I keep watching property development programs and home building programs and making myself depressed. I know I've got nothing to be depressed about, in fact I have much to be thankful for... I suppose it's just easy to focus on the bad things isn't it.

Anyway. More bread making adventures...


Rosmary and olive oil focaccia (supposedly) from this book. It's a total contrast to the no-knead recipe, lots of slapping the dough about to get air into it, and to be honest I'm not sure if I did it right as by the end my entire hands were covered in sticky dough, but at least I had fun!


After lots of prodding and leaving to rise...


Yum!

erm.

I don't know what I'm going to write about today. Perhaps it's that end of the holidays slump. Back to reality.

I get this feeling, when I've had loads to plan and organise, and it creates a kind of boundary in the calendar in my head. I haven't thought past the days I've been looking forward to, and I find myself feeling a bit lost. Like I'm sure there's something I should be doing, or thinking about, but I don't know what it is.

Today is my last day off. And it's raining, but I think I'm going to have to force myself to go out and do something, because if I sit in all day feeling sorry for myself... well, that will be a waste of a day won't it...

This morning I made some bread.


I've been trying out different recipes and flours and rising locations but so far nothing has really matched the idea I have in my head of what homemade bread should be. My last attempt looked so promising when it came out of the oven; lovey brown crust, burst open in the middle, hollow sounding when I gave it a tap, smelt yummy... but it tasted like I hadn't bothered to cook it at all. Like dough. Well, back to the drawing board!


This bread is the no-knead recipe I've read such good reviews of, and it looks pretty realistic! The dough stuck to the tea towel I left it on to rise, but apart from that it tastes pretty good, like a kind of chewy ciabatta..


A bit of garlic butter is in order I think... yum!