Constant state of flux

I am fairly certain that the majority of my small readership gets bored after the first sentence or two, so I had better break out the good news first, just so you know. I don't know if it matters that much, but I somehow managed to get on the Dean's List for last semester, how that happened I couldn't tell you. I don't remember ever being on a Dean's List, so, like I said I have no clue what if anything it means.

I have some more bread porn picks.





The first one is a wheat sourdough, but I have to admit that I threw in a touch of yeast just to get the ball rolling, namely because I didn't feel like waiting 24+ hours to let the bread finish. The popine bread wasn't quite as good as I would have hoped, but that was my own damn fault, I didn't let the loaf rise enough, something that I constantly have a problem with. I just get impatient waiting around and want the butter-melting, saliva inducing fresh bread right away, my impatience just leaves me a little broken hearted as the finished product of my labor is sub-par. If I don't learn my lesson soon I may just have to give up making bread altogether!

The second loaf was much better, I was playing around with rye bread again, just trying to get the perfect mixture of rye to white flour. This recipe is using conventional yeast, anyone can throw in their 2 cents. if they have any suggestions.

1 pkg yeast
1 cup water (lukewarm)
1 cup buttermilk
1 T Maple Syrup (real shit yo!)
1.5c Rye Flour
About 3 cups bread flour unbleached and unbromated.
1/2 C Oats
1/4 C Toasted Millet
1 T salt (I don't ever measure this so I might be off)
2-3T of caraway seeds (again I didn't measure exactly)
1/4 C golden flax seed

If you know how to make bread you can probably figure out what I did. I held off on all the bread flour until the dough ball was mostly formed, the bread is dense enough as is! I put the flax seed in, just thinking that it would be nice to get some of those Omega 3 whatever into my diet. Turns out that (according to a co-worker) the body doesn't process flax unless it is partially ground first, which sucks but at least I know for next time to use my mortar and pestle a bit... This loaf rose just splendidly and the flavor was off the hook, made up for the crappy ass first loaf (ok it wasn't "that" bad, just not as good as I would have liked).

And finally since I am fairly certain nobody is going to be reading at this point, I may have mono.. Can you believe that shit? I have had this sore throat for the last month or so, but didn't get it checked out until I got health insurance through the U, most anything could wait a month. After getting checked out today, the doctor told me there was a good chance that I had some sort of viral infection, probably mono. I still have to go back in for a blood test to be certain, but either way she told me there isn't much that I can do but wait... If so it makes sense as to why I have been getting so tired riding my bike lately (my way of justifying not being in shape!).