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Oatmeal Buttermilk Bread with Flax and Walnut Oil
by: Renée via Baking Experiments on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:32:00 -0500

Keywords: Flax , Bread , Baking , Oatmeal

This is a variation on the Oatmeal Buttermilk Bread recipe from the Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook. I used walnut oil instead of canola oil and I exchanged one half cup of AP flour for one half cup of ground flax.

The dough was a little stickier than last time. I think I may need to only remove 1/4c of AP flour and add the 1/2c of flax. Also, the bread didn't rise as much as I thought it would. I think I need to let my oats cool down more before adding them to the yeast. I think I may have killed some of the yeast.

As you can see the bread came out of the oven with a beautiful golden crust. I remembered to put the oats on the top this time :P If you look closely you can see the bits of flax in there.

The bread came out sooooo good! Chris and I picked up a pyrex loaf pan at the goodwill store ($5 and a little elbow grease with a magic eraser and its as good as new!) so I made two loaves this time instead of the one huge one that I had last time. I lowered the oven temp to 375° this time (I think my oven is off ten degrees or so though) and reduced the baking time by 5 minutes.

I love the nuttiness that the walnut oil and flax give, it's subtle but there. The crust has just the right amount of crustiness to it and the inside is soft and fluffy.

I ate about half of one of the loaves by myself today... I had it toasted with apricot jam this morning, with my chicken salad at lunch and had a ham and cheese sandwich for dinner. Seriously, I can't resist it!
Sundays With Macrina: Oatmeal Buttermilk Bread
by: Renée via Baking Experiments on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:02:00 -0500

Keywords: Macrina , Bread , Baking , Oatmeal

This week I wanted to try my hand at another bread from the Macrina book. There are a ton of recipes for stuff other than bread but you can really tell that bread is Leslie Mackie's passion.

I didn't get to take any pictures of the actual making of the bread, but it was really easy. I wanted to try a starter bread but I do not have a food scale and I think starter breads are really one instance where you have to use one. So I opted for this loaf instead.
And like everything else I've made from the Macrina Bakery & Cafe Cookbook, it was excellent. It came out really crusty on the outside (actually I think I may have baked it just a few minutes too long) and soft and fluffy on the inside. The only problem I had was with slicing it and that's just because I don't have a lot of experience slicing bread so my slices were THICK. I used this loaf all week for toast and to make sandwiches for lunch. It has a wonderful nutty flavor but its mild enough that it doesn't over power your sandwich. I don't know if you can tell but it also came out HUGE! Each slice was bigger than my whole hand with my fingers spread out. I think my stoneware pan, even though it says is 5x9, is not. I might try getting a metal pan but I really love the way the stoneware bakes.

I will definitely be making this bread again. It was SO delicious. I did leave off the oats that were supposed to be sprinkled on top... I really just forgot but also Chris doesn't like bread with 'stuff on it'.
Challenging Myself... with Macrina
by: Renée via Baking Experiments on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:03:00 -0600

Keywords: Macrina , Baking

I am going to bake my way through the Macrina Bakery & Cafe Cookbook by Leslie Mackie. Cooking, in general, has always been something I love. When I was little I would pretend I had my own cooking show whenever I made something, even just PB&J. But baking... baking is my true passion. There is nothing like the feeling of taking something freshly baked out of the oven, the smell, the heat, the golden brown crust, the perfectly baked cake... it's like love in solid form. So why am I starting this adventure?

My job is stressful but it is not hard to do nor does it require a lot of brain power. Lately it has been a bit more stressful than usual because they are closing my office and moving my branch into another office to be shared with the team that is there from the company that took mine over. My boss is being moved to a different location than the rest of us, which leaves me as The One In Charge. So I've been working longer than usual hours and am a bit more stressed because of the extra responsibility and trying get all my work done while also doing all the things my boss normally does.

My point is that when I come home, I am mush. I don't use my brain at work, which I think is more tiresome than if I had to use a lot of brainpower. I do the crossword on my lunch everyday just so that I have at least 20 or 30 minutes of thinking to do during the day. I am not challenged at work. I do not have rewarding experiences at work. I mostly deal with complaints and problems, which can be wearing on the spirit. When I come home lately, I can't seem to get my brain to turn on to engage with Chris for more than watching TV. I'm cranky, I don't want to talk, I don't want to cook... I just want to put my pajamas on and veg out on the couch. Which is unfair to Chris and causes unnecessary stress on our relationship.

So what is the solution? Well, I can't just up and quit my job. It's a "good" job. So since I can't just quit, I've decided that I need to take matters into my own hands and challenge myself more. Do more things that require brainpower. (I also need to do more things that challenge me physically, but that's another topic for another day)

I've been reading through Carol Blymire's blog Alinea At Home, where she is cooking her way through the entire Alinea cookbook by Grant Achatz. She also finished cooking through the French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller. Carol is really inspiring. I really could go on and on about her blog but really you should just head over there and check it out.

So why Macrina? Because there are things in there that I have only dreamed of baking. Intimidating sour doughs, croissants and other pastries....Things that will be hard, possibly frustrating, might make me cry but will be ultimately rewarding. The breads in this book sound so inviting to bake. There are also cakes, cookies, muffins, tarts, pies... the works. I also love the section toward the back that has the Cafe Favorites with savory dishes that make your mouth water just by reading the title like Egg Scramble with Delicata Squash, Spinich, Smoked Provelone & Beurre Blanc Sauce and German Pancake with Apples, Rum & Brown Sugar.

So I am going to make at least one new recipe per week from the Macrina book on Sunday. I hope to come out of this adventure a bit more intuitive about bread baking, more confident about pastry and with experience in a broader range of baked goods. I also want to gain a sense of accomplishment and a better understanding of what my plans are for the future. I also, for at least one day a week, want to feel passionate about what I am doing.

Wish me luck!