Sunday, March 5

G.B.M.B.P.

hey guys,
y'wanna see a bunch of pictures of homemade bread?
you do??
whew.
that's good news, then,
since that's what's coming your way in a second-
neighbors,
i'm know you know i've been busy busy busy in all aspects of my life,
but,
it's always a welcome investment of time and energy to make bread.
in those early morning hours,
when nothing else is going on, 
and the sun is considering catching up to my level of alertness,
a little knead and stretch and pull and roll activation 
is just about the best way to get up and at 'em,
and get that lively, down-home Folk Life feeling first thing the a.m..   
besides,
sourdough mostly does it's own thing,
and i just check in from time to time to make sure it's on-mission,
and making itself bigger and better while i'm off doing other things...
a few tablespoons of flour and water every day, and it's happy.
..and the day before a batch of bread gets started, 
it gets another 'nother shot of floury power to really get it going strong,
and make these loaves the most luxurious jauns up in these streets.
word up.
how's it going?
it sure is.
check it out:
yup.
oatmeal and cracked rye, guy.
and here's another cracked rye, with dark rye flour,
and a white mountain white boule, to boot:
yeah!
y'think that's it?
c'mon.
too much is the right amount:
mmmm.
MORE oatmeal, MORE rye.
i got a guy who loooooves that rye, so i hook him up whenever i can.
heck, 
i even freak it off, and make one with spelt flour once in a while:
y'ever had spelt?
it tastes like if whole wheat wasn't such an A*-hole.
sort of like your friend's cool older brother who still lives at home,
but treats you like you're not his little bro's dorky friend.
here's another 'nother 'other one of those, and one more white mountain white jaun, too:
...wooooooord.
and how about one more?
sure.
with spelt and white whole wheat flour, 
and that in addition to a country-style long light rye guy:
i have three banneton baskets, 
but as you can see,
i usually only need two:
white mountain white sourdough is pretty reliably righteous,
but a couple loaves a couple times a week is plenty-
mmmhmmmm.
and that's because there's only so much bread i can eat,
even though it's an impressive quantity.
i give away at least a loaf a week, and sometimes as many as three.
making bread makes you want to do good things.
that's real talk.
my rye guy?
he might even get one with F*ing buckwheat blended in there:
i mean,
there's no reason not to get creative with gift giving,
even if it's a hot, fresh, crusty, baked, round boulder of burliness,
in whole grains and himalayan salts and sh!t.
WORD.
it's a community building kindness based art, bruh.
i mean it.
for a man who lives like a hermit,
these loaves keep me connected.
i know, it seems like a stretch, if you're a normally social creature,
but for those of us who only behave convivially under contract,
this kind of sharing is lifesaver.
that's the truth.
bread is just so good,
and homemade bread is better,
and homemade sourdough is the BEST.
i'm out here representing the twin virtues of gratitude and generosity,
and teaching these up-here woodsly logjammers about what's really new england.
yankee use-it-up from-scratch make-it-yourself ingenuity and industry, man.
that's the spirit and memory of Folk Life & Liberty, for sure.
is that it?
c'mon.
you know better.
what are you?
some kind of a ding-dong?
friends,
there's always more bread.
how about a couple weird ones?
ok:
whole wheat maple!
buttery and soft, but totally mediocre in the crumb.
and this nerd:
does it look grainy?
i think it does,
and that's because it's been 'upgraded' with 20% brown rice flour, 
which soaked up allll the moisture, and made the crust firm as F*.
delicious?
absolutely.
liable to get repeated?
debatable.
hey now, take it easy-
i'm down to try out new things,
as long as they're in my kitchen,
and not on like, a ski slope, or a beach, or any other windy place.
god, i HATE wind, and it's been SO windy for days.
march is really a jerk.
but,
bread is good.
here's five rapid-fire all-white mountain-manlyfreshies for your face:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
YEAH!!!!!!
and lastly,
fresh baked, and still warm, right as the sun is rising,
here's today's tasty rustic magic:
good bread makes better people,
and better bread makes greatness available to everybody.*
it's all really happening,
and i'm sure lucky to be a part of it;
never quiet, never soft.....  
* shoutouts to @vegan_magic_time for the first cup of starter: 
expert recognize expert.

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