on a baking spree

i recently started trying out the wet dough method outlined in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. i was a total believer after just one loaf. look how pretty it is! and it tastes even better!

seriously, a little butter and honey, or jam, or cheese, with a cup of tea and you are set for a very satisfying afternoon (or mid-morning) snack.

but that beautiful boule loaf isn't the best part. the beauty of this method is that you mix a big batch of dough, let it rise once, and then stick it in the fridge. when you're ready to bake, you pull a chunk of it out, let it rise again and then pop it in the oven! the best part is that the dough can be used for more than just regular bread. the first handful of this dough made the boule and the second half of the dough turned into these delicious sticky buns.

this photo was taken probably about 45 minutes after they came out of the oven. clearly we hated them. and if you do endeavor to make these, and you use a springform pan to bake them in, please remember to put it on a baking sheet before putting it in the oven, because then you will avoid the sticky mess that i have all over my oven...

library love

my husband is using the 'fancy' camera this week at work, so here are some more iphone hipstamatic pix!

my library haul this week is pretty great.

i've been on a nutrition kick lately. Nourishing Traditions is really interesting. i don't know if i'm ever going to drink kombucha, let alone make my own, but i am interested in exploring raw milk more. and i love anything that says that butter isn't bad!

we just put down a deposit on a share of pasture raised pork and beef at Kookoolan Farms. The River Cottage Meat Book is amazing. the photography is beautiful. i'm reading about the different cuts of meat, trying to figure out what to tell the butcher.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is based on mixing a large batch of dough, letting it rise, and then keeping it in your fridge for two weeks, pulling off handfuls of dough as you need it. i love this idea! i haven't tried it yet. i need to make room in the fridge first. but how wonderful would it be to pull out a handful of dough, shape it, let it rise and then pop it in the oven in time for dinner or breakfast? heaven!

The Householder's Guide to the Universe has been on my hold list at the library for months. i have flipped through it a bit at our local wonderful grocery store, New Seasons, drooling over it, wondering if it would ever be my turn with it. i think this is one that i'm going to buy. i like to try out books through the library first. this one is so full of great info that i think i'll use it a lot for a long time. for example, there's a planting chart and a canning chart, both of which are blank for you to fill out. also, it is organized by month which is really nice. what to plant, harvest and eat/can/put up in each month. so great! since this is my first year with a garden and my first attempt at canning in 10 years, not to mention my first time keeping chickens, anything that helps keep me organized is very welcome!

in addition to cooking and gardening, one of my biggest love is design. i sometimes feel that my love of design is a bit at odds with my hippie/waldorf/organic ideals. i love beautifully designed products and i want them all, but i try really hard to resist all of the consumerism out there. i lose the battle frequently... anyway, i love Lotta Jansdotter's Handmade Living!! it is clean modern design in an easy organic style. i could move into her apartment and not need to change anything.

i love this felt decoration she made. she has a big section on holiday decorating and cooking. yum!

all of her sketch/scrap books inspire me to start keeping one again. i think these are cookbooks. love you lotta!