Bread Bird (also pretzels, biscotti, muffins)

But first:

The Professor keeps watch.

So, more Amish Friendship Bread. I did experimenting this time. I made my own self-rising flour because one cannot find either unbleached or whole wheat self-rising flour, and I didn't want any more bleach flour. Why do they still make bleach flour, anyway.

So, every so often (if you actually remember to do it) you're supposed to feed your bread starter. I had two bags of starter: one I fed only milk and whole wheat self-rising flour and the other I fed milk, flour, and stevia (we're trying to be low sugar since Chris has found evidence that fructose is evil). There was basically no difference between the two.

I was tired of feeding the starter all the time and of having more starter every ten days, so I just decided to BAKE ALL OF THE THINGS. 

Plus, I have the recipes if I decide to start it up again.

I know they are not artfully arranged. But I did a LOT of baking so I didn't care at the time. I might care a little bit now.

Mmmm, biscotti!

Chris insisted that I be in the pictures.

Also, from now on I will probably use King Arthur whole wheat flour because it is ground more finely than other ww flours I've tried. 

STAMP OF APPROVAL

I'm still on a low-carb diet, you guys. What am I going to do?????

poem bird

Please don't judge me too harshly. It's Friday.

Those Without Books By Closing Time Will Remain Without Books Until the Next Day

or

We Want To Go Home

One business day every week the library closes at 4

rather than 6, and the librarians depart in a mass exodus that leaves the parking lot

suddenly empty. Except that 

there is always one poor patron, wordsick,

"Oh please! I rushed here to check out books! Just a few! I forgot!"

But no. The lights are off, the special equipment shut down, pens capped,

papers filed, doors all but closed.

The patron pleads, begging as one impoverished for pennies, pittance,

"Oh please! Just a trashy romance from the paperback rack.

I have exact change!"

But no. These purveyors of information point their long fingers to the pertinent facts:

we will be open tomorrow, Saturday, from 9 to 4.

Then, drawing their metaphorical cardigans close about their shoulders,

they lock up and step squinting into the weekend sun.

Bread Bird

So, an acquaintance gave me an Amish Friendship Bread starter. I'm pretty sure that this isn't really Amish bread because it wants to be made completely out of sugar and frivolousness. But we pretend that it is Amish by telling people to only use wooden spoons when they mix it.

After the many days of the squishing of the mixture and the feeding of the mixture, I was finally ready to bake. Rather than just try the original sweet bread recipe, I, of course, decided to try making Sourdough Tomato Bread, which required a lot of kneading and punching, as well as 14 total hours of rising. 

 Here is my beautiful dough, waiting to rise.

.

12 hours later, it's enormous!

And here's how it turned out! SO CUTE!

Also, super tasty.