Slow-going days

Rainy day, but it's one of those annoying ones where the rain just drizzles on and off in 30 minute intervals or so. Everything is just damp, on the verge of soggy. I would much prefer the all-out all-the-time kind of rain, which is much more decisive and magnificent. But no, slow-going and inconsistent is the soup of the day. It's still lovely in its own way though, and so, in lieu of this haunting rain, this post is going to meander around. On and off topics for a little bit. Disorganized drizzling and all. It's going to be nice.

Last time I posted on a bread recipe, I focused on the joy of the docudrama. I'd just like to make a small and final note here that Cryptid concluded, and yes, I followed it to the end. As the season went on, however, the writing and plot-line kind of fizzled. A lot of it became predictable, and the fact that it was fictional became more and more obvious. Boo. I suppose it is just too difficult to sustain that level of disbelief and suspension throughout a show based on such superstitious folly. Nevertheless, I am glad that the History Channel fessed up to the show being a drama instead of a true documentary in the traditional sense. Always good to cover your ass.

Onto other things. Here are some bread rolls that took more time to make than I'm used to giving, but overall, the time still fell within the span of one evening. One day it would be nice to get a preferment started the night before, just not today. If only I was a little more diligent and motivated, but I'm not. In fact, I haven't been very inventive or active in the kitchen lately. A great deal of what I've been making is fairly derivative or just plain lazy, so much so, in fact, that I even lazed out on making cookies properly last night and just used store-bought dough. Oh the horrorrrr. Pinky, fortunately, is around to pick up the slack. Here's a recent example. After a particularly productive grocery trip on Saturday which filled the fridge filled to the brim, last night, inspired by the beautiful weather, we decided to pull out the grill and cook up some meat. And while I may have tried to do my part by sauteing up some snow pea tips in garlic and tossing together some cucumber kimchi, my contribution to the dinner was overall very lame. He managed most of the food preparation, while I just kind of sat around and slobbed. It's a small comfort, but I stand by the fact that if I had been the one in control of the grill, the Galbi short-ribs would've suffered because unlike Pinky, I would not have been able to put such a wonderful char on the meat. I'm so fortunate sometimes, it's ridiculous. 

I've got a couple of recipe projects in my head I'd like to tackle relatively soon, but there's really no rush on them. Some of them are particularly time and materials consuming, and I wonder if it doesn't make more sense to just buy these things either for $2.99 at the grocery or for $12 at the restaurant, rather than putting all that effort into making an imperfect version. If I really wanted a delicious deep-dish pizza that bad, I really could just go to Matthew's Pizza here in Baltimore and grab one. Not only would I not need to go the grocery store to buy the mozzarella, but I'd also not have to make my own sauce and find all those topping ingredients. Logically, the car ride down there in conjunction with the already made pizza and service are all worth it, worth it to not have to buy all those materials and invest that time. I find that often times, deciding what to cook and bake are results of mental trade-offs I make with how much I want something and how much it costs. Or maybe it's just that sometimes, you find something so perfect you really shouldn't feel the need to ever recreate it unless you've been completely cut-off from it. Oh projects.

There are many other pressing matters at hand, not related to cooking, that need to be addressed and concluded soon. Sadly, I can't seem to get these pressing matters to move along. They're just kind of stagnating in the still pond of my life. My attempts to fill the time with false productivity recently, by  committing to activities that I think might help me become more productive, have not worked. I've been trying to run with the dog more often , a couple of times a week, but that's difficult to keep up especially in such dreary weather. I've started going through old boxes, thinking that maybe clearing out the clutter in my life and preparing for a future move might help me along. All to no avail. Instead, I've been sleeping like the dead, acting as if time, something that matters far too much, doesn't matter all. Bringing me to the end of my meander.

You know what they say. Lazy body, lazy mind. No excuses (har, har), but I find that there are so many if not too many excuses for my behavior. And it really is too bad that excuses have such a negative associations attached to them. You can have so many excuses, bagfuls of them, but they all sound empty and seem reflective of a weak personality when unloaded on the world.

In unrelated closing, multiple proofs for this dough make this a very flavorful bread roll. Unfortunately, they get pretty rubbery after a day or two, not that I particularly minded. Nothing a little bit of salami and microwaving couldn't fix, if you get know I mean. To get that tight and airy crumb, you'll want to use the stretch and fold method instead of hardcore kneading, which kind of knocks out the air bubbles.

Rustic Bread Rolls

16 mini rolls or 8 medium rolls
adapted from ATK

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons honey
1 1/2 C warm water
3 C bread flour, and an extra cup for kneading
1 1/2  teaspoons salt
all-purpose flour, for dusting
extra bread flour, for kneading

Activate your yeast by mixing it with the honey and water, placing it in a warm and moist place, and waiting for it to froth and bubble. I like to be able to hear it as well as see a thick head of foam.

Mix 3 cups of your bread flour into the yeast mixture. At this point, the dough will be very, very soft and sticky but should still look like a cohesive dough. Cover and let rest 30 minutes.

After letting the dough rest and rise a little, sprinkle with the salt. Then knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic and passes the window pane test.  Caveats. I found the dough to be so sticky it was nearly unworkable - have your bench scraper and extra dough to sprinkle at hand. I think I added nearly a whole cup of bread flour! Bread still turned out all right though, so unlike the challah, don't be afraid of adding more flour. Once the dough passes the windowpane test, place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour, until it is nearly doubled in size. 

After one hour, remove the plastic wrap. So to create bubbles in the crumb, switch over to the stretch and fold method, no more hardcore kneading. Either with a spatula or carefully with your hands, fold the dough in half, then rotate the bowl a quarter turn, and fold it in half again (so it looks like a huge pizza slice). Then cover the bowl again and let rest another 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, repeat the stretch and fold process again. Cover and let rise another 30 minutes. At this point, the dough should be between doubled to tripled in size.

Oil your baking pans and preheat your oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the giant ball of dough and cut it in half. Then gently stretch each half out into a long log and chop it into your desired number of pieces and shapes. Dust with flour. Place each roll gently into an oiled baking pan, cover all with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm and damp place until rolls are doubled in size, another 30 to 40 minutes. This is your 4th rise.

Spray rolls with water. Then bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Once the temperature has stabilized, return the rolls to the pan and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until toasty brown on top. Remove and cool.