Gray Culinary Adventures

Congratulations! You just made your own bread. There is nothing more satisfying than pulling that fresh baked bread out of the oven. You didn't? Well you have homework to do: http://grayculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2013/05/artisan-bread.html Now that you've ventured into the world of serious home baking, you need to figure out how to use a preservative-free loaf of bread before it starts looking like a used petri dish. Unlike some bad habits I've grown accustomed to, many cultures pride themselves on wasting nothing in the kitchen. Not only is it prudent not to be wasteful but it provides a fresh challenge when you stare at that week old baguette you baked the day before you promised yourself to limit your intake of carbs (or maybe that's just me?). For starters, lets talk about ways to prevent a stale-bread situation in the first place. First off, baked bread freezes beautifully and dough can be frozen as well. Try mixing a whole batch of dough and splitting i...

Many people ask famous chef's what their last meal would be expecting something along the lines of Quail stuffed with Foie Gras with black truffle sauce or some other elaborate dish only to be met with the response "A crusty baguette with the best butter". The truth is, no matter how high culinary arts are taken, it's the simple things that really satisfy us. With that in mind, I would like to share with you one of the more simple things you can do to improve your quality of life: bake your own bread. Its really quite easy and probably one of the most satisfying things you can do at home. There is something satisfying about making bread and if you have never tried it its worth doing once just to experience that fresh baked smell in your home. You may just find that it's something worth doing often. There are many recipes and methods for simple white loaves but I recently stumbled upon a recipe that makes an otherwise expensive artisan bakery loaf in a few sim...