Friday April 04, 2008

Flour + water = success!

So I finally found the courage to try and make no-knead bread again, after failing miserably last time I tried.

This time, I didn't add too much water. \o/

It was still a mild disaster, since I ended up with flour all over my kitchen (the instructions say to "generously coat a cotton towel with flour", and knowing exactly how sticky wet dough can be, I might have floured the towel a bit too generously); but I succeeded.

Best damned bread I've had in years. Yum. Definitely going to be making it again.

Saturday November 10, 2007

Flour + water = disaster

The first time I ever tried making bread, I ended up having to add an enormous amount of flour due to adding too much water. (I was following instructions.)

The first time I ever tried making pizza, I ended up having to add an enormous amount of flour due to adding too much water. (I was following instructions.)

The only reason that has not happened the first time I ever tried making a cake, I believe, is cake-making employs no water.

I really should know better by now.

But no...

No-knead bread 1, me 0. Reason for failure: too much water.

And this time I couldn't even really rescue it, since I noticed the issue far too late in the process and I didn't have enough flour besides. And I was following instructions.

Did you know how hard the "stick to everything" type of goop that comes from not enough flour and too much water is to throw away? Yeah. I could almost imagine it growing a multitude of tentacles, clinging to the bowl... and my hands... and the table... and the garbage bag... screaming "nooooo, I want to liiiiiiiiiiiiiive!"

Thing is, I can cook far more elaborate dishes with little trouble, and without even really paying attention to what I'm doing. But there's something in the very simple act of joining flour and water that gets me every time.

I'll try again when I have acquired more flour. And this time, I swear, I'll add water drop by damned drop.