got through the usual january tech crunch only to arrive at my first day off with a yucky head cold; i suspect this is my punishment for jogging past a clinic in berkeley yesterday where a cheerful guy offered us free flu shots, which we declined.

so big day-off hiking plans were derailed by a combination of the NEVERENDINGRAIN plus body aches, so it was a good day to stay in and continue my bread-baking education. i moved on to the King Arthur Flour recipe, the one that calls for making a bucket of dough that just lives in the fridge until you are ready to bake a portion of it.

the first loaf (dough made Saturday, loaf baked Sunday) came out tasty, a little denser than the NYTimes recipe from last week, and slightly underdone. (not that that stopped us from consuming it in a single day, mind you). i think my oven was a little hot; the top was browning before the inside was fully cooked. the next attempt is a pair of stubby baguettes (baby-baguettes = baguette-ettes?). lacking a pizza stone, i’m convinced by my beginner’s luck that using a ceramic baking dish is the key to a successful loaf; therefore i’m limited to loaf shapes that will fit into a 10″ round casserole dish. this dough is also drier (i’m sure there’s a more bread-specific technical term than “dry”) than the NYTimes recipe; it makes for easier handling but uglier loaves since the folds and creases aren’t quite as forgiving. to wit: one of the baby baguette grew a lump off one side while in the oven. how to prevent this? i have no idea.

thus far i’ve only worked with no-knead recipes for simplicity; and based on my knowledge of quick breads, i’ve been reluctant to handle the dough any more than absolutely necessary. though now that i think about that, that makes no sense at all, since over-mixing quick bread batters leads to the formation of gluten, and gluten is the cornerstone of leaven bread technology. anyway, maybe i should try a recipe that does involve kneading next, so that i can get in there with my hands and work the shape of the dough without concern that i’ll wreck it or make it tough.

thus far, the winner?

for taste: NYTimes. bigger bubbles, a satisfying chewiness, delicous crunchy outside.

for convenience: King Arthur Flour. two hours of rising time (vs 14-20 required by NYTimes) means less time that i have to construct a bread-rising shelf over my radiator, less time i need to stay home and tend the bread. plus the convenience of pulling it from the fridge and baking at any time in the next two weeks. (like fresh bread would last in my house for two weeks. ha ha).