I got on a roll today in the kitchen, and made a huge happy mess. I really don’t mind cleaning up a kitchen – I especially like it when someone is cooking and I can just do the dishwashing for them. If I could be two people, I could cook up a storm as one GJ, and the other of me would gladly wash and dry and wipe counters. Doing all the jobs is complicated. I won’t get to bed early tonight!
And I won’t have time to tell you about everything I cooked. Just the bread, for which I give credit to Jody. I read her blog post about sourdough baking, and it stirred again in me the urge to bake some chewy loaf and fill the house with that amazing aroma.
I glanced at the clock and saw that I had just enough time to start and complete a bread project before bedtime, so I jumped up and opened the freezer, scooped some yeast into a bowl and started pulling out of my memory the beginnings of a batch that would make two loaves.
Eventually I ended up with a potato-rye sponge, and after it rose a few minutes I added enough wheat flour and other goodies to make a stretchy dough that rose further in front of the wood stove. I was using Giusto’s Pumpernickel Rye flour.
A couple of years ago Soldier son gave me a pizza stone and I remembered just in time to get it out of the cupboard and use it to give the loaves an even chewier crust. They turned out so big, I think three round loaves might have been even nicer.
Because of the kitchen mess I ran out of time to post the photos of everything I made, and I’m not even getting all the cleanup done. But I did take time to slice off the heel of one loaf and try it out. Success!
Tomorrow I’ll have to revisit the world of sourdough, too.
Gladsome Lights 
Yum! The bread looks delicious!
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Nice! making bread is such a calming endeavour! I hope to do some on Wednesday! 🙂
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Oh, GJ, this is LOVELY 🙂 I agree about the washing up; I'd rather do the dishes and tidy and wipe, after somebody else has cooked. Or the other way round. But not both!!
I wish I could have sat in your house watching you bake. I'd curl up in a rocking chair by that stove and read little fascinating excerpts from a book, to keep your mind churning as you worked. And then I'd have a warm slab of bread with lots of butter. 🙂
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That bread looks absolutely delish! I'm adding rye flour to my bread loaves today. Do you have a loose recipe for your potato rye loaf? I know you bake from memory since you're a long-time home baker.
Jody
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I did write down approximate amounts:
3 1/2 cups water
1 rounded tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/4 cups pumpernickel flour
4 cups white flour
1/2 cup gluten flour
1 cup instant potato flakes
I would use less water next time because these loaves are huge.
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I am seriously impressed by your being able to delve memories rather than Google recipes! I made a sour-dough toffee apple cake this week, but forgot about it whilst doing homeworks with the suns. It is edible, chewable- just!
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Thanks so much for your sweet comments the last couple of days at my blog. 🙂
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Gretchen, please tell “Soldier son”, “Thank you for serving!”
The bread looks wonderful; it's been ages since I made similar type bread; made cornbread last night. I think I'll put some on to rise this morning, before barn chores, so I can have hot bread this afternoon.
Many thanks for the nudge.
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What beautiful loaves!!!!
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