Pat W

That is beautiful. Thank you for the details. I'm going to try your variation for my next batch of dough. I have to get more plastic containers so I can keep more than one dough going at a time. It would be so great to never have to buy a loaf of crummy supermarket bread again. pat

OK, I have to ask... I haven't tried these yet, but why is it that almost everyone who has made the vanilla-rum pound cakes has done it without the rum syrup? It seems like the rum would have been a lovely addition to the pound cake. pat

Talk about a pin-up photo! That looks incredible. OK, this is embarrassing to admit, especially since I am a card carrying chocoholic, but I don't think I had ever heard of chocolate bread until this thread. Do you slice it and eat it like pound cake? I didn't think I was interested until the siren song of that photo. pat

Here is a recipe for making ricotta, from Nick Malgieri: 3 quarts whole milk 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar Combine milk and vinegar in a saucepan, and place over low heat. Heat until the mixture reaches 175 degrees. Regulate heat carefully, so as not to exceed this temperature. While the milk is heating, rinse a cheesecloth or cloth napkin and line a strainer with it. Place over a bowl. When the ricotta curds become visible on the surface of the milk, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to the lined strainer. Allow to drain. (A firmer/drier ricotta can be achieved by allowing the curds to remain at 175 degrees about 5 minutes before draining.) To make ricotta smooth before using, pulse in a food processor. Makes 1 lb. Hope this helps! ← Wow! Thank you. Have you tried doing this? The process doesn't seem quite as mysterious as I had imagined. pat

That is beautiful!!! Also loved the cost breakdown. So... we are not only having fun & munching delectable breadstuffs, but we are also saving a ton of money. Talk about a win-win situation! pat

That looks truly oustanding, Pat. ← Thank you Anna. I fear having this dough on hand may be a danger to our waistbands. pat

OK, my first attempt from the new cookbook. It was a late start after we dragged ourselves home from work tonight. We hadn't had all that much for lunch so you can imagine the reception I received to: "No, not yet... I have to take a picture". As is almost always the case, he was a prince. The recipe was ridiculously easy yet somehow I managed to get whole wheat flour all over the kitchen. This would not come as a surprise to anyone who has seen me in action. The stove, the floor, the counters & the cook were all well dusted. Just enough remained to lubricate the pizza peel. My crimping left something to be desired... but despite of all the disclaimers, this was delicious. The crust was, as they say, to die for. It really was wonderful. We can't get good ricotta cheese here, so I suspect this could have been even better. A year or so ago there was a thread on Egullet on making your own ricotta cheese. I haven't been able to find it. If this rings a bell with anyone, could you please direct me to the original thread? Even with lousy ricotta cheese this was terrific. And gosh, tomorrow night it's pizza! pat

Don't forget to print out the errata stuff. http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/ Oops, now that I think about it, I found that website on your first post. So many great recipes, so little time. I think I might try the calzone tonight. pat

I had a very long day today. Finally made it home & found an Amazon box on the front porch. It was a happy moment. First of all, I have to say to anyone who is reading this thread & hasn't yet bought the book... stop whatever you are doing and buy it! Zoe, please tell your co-author that I enjoyed both the preface & introduction. (What can I say.... I was a history major, I always have to to read prefaces & introductions). OK, I've made it to page 74. This is a very readable, enjoyable, not to mention inspiring, book. Regrettably, I must go to bed now, but I can't wait to try some of this stuff. In short.... if you don't own this book, you truly must. (I have no relation to the author, co-author, their children, their dogs, or their extended families.) I apologize if this isn't lucid. It really was a difficult day. pat

Wow! What a great system. Thank you for sharing it & welcome to Egullet. pat

I also was confused about the time. I thought she meant to add an extra hour when the dough was refrigerated, so I let it rise for 1 hour & 40 minutes. That worked for me. By the way, I sawed off a handful & made a pizza last night. It was better than anything we can get locally. Pizza dough on demand... a dream come true. pat

Thanks very much for the kind words. Yes, it was all white flour. I had intended to use 1 cup of whole wheat, but completely forgot when I mixed up the dough. Next time it will go in. Oh, the ice cube idea is brilliant. Thank you! By the way, this makes great toast. John, that sounds incredible. I wish you lived next door. pat

I baked my first loaf tonight. This recipe is nothing if not idiot proof. I got mixed up & did the slashing thing at the beginning of the resting/raising period instead of just before it went into the oven, but I don't think it made much of a difference. I spilled about half the water trying to pour it into the pan on the bottom shelf then, like the aforementioned idiot, opened the door to add some more. The blast of steam just about melted my head. I was feeling a lot more like Lucy Ricardo than Julia Child. The bread is wonderful. The crust is especially delicious. I am delighted & amazed. I can't wait until I get the book. pat w.

Here is a great little video I found on Zoe Francois's website. http://www.startribune.com/video/11967361.html Thank you Randi, for the help on the pizza crust. I might give this a try tomorrow night. Even though my dough will have been in the refrigerator only one day, I will almost certainly break down & try my first small loaf tonight. Your photos are driving me to distraction. pat w.

I second that! It's one of my most used cookbooks. Even my dear husband, the carnivore, has been enthusiastic about everything I've made from it.

I have just used some extra flour and rolled it out without too much difficulty. When all else fails, just use my fingers to stretch it a bit more. ← I mixed up my first batch of dough last night. OK, this should probably go into the "Absurdly stupidly simple cooking questions... " thread, but when you make pizza with this, do you prebake the crust or do you just roll it out, put the toppings on, & bake it all at once? Unfortunately the cookbook is out of stock on Amazon until the 25th. pat w

Ummm, no. It was just a poorly executed attempt at humor. Edited to add: Thanks very much for the link Calipoutine. pat w.

Well, last night I stuffed vanilla beans in a jar of vodka, a quarter bottle of rum & a canister of sugar. I just looked at the vodka jar, I don't think it's ready yet. Maybe tomorrow... There are a lot of vanilla beans in a pound. I vacuum packed most of the leftovers, but kept a few out to try right away. I hope this isn't an annoyingly dumb question, but if I want to use a bean (split & scraped) for rice or tapioca pudding, do I add it at the beginning or the end of the cooking time? pat

I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never heard of agave sweetener. When I think agave, I think tequila. I will do a Google search & learn more. I plan on using a bottle of Absolut Vodka that was bought for guests & is now languishing in the back of a cupboard. It's 80 proof. This is going to be fun! pat w.

My vanilla should be here before the end of the week. I'm going to follow Lucy in Australia's advice & make twice as much as I had planned. Is there a ballpark figure for how long it will take? The waiting part will be so painful. Lisa, on the Arizona Vanilla Company's website http://www.vanillarocks.com/extract.html they mention the simple syrup as optional. They say it takes the edge off the alcohol. pat w.

I used the recipe Jaymes posted on the first page of this thread. James, if you are reading this.... Thank You! pat w.

The big surprise this year was the Fruitcake Cookies. I'm not sure why I added them to the line-up but I'm glad I did. It seems that everyone liked them & some (that would be the fruitcake haters), much to their astonishment. I only mention this because not more than 30 seconds ago, I finished the last one off with my cup of nighttime tea & even though today is January 6th, it was still quite tasty. Tasty enough that I'm looking at the empty bag with genuine regret. pat w.

I've just discovered this thread, having been directed to it by a recently posted vanilla question & I've whiled away more time than I really had today reading all eight pages. The result is that once again I find that I have been led astray by Egulleteers. Before I realized what I was doing, an order had been placed for a bunch of vanilla beans from The Organic Vanilla Bean Company, then apparently unable to contain myself, another button was pushed resulting in the purchase of the book, Simply Vanilla. When my vanilla beans come, I shall immediately plunge them into some vodka & perhaps rum. Since I'm about nine months behind everyone else, I'm wondering if those of you with lovely jars of finished vanilla in the back of your cupboards have any advice to share with a latecomer. pat w.

Wow! They are all beautiful. Those Almond Seven Layer cookies sound and look amazing! Nice work! pat w.

My butcher block from The Boardsmith came last week. It took longer than I had expected, but I have to say that it was worth the wait. The only problem with it is that it is almost too beautiful to use. Regrettably, my photos do not do this block justice. It is truly a work of art. I did take a couple of days to season it & used David's board conditioner for the top coat. David is the nicest guy you could ever hope to deal with. I can't say enough good things about The Boardsmith! (Even though it's almost too beautiful to use, I am getting immense pleasure out of using it.) pat w.