Peter Reinhart's artisan breads every day

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1. pmoriartyMar 2020
   Here you go, Lean Bread from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day, a fantastic book I heartily recommend:

   http://dpaste.com/1JH41V3

   Recipe modifications and tips:

   - I use a cast iron bread pan -- it really makes a difference

   - I prefer to use a good quality bread flour, like King Arthur. Haven't had luck with all-purpose flour.

   - I do everything in a single bowl, up to the point that the dough is transferred to the bread pan

   - I keep the oven at 450 degrees F throughout, and only start it 15 minutes before baking.. works well enough for me

   - I use the "3/4 of original" ingredients in the recipe to make one single loaf of bread, which fits perfectly in my bread pan

   - I tend to apply coconut oil to the top of the bread half-way through baking, rather than before baking. It's a lot easier to apply coconut oil when it's melted, which it'll readily do atop hot bread, so this is the easiest way to do it for me. But I still oil the inside of the bread pan beforehand as usual.

   - I like to use instant yeast, so I can mix it directly in to the flour without needing the extra step of activation. It's worked great for me.

   - Before adding the yeast, I mix the salt thoroughly in to the flour. Yeast should not be dumped directly on a pile of salt as that could kill it. Also, don't let the water you add get too hot, as that can also kill the yeast. I make the water luke-warm to slightly warm and that's resulted in a big rise in the dough for me.

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2. rudyfinkAug 2010
   Here are some nonfiction books that I've enjoyed.

   How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life - Gilovich - a good book on the inability of the human mind to accept things as random.

   Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High - Patterson, et all - fluffy but nice short and solid book for better skills at listening and responding in conversation

   Full Throttle: The Life & Fast Times of Racing Legend Curtis Turner - Edlestein - Curtis Turner was an influential figure in the development of what became NASCAR. I enjoyed the book for his character and as insight into a pass time that I had not really understood.

   Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day - Reinhart - His latest book on quality home baking. This is definitely a do along with the book kind of read, but I found it to be easy to follow, appealing to detail, and satisfying in producing delicious bread.

   Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum to the Zombie 100 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories Behind Them - Haigh - If you're of age, this is an interesting background in cocktails and their evolution in America.

   I forget whether it was on HN or not, but I've been enjoying this list of great magazine articles http://www.kk.org/cooltools/the-best-magazi.php .

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