulted in lots of crying and B saying that she wished that Daddy was picking her up that day, since he wouldn't ask so many questions. (which I doubt...) It took a few minutes, but I eventually determined that a bunch of the girls had been trying on each other's shoes, and one of the others left while still wearing B's. Naturally, this was in no way B's fault. It never is. =) She said it was the other girl's idea to trade shoes, not hers. She didn't seem amused by my question about whether the other girl has taken the shoes off her feet. Anyone else dealing with the drama of an 8-year-old girl (or something similar)? I hope I'm not the only one having all this fun. =)
One other handy thing about summer is that I don't have to pack lunch for B. So I get to keep most of these lovely rolls all to myself. I'm finally trying to get back on track with a few of my baking groups. One of the June recipes for the Mellow Bakers is Pain Rustique. It looked like a good place to jump back in--it's a fairly straightforward dough that uses a poolish perferment. All I had to do was remember to mix up the poolish the night before. I even talked Phyl and Margaret into doing it with me (via Twitter). This is a great dough for those who are a bit scared of yeast doughs, since there's no shaping--the dough is simply cut into pieces with a bench knife. I decided to make rolls instead of loaves, so I just cut more pieces. I ended up with 11--I was going for a dozen, but had to stick a couple of small pieces together to make a bigger one.
The verdict? This recipe is definitely going on the make-again list. I should probably try making a larger loaf as well. I really love the texture of these rolls, and I love using them for sandwiches. Okay, I just generally prefer rolls over sliced bread when it comes to sandwiches--I like all the crust.
If you'd like to give these a try yourself, the recipe can be found on page 111 of Hamelman's Bread. I also found the recipe online here. (One note, the online recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon of instant yeast in the poolish, while the book only calls for 1/8 teaspoon. I followed the book.) To see how some of the other Mellow Bakers have fared with this recipe, check out their results here.
They look awesome, Di! I'm going to have to try rolls with this recipe. And the B daycare story cracked me up...ah, the things I have to look forward to. =)
ReplyDeleteToo funny about the shoes! I hope that they decided to trade back again, unless, of course, you'd rather have the black flats instead of her sneakers. These rolls look amazing; some day I might give them a go. How convenient that you get to eat these mostly by yourself.
ReplyDeleteNancy—yes, we got the shoes back the next day. Good thing, since the sneakers were still pretty new, and not cheap. B also told me that now she understands why I buy her good sneakers. She decided they were much more comfortable than the flats. =)
ReplyDeleteAh, the 8-year-old auto-responses: "It's not my fault!" or "I didn't do it!", which come out even if Ma has witnessed the error in judgement. It doesn't seem to be going away as 9 approaches, either. (argh) Nim's counting down the days until school gets out (2 1/2); I'm counting the days until it starts up again (72). Maybe I'll go make some bread to cheer up...
ReplyDeleteThose rolls are gorgeous, Di! Too funny about B and her shoes. At that age I guess they are just learning to pay attention to such minor details as whose shoes they go home in.
ReplyDeleteOh Yeah I remember those days. Unfortunately it lasts a couple of years and then they become teenagers!!!
ReplyDeleteLove how your rolls turned out. Thanks for 'making' me make this with you. Need to post mine.
I love that there's no shaping involved in this one - shaping is my least favorite part of making bread, and causes me to skip some recipes entirely!
ReplyDeleteToo funny about B and her shoes, glad she got them back!