via Lordrocktober
Nothing says the holidays like staying out late riding bikes with friends. Who's with me?
15 December 2010
05 December 2010
Daily Bread
Several folks have asked, so I'm posting my bread recipe and method here. I've been baking our family's daily bread for almost two years and over time the recipe has changed a bit. This is how I made it today.
I use a KitchenAid stand mixer and dough hook. With the mixer off, add in this order:
3 tbsp honey
2-3 Tbsp Oil (I prefer canola or olive)
0.5 tsp salt
1.5 cups warm/hot water (I microwave it for 2 min on high)
1/4 cups quick oats or whole grains (Bob's Red Mill 10 grain cereal works great)
1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3.75 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tsp dry yeast
Drop the hook and turn the mixer on the lowest setting for about 5 minutes. Once completely combined, the dough should be churning freely as one big piece. If it's sticking to the bottom of the bowl (too wet), add 1/8 cup all-purpose flour until fully incorporated. Repeat if necessary. If it's not sticking to the bowl, but also not sticky enough to stay on the hook (too dry), add 1 Tbsp of water.
When dough has proper consistancy, turn off the mixer and cover the bowl with a tea towel. I let the dough rise in the mixer for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.
Cycle mixer for a few seconds on to lowest setting so all dough gets back on the hook. Remove the hook with the dough. Pull the hook out and place the dough on a pizza stone. Split the dough in half with an ulu, shape the two loaves as desired, then cover with a tea towel. Again, let the dough rise until it has doubled in size.
Convect at 300°F (or bake at 325°F) for 30-40 minutes on a pizza stone, until the crust has reached the desired color. Lighter brown will have a thinner crust, which my young kids prefer. (I've used loaf pans, but found that my two seasoned pizza stones work better.)
Remove from the oven and place loaves on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing. Keep the bread in a sealed bag and it will keep for several days on the counter. I usually leave one loaf out (sliced) and put the other whole loaf in the fridge.
Let me know if you try it.
I use a KitchenAid stand mixer and dough hook. With the mixer off, add in this order:
3 tbsp honey
2-3 Tbsp Oil (I prefer canola or olive)
0.5 tsp salt
1.5 cups warm/hot water (I microwave it for 2 min on high)
1/4 cups quick oats or whole grains (Bob's Red Mill 10 grain cereal works great)
1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3.75 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tsp dry yeast
Drop the hook and turn the mixer on the lowest setting for about 5 minutes. Once completely combined, the dough should be churning freely as one big piece. If it's sticking to the bottom of the bowl (too wet), add 1/8 cup all-purpose flour until fully incorporated. Repeat if necessary. If it's not sticking to the bowl, but also not sticky enough to stay on the hook (too dry), add 1 Tbsp of water.
When dough has proper consistancy, turn off the mixer and cover the bowl with a tea towel. I let the dough rise in the mixer for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.
Cycle mixer for a few seconds on to lowest setting so all dough gets back on the hook. Remove the hook with the dough. Pull the hook out and place the dough on a pizza stone. Split the dough in half with an ulu, shape the two loaves as desired, then cover with a tea towel. Again, let the dough rise until it has doubled in size.
Convect at 300°F (or bake at 325°F) for 30-40 minutes on a pizza stone, until the crust has reached the desired color. Lighter brown will have a thinner crust, which my young kids prefer. (I've used loaf pans, but found that my two seasoned pizza stones work better.)
Remove from the oven and place loaves on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing. Keep the bread in a sealed bag and it will keep for several days on the counter. I usually leave one loaf out (sliced) and put the other whole loaf in the fridge.
Let me know if you try it.
19 November 2010
Gobble-Gobble, Crank!
Q: If April Showers bring May Flowers, what do May Flowers bring?
via Lordrocktober
A: Pilgrims, you turkeys! Now c'mon and crank your tail-feathers!
14 November 2010
You can reach your goals; I'm living proof
I usually don't set goals. Maybe something obtuse like, "Read more books!" But last December I realized that after a full year of stay-at-home-dadding, I had become overweight. I kept thinking that the trips to the playground with a bucket bike fully of pre-schoolers would do the trick, but it apparently did not.
When I started riding bikes (again) in 2005, I was training for STP and bike commuting, so I started a mileage log which I continued diligently as my bike commuting habit grew stronger. During that time, my body hit a sweet spot and stayed the same size and shape most of the year. Yay cycling! 2009 marked the first year where I wasn't counting every mile, which is probably why I was surprised when I got on the scale after Christmas and saw a much larger number than normal. It was resolution time, and figuring that I had only ridden about 1200 miles in 2009, I set out to ride 2010 miles in 2010.
I don't own any cyclometers, but wanted my data to be relatively accurate. Most of my bike trips are to/from home, so I made a reference table with distances to places I frequently ride. The occasional long ride usually gets googlemapped post-ride. I broke everything out by bike, taking care to separate cargo vs. solo miles. Cargo miles are almost always transportational, while solo miles are often recreational, but not always.
I did so many charity rides this summer, and led enough short weekly training rides, that I met my 2010 goal in early September. I never reached my weight-loss goal, but I did figure out about how many miles per month it takes for me to break even with my nutella toast and beer consumption habits. And that's the key folks: finding balance.
The really interesting thing about these stats is that I've racked up 800 miles on cargo bikes alone. These are the short day-to-day trips that most purely recreational cyclists would probably ignore, or just simply drive a car.
The best part is that the year isn't over! There are still plenty of opportunities to pedal to my destination and burn off all of those holiday goodies.
Do you track your cycling miles? Do you find it motivates you to ride more? What kind of cycling goals do you have?
When I started riding bikes (again) in 2005, I was training for STP and bike commuting, so I started a mileage log which I continued diligently as my bike commuting habit grew stronger. During that time, my body hit a sweet spot and stayed the same size and shape most of the year. Yay cycling! 2009 marked the first year where I wasn't counting every mile, which is probably why I was surprised when I got on the scale after Christmas and saw a much larger number than normal. It was resolution time, and figuring that I had only ridden about 1200 miles in 2009, I set out to ride 2010 miles in 2010.
I don't own any cyclometers, but wanted my data to be relatively accurate. Most of my bike trips are to/from home, so I made a reference table with distances to places I frequently ride. The occasional long ride usually gets googlemapped post-ride. I broke everything out by bike, taking care to separate cargo vs. solo miles. Cargo miles are almost always transportational, while solo miles are often recreational, but not always.
This method of data logging is helpful when I'm trying to justify why I keep certain bikes or why I should be willing to spend money on maintenance. My Xtracycle has a ridiculous number of miles on it, but I haven't so much as changed the chain. Even if I have to replace the entire inexpensively equipped drivetrain for $150 at mile 3000, I'll know that was money well spent since all those miles replaced car trips.
The really interesting thing about these stats is that I've racked up 800 miles on cargo bikes alone. These are the short day-to-day trips that most purely recreational cyclists would probably ignore, or just simply drive a car.
Xtracycle: 335 miles (average trip length: 4.3 miles)
Madsen: 425 miles (average trip length: 3.7 miles)
The best part is that the year isn't over! There are still plenty of opportunities to pedal to my destination and burn off all of those holiday goodies.
Do you track your cycling miles? Do you find it motivates you to ride more? What kind of cycling goals do you have?
TCBF 2010
I promised a full review of the 2010 Tacoma Craft Beer Festival, which happened back in October. This second annual event was bigger than last year, featuring more brewers, more firkins, more food, and more days. It also seemed to feature shorter lines and a excellent shuttle system, which made getting in the door easier. Overall, an even better event than last year.
I biked to the Foss Waterway Seaport on Friday night to volunteer pouring samples. I had a blast talking to locals about beer, meeting many interesting folks, including quite a few local restaurant and bar owners who were on the prowl for tasty local brews to put on tap. I wore a Tacoma Public Libraries hat, thinking that librarians probably like to drink beer, too. Turns out, they do.
I took my wife to the festival on Saturday so that I could see things from the other side of the booth. We had a fun time, ran into lots of friends, made some new friends, and tasted some good beer. There was live music most of the afternoon. Some guys were making a batch of homebrew out on the dock. Lots going on. If you didn't go, pay attention next year and plan to attend.
We only had Sarah's camera phone, but here's what I told her to take pictures of:
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