Sunday 25 November 2007

Too Daring?






I have nothing but endless respect for all those people out there who manage to have a full time job, study, look after a house, live and still post a blog more than once a month. If my track record is anything to go by I can't. I have also discovered that taking attractive photos of the food you wan to put on your blog is a lot harder than so many others make it seem.



I think organisation may be the key and the harsh truth is I am not an organised person. I wish I was, I buy lots of really nice notebooks from Paperchase along with the fab pink and violet pens full of organised intent; then I forget the notebook. The point of all this is I have joined the Daring Bakers, an incredibly organised group of like minded people who love to cook and eat. I see now I was hasty, they all practice the monthly recipe, they all make changes where they are allowed to (probably planning them well in advance), they all write brilliantly funny posts and take mouth watering pictures. I must practice.



This month Tanna from My Kitchen in Half Cups gave us Tender Potato Bread as our challenge. Now I can make cinnamon buns like a pro, well maybe not quite, I can rustle up no knead bread which everyone loves but apparently I am a failure at tender potato bread. It takes a lot for me to admit that I wanted it to be perfect for my first challenge so anyone that happened to stop by and take a peak would think how marvelous I must come by again to see what beautiful photos and food this clever girl has on offer. That is not going to happen, my blog will fail to gain even one comment, I will never write a cook book and there will be no TV show from my houses in Vail, Cornwall and New York. Damn.



I was so excited when I got the secret blog that all Daring Bakers can log on to and I had planned to practice with the bread until it was perfect however 3 friends birthdays all demanding cakes & cupcakes put paid to most weekend baking. There was no practice.



I started the bread late on Sunday - yesterday - and managed to mash my spuds, cool and then add the yeast and flour fine. It was mushy but I was primed by Tanna's descriptive recipe so I was not shocked, I was all out of whole wheat flour so soldiered on with plain adding as required. Just as I was about to start kneading (by hand if you please) the dog walked in with poopy feet (yes feet covered in poo), stomped the length of the lounge and hopped on the sofa. I was torn between kneading and scrubbing, the smell won out and I scrubbed foolishly leaving my dough on the counter. It stuck all gooey and sticky and almost unmanageable like some icky alien, I scrapped and pulled got some stuck in my hair, swore and emptied nearly a bag of flour all over myself, the dough and the floor.



I composed myself and kneaded for England, it was saved (ish). It rose like a down pillow in the morning once my fat head has been lifted. I shaped it as best I could in to lovely rolls and thought I was being clever by bunging some in heart shaped casserole dish. I wanted to add Parmesan and caramelised onions or garlic but I had started too late. However I was happyish with the results and had high hopes...



I daringly baked the bread as instructed, forgot about it, remembered it, took it out and forgot to put it on a rack. In short my rolls had soggy bottoms and my heart got stuck and had to be scrapped out in chunks.








Daring Bakers, I promise I will do better next time. Please come back and check!




19 comments:

Fruit tart said...

Oh, poor thing! Bravo for trying, though. I hope the dog mess cleaned up well for you -- I remember tossing a few things my cats had gotten into back in the day. Now I have kids and I'm not sure which is worse! ;-)

Next challenge is bound to be better for you!

Anonymous said...

Well, you may be disappointed in your bread but you wrote a terrific post about it. The poopy dog feet are just too much! And don't all our hearts get stuck and need scraping out once in a while? I'd say you did a marvelous job with this one!

breadchick said...

Oh so sorry it didn't turn out but you showed true Daring Baker spirit by not only going ahead and baking even though you are so busy but also by posting about it! Good job and welcome to the Daring Bakers!!

Anonymous said...

I think you did just wonderfully considering all the challenges you had (poopy feet, etc.). This was a tough bread in the sense that it was sticky, but your bread turned out great!

... said...

I'm sure it will be better next time. You truly have a brave heart. We're all rooting for you next time.

Peabody said...

It's all about the process...as long as you learned something you are not a failure.
No worries.

Helene said...

Some people bake beautifully, some people take gorgeous pictures, and some people write so well you want to read them over and over again. I wish I could write exactly how I feel like but English not being my native language I do the best I can, you have a talent for conveying your feelings and I admire that. Daring Bakers are a VERY mied group of personalities and talent and I for one am really glad you are bringing yours to the table. Your heart bread looks gorgeous and if it tasted good then I say "mission Accomplished". Welcome to the DB!!

Deborah said...

I empathize with you - I know how hard things can be to organize - especially with a dog making a mess!! I'm glad you were able to complete the challenge, though. I always say I'm going to do it at the beginning of the month, but end up putting it off until the last moment!

Miss Ifi said...

Quite an experience you had with the potato bread there!... still you tried and you dared and this is what it's all about, I am sure next challenge you'll dazzle us all.

Sheltie Girl said...

Great job of sticking to it...I don't know that I would have done so well if my dog had walked in with poop covered feet. I'd have probably had to give up on the bread to put the dog in the bath, clean the furniture and the rug and mop the floor. It's all in the long hair aspect of having a sheltie. On the other hand, with my luck a number of years ago it would have been the incredibly exploding diaper. Ah well, kids & dogs...gotta love them.

Don't worry...we'll be back to see how you do next month.

Christine said...

Aww! But congrats on your first challenge, the DBers is all about trying something new and learning from the good, the bad, and the ugly! Everything has it's place.

Your crumb has a wonderfully fluffy and moist texture, great job!

Christina, She Runs, She Eats

Gretchen Noelle said...

Sorry about your heart! What a trying time, but great job for trying! Congrats on completing your first DB challenge!

Jen Yu said...

Hey - don't despair! You did it and I think it was a valiant effort. I like that heart-shaped dish too :) Admittedly, this challenge was more demanding of attention (the sticky - the sticky!!!), but your spirit is what counts and you know what? It really doesn't look that bad. Take heart and I hope we'll see you next round :)

-jen at use real butter

April said...

At least you tried it!!

Gabi said...

You've got nothing to apologize for -Poo-pets happen....
You were Daring and you can bake again another day when things will surely go your way.
Your post was heart-wrenchingly funny and I enjoyed reading it!
See you next month!
xoxo
Gabi

Elle said...

Best laid plans and all that...who knew that the dog would mess things up...in truth. Even though all was not perfect, it is great that you did the challenge and did a great job, too. Glad you are a Daring Baker!

Julie said...

You're a champion! You're my favorite! Your bread may be in pieces, but you are, whole-heartedly, a trouper, and daring to the core. If you just try, then there's no knocking that, and in light of all that worked against you, I think you did a darned fine job!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

I'm sorry to hear that it didn't turn out as well as you would have wished... Anyway, you dared!

Cheers,

Rosa

Dolores said...

Your POST was perfect, even if your bread wasn't! The challenge is about experiencing the same recipe, and then coveying that experience to the rest of us on your blog. You did the second part of that BEAUTIFULLY, without letting your struggles with the recipe dissuade you.