Archive for 2011
The smell of blistered pizza crust wafted through Vinyl on a warm Thursday night. I sat staring at a turquoise wall with a twisted, disconnected driftwood installation and bare light bulbs hanging naked around the dining room. The constant buzz of chatter was only interrupted by the clink of wine glasses or the occasional laughter […]
Here’s the next step in mastering the Tartine loaf: mixing a leaven. You can do this once you’ve trained your bread starter. You’ll use some of the leaven in your bread dough to make it rise, and you’ll save a portion that you’ll keep alive as your starter and will feed regularly. The night before you’re […]
Instead of using baking soda or powder to leaven breads, you can make your own leavening agent by fermenting flour and water. It takes a few days, but the developed flavor (and personal touch) it gives is so worth it. I learned this method from Tartine Bread. Using a 50/50 whole wheat and bread flour mixture, […]
One of the best things about being in the food industry: industry discounts. And industry friends who enjoy geeking out on food as much as you do. Walking into the small, narrow space at SPQR on Fillmore, the sun was bright and shining at 5:30pm. We were immediately graced with a glass of bubbly which, […]