Bread

Quercus pecunia "Lambertus"

Lambert's money tree, peanuts, cabbage, clams, dough, bread, sawbuck, buck, greenback Read below the fold...

4 c flour (and a cup or so in a separate bowl)
1 packet yeast
1-2 tsp salt
2 c warm water
Olive oil Read below the fold...

Sourdough starter instructions here.

(Keep in mind that I built an earth oven for baking bread, so I tend to go a little overboard on these things. But bread is for me a delightful thing, something that is nourishing physically and aesthetically.)

Sourdough requires a sponge---basically the dough for the rest of the dough.

Take your starter from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Empty it into a bowl and clean it's mason jar or whatever you're using to store the starter.

Add to the starter

1 c warm water
1 c flour Read below the fold...

It was my friend K who introduced me to good food. I'm invited there for dinner tonight and she has honored me by asking me to bring my olive bread. She is a gifted cook, a provider of reliable wines, and a treasured person, and we fear we might lose her soon. Read below the fold...

Time for a break and to think about happy sweet things:

PEACHES:
Pain perdu with peaches and vanilla

Serves 4 :Pain perdu or "lost bread" was originally conceived by the French as an ingenious way of using up leftover bread or brioche. It's also known as French toast or eggy bread, or tostado in Spain. This version is more sophisticated, the brioche almost turns into a custard-like fried slice.

Read below the fold...