It’s possible to live in fast paced New York City but still have a taste of the slow life. Two ways to do this are gardening and baking. Both require time and patience but the rewards are worth the effort.
Making sourdough bread in my apartment has become a weekly Sunday activity. I currently have a 2 year old wild yeast starter and a recipe I am comfortable using.
One Sunday I wanted to slightly change the game plan and make french toast using my sourdough. But what sounded even better was a cinnamon raisin sourdough that I would then turn into french toast. Sounded like a winner…..and it was.
It was 11pm on a Sunday and 4 balls of sourdough dough sat on my counter. They had been rested, stretched, rested again and were nestled in their baskets ready for an overnight proof in the refrigerator.
Then I felt the urge to bake. But why turn the oven on when most people are going to bed? Because I had some very special loaves to work on.
So what if you wanted to move your pretzel experience to the comfort of your own home? It’s actually quite easy with one annoying exception. The recipe called for 1/4 cup of powdered milk. Did you know you can only buy powdered milk in increments of 5 pounds? I do now. So $13 later and with the newest addition to the back of my cupboard, I was ready to bake.
Disregard the fact there are 3 grocery stores within half a mile of my apartment.
Throw out the knowledge there are 2 bakeries, countless bodegas and Seamless ready to handle all my restaurant delivery needs.
Let’s take it back to ’79 (1879) when people were making their own food at home.
Challenge accepted.
