Your bread looks scrumptious!! I buy a lot of bread at our local fm.We just had soapstone counters put in a couple weeks ago. I absolutely love them and will be abusing them also. Glad to see yours still look wonderful after 7 yrs.

Wonderful!

sigh-TR I wish I lived closer to just go taste that oatmeal bread. Thanks for sharing (both breads and soapstone).

Thanks for posting! We just installed soapstone after agonizing over it for a year and I am really pleased with my decision.

I only wish I lived in Alabama so I could try your baked goods :)

Looks good! Now can someone tell me what KAW means? It's not on the acronym list. Thanks!

Kitchen at Work

Thank you!! I would be glad to share recipes..I wish yoy all lived closer too. I hope those of you with soapstone love it as much as I do mine. It is a very forgiving surface .

Recipes or I don't believe you!

Challah recipe please!!!

I so wish you lived closer... for your breads, I'd want to go biking with you and I'd get to visit DS's new restaurant :). (Is it a restaurant or is he starting a store?). I regret never having made it to his last one, it sounded wonderful!

I enjoyed your post. Now I'm craving soapstone and your Brown Sugar Oatmeal bread. :)

wags

I just put in a marble topped island so I can do the same thing you are doing on your soapstone: knead and shape bread!

There is nothing better to me than the feel of plump, silky bread dough moving under my hands:)

My husband suggested we get a breadmaker. Ugh...that would be a travesty. I don't think he understands the tactile pleasure a baker gets from working with dough.

Then there is the smell of bread baking. If there was a candle that smelled like baking bread it would be a bestseller. When I am feeling down, nothing is more comforting than the smell of bread in the oven.

Trailrunner, you have some very lucky customers! Your bread looks plump and golden and oh so delicious. Thanks for sharing.

Ya'll are sweet. Old bat..he is working in a new restaurant here in AL...they will open end of Aug. He is the butcher and the charcuterie person...not sure how one says that LOL ! Curing meats. You will have to come here and you KNOW you have a place to stay !

Oatmeal Brown Sugar Bread

2 cups rolled oats..old fashioned ...
add 2 c boiling water
1/4 molasses
1/4 butter
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 c brown sugar packed...let set till room temp

Add 1 tbsp Active Dry Yeast ( Fleishman's in a jar ) to 1/4 c warm water and let proof...add to above when it has cooled.

Add 4 c AP ( All Purpose flour ..I use King Arthur) ....mix till all is slightly wet..no dry parts...cover and let set for 1 hr.

Put one cup flour on side and add as needed to knead bread. You can see in pic how silky the dough is . You have to know your bread dough. It should feel like a baby's bottom ( really) ,,,a little give to it and not sticky !

Knead about 5-8 min, Place in greased bowl and cover tightly for 1 hr. Should be double. Divide in 2 loaves. 8x4 . Place in greased pans and let rise about 1 hr till over top of pan. Bake 40 -45 min/350 degrees...need to check temp...I use a dig thermometer/208 degrees or so.....but for decades I thumped the bottom to tell if done...sounds hollow when done.
Remove from pan and cool. This is delicious as toast with jam and pbj and just plain !!

As for the Challah...I have posted a lot of times and keep refining how I do it.

In a large 4 c measure...place 2c warm water, 1/4 c butter, 1/4 c sugar, 2 tsp kosher salt, and 2 tsp Active dry yeast. Stir well and let set till foamy. Add 3 large eggs and stir well with a whisk.

In a large bowl place 6 c AP flour...see above ( All Purpose King Arthur) . Pour over the above mix. Stir till all is wet. Cover and let set for 1 hr. Uncover and put 1 cup flour on side and add as needed to knead bread dough . Will likely take most. Don't want it to be dry...you can see in pic how moist and soft. Knead 8 min or so till like above...soft as a baby's bottom. Place in greased bowl. Let rise till double 1 hr. Remove and do 3 strand braid for 3 loaves...approx 20 oz each. Let rise 1 hr. Bake 350 for 30 min. May glaze with egg white or egg yolk...and sprinkle with sesame seeds. I use it for show but not for home :)

Let cool. Enjoy. I will link to my bread tutorials...please look at them and then if you aren't used to baking bread please do ask questions. I don't want you to have a problem ! Just ask.c

Here is a link that might be useful: Bread tutorials

Trail it has been an especially long day and your post makes me smile. Keep 'em coming!

Caroline, something made me come and visit the KF after a very long time away. Now I know what it was ... the smell of your gorgeous bread! Hope all is well with you - when are you coming our way?

Hugs,
Eliz

PS. Here is a shot from my KAW - strawberry-rhubarb lattice pie ready for the oven, made on my soapstone counters...

This post was edited by elizpiz on Thu, Aug 15, 13 at 23:25

Oh wow--it's a good thing I am still very full from late dinner (Tortilla Soup)--I'd be drooling over the screen over C's bread(s) and elizpiz's pie!!! I always love seeing C's KAW pics, her food and her kitchen. Happy :)

And, what a treat to see elizpiz here, too! Almost like old home week around here tonight!

Trailrunner - what luscious looking dough.. I just want to sink my hand not it.

Elizpiz - you don't know me.. I became active on the kitchens forums after you were done but your kitchen was the absolute inspiration I learned from for my kitchen. Hope it is as fantastic to cook in as it looked. So nice to see you in the GW..

thank you mother !

Eliz...is that really you !! ???? I just had out the salad book...you know the one....I am SO glad to "see" you on Kitchens !! cat is right...old home week...what a sweet surprise. And yes things are really good ...especially with you know who...doing really well these days and has been for over a year :) Thank you !!

GW....glad you enjoyed. Hope you will try the recipe. And Eliz was an inspiration to many of us...in many ways.

thank you cat...as always....c

Catmom! - waving - how are you?? It's been way too long. Virtual hugs from up north.

GW - thank you so much for the kind words. I am happy that my kitchen helped you. I was also helped enormously by so many on this forum, who are generous with their time and sage advice. And yes - it is an absolute joy to work in. In fact, the soapstone counters have gone a long way to making me into a baker...something I never really did before.

And who is the fountainhead of fabulous baking? Trailrunner of course! She is a continual inspiration for all of us.

C, SO happy that things are going well :-) xox

I think a NYC together with C and elizpiz, and roc, and marthavila....et al, is long overdue!!!!

Count me in!

Yep....just need a place to stay since DB has no room. Will be in the area in early mid Oct...so let's start planning !! c

Count me in!

What? You didn't mention BUTTERMILK in your original post?
I'm in graduate school in Birmingham and go there once or twice a semester. Is your FM anywhere close?

Hey rjr...nope we are 2 hrs Southeast of B'ham. I am sorry about the buttermilk absence...:) Will do better next time.

Eliz...you are on ! I so want to meet you and " hug your neck" as we say in Alabama !

Have to jump in and say hi C. I'm heading up to NY early September for my boy fix...(ok, that didn't sound right....both my boys live up there). Too bad, I usually go in Oct. and would have loved to crash your get together.

Trailrunner was without question my baking inspiration. It's now a major part of my life and so enjoyed by my loved ones.

Sorry we are not going to get to meet...one of these days the time will be right ! Thank you for your kind words. I am so glad that the baking of bread has continued to be a part of your life. You make me smile ...sweet. c

C: dates! We need dates! Let's make this happen. Would love to hug your neck :-)

We need to talk to cat_mom....she is the center of operations :) Will ask her and see what she thinks. Looking forward...

I feel so humbled with all of our GW talent
Some day, I will master bread!
Our local famous bread offers classes(Zingermans)

This might be worth a road trip to the big apple!

a2..get ye a plane ticket ...early to mid October...will keep you posted...I would love to meet you ! c

I think we'll need roc's help with place suggestions--DH and I haven't been anywhere new in NYC in a while.

Although, if nice weather, The Boathouse in Central Park might be fun....! Or someplace down in Soho/Tribeca???

Pardon me for jumping in, but I'm glad I visited today to see your pics, Caroline! I wish I were a baker....but no one to eat the goodies but hubby and me. DD took us to a Shabu restaurant in lower Manhattan that was just fabulous this past June. I know very little about nyc, but that meal was most delish--the meat slices melt in your mouth. Still loving my Tradewind, TR!

NYC meetup sounds like fun! It would be so lovely to see folks in person

cat , not sure if roc is still on vacation with her DH. Haven't talked to her in a month ! Will send an email and see. Love the Boathouse and maybe the leaves would be changing at that time.

sj...hugs to you !! I am so glad that you like the Tradewind. Did you see my KAW venting ???? I will go look for it and get it back on the front page. :)

GW...it would be so nice to meet you too !

It looks like this might happen !! c

Aaaaahhh...I stumble into the forum after many months of absence, only to find my all-time favorite GW staple: a KAW thread from trailrunner! Caroline, you always inspire me to put my kitchen to good use. :)

Sweet holligator....thank you ..glad you came to visit. I too don't come here much anymore but the kitchen has been SO busy lately decided to share. c

We will need to post a separate thread soon re: October NYC GW get-together!!!! Hooray!

cat :)

Hope I can join in - I will be watching for good sales and then drop down to visit DM in Pa.