Here we are in the end of February again. It was just a year ago that I began this blog, and I can't help thinking about what the end of February looked like then. Last February spring was whispering. We were done with snow, and the frigid cold weather had ended for the year. Inside my cold frames spinach was growing and my baby onions were planted along with arugula, kale, and a variety of lettuces. On the house front, Jason and I were busy in the workshop cutting, chiseling, sanding and oiling braces. With a handful of pieces cut for our frame, I felt like we were so close to being done!
This year is a whole different story! It's cold out there! A thick blanket of snow still covers the ground and just last night we got another four inches! It's a high of only 18 degrees today with a windchill below zero. But still there is faith in my heart that spring is not too far away helped along by the promise of that sun growing stronger each day. So, I planted my onions in the cold frames on Thursday. Maybe it was crazy, but I doubt it. The soil in the cold frame was almost 50 degrees, so I think they'll come up. We'll see, won't we? On the house front it's a whole different scene, too! The frame is up, half of the roof is on and we are busy making plans for the spring and summer work ahead. We have some major work ahead of us--I'm so excited!
Right around this time a year ago I began learning the art of baking bread. Up until then yeast and I didn't really get along. Every time I tried to bake anything requiring yeast it turned out flat and hard, but I was determined to learn. Since then I have come a long way on that front. I have been baking almost all of our bread each week and learning new techniques and trying new recipes along the way. The latest fun I've been having in the bread baking world is sourdough and bagels. The first sourdough I made was this sour, moist, dense Danish-style rye bread filled with sunflower seeds. Cut very thin, it is a delicious protein-rich base for an open-faced sandwich. Jason teases me about this bread. He says it would break through the floor if I dropped it, but I love it. It reminds me of the breads we ate while in Denmark! I'm making just regular old sourdough, too. I'm still trying to perfect this style of bread. It's a little too sour and dense for Jason, so today I'm trying to let it rise more before baking it. I love the process of using a sourdough starter. It's so magical to feed the starter and then watch it bubble up, ready to be added to flour and turned into a sponge. The final step is to knead in more flour and let it rise, fold it, rise again, fold it, rise.... Just like magic! I hope Jason learns to love the flavor, because I sure love baking it!
Bagels. They are a blast to make. It's a long, not too complicated process, but oh so worth it! You start by making the dough as usual and letting that sit and rise for a couple of hours.
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| Now it's ready to work with! |
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| Cut the dough into 12 fairly equal size pieces, roll them into ball and use your thumbs to press holes into the center, pulling outward to make little rings. I use a motion like I'm making pizza dough and I leave a little dough in the center to hold toppings if I choose to put those on. |
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| Now you drop the rings into boiling water. When they float, flip them over. When they float again, take them out and put them on a cooling rack to drain. |
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| This is what they look like while they are draining. They feel kind of funny at this stage. Boiling them has created a crust, but the insides are really hot and doughy. Once they're drained they're ready to bake. I start by putting a cookie sheet on the bottom rack of the oven with about a half-inch of water in it to create some steam in the oven. Then I put the bagels on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 30 minutes. |
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| When they're done they're chewy and delicious! I love eating them when they're still hot with olive oil, salt and pepper. |
