Friday, November 12, 2010

Rachel's Bread Co.

My original title for this post was going to be "Yeast Infection". I also tossed around the idea of "I've Got A Yeast Infection." But I could already hear the voice of my mom saying, "Oh Rachel, I don't like that." So I chickened and went with the safe title.

Anyways. Like I mentioned before, the Resident Taste Tester got me a pizza stone for my birthday. She also got me this book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

I'm not going to lie to you, yeast scares me. I mean, anything that is going to double in size and then needs to be punched down is a little intimidating to me.
My only previous experience with yeast was some bread dough that I had left in the oven to rise. I'll never know if it worked or not because a roommate came home and turned the oven on to make some cookies. FYI - a plastic bowl with bread dough in it will melt in a pre-heating oven. Just a helpful little tip for my friends.

Anyways. This little guy is my first ever loaf of bread! Isn't he cute? Yes, I see that he's a little lopsided and uneven. But so are babies when they're born. The point is, I made bread and I'm darn proud of it!


And then I cut it.


And here I am like a proud mama, cutting her... bread? I don't know. I just remember saying, "I made bread! And it even looks like bread, and it smells like bread, and I'm going to eat it!"


And then I ate it! I put some of the blackberry jam that I made on it. It was delightful! My whole apartment smelled like freshly baked bread!

The best part: it was so incredibly easy! The book is based on the concept of mixing a large batch of dough once, and then using portions of it when you want it. There's a lot of rising time involved, but the actual hands-on part of it is very minimal. I've since been practicing my shaping and stretching of the dough to get it more even, but the overall idea is very simple.

The bottom line is that there will definitely be more bread coming in the near future!

On a completely different topic, I've officially left the glamorous life of a staff accountant for a public accounting firm. This past Monday, the 15th, I started my new life in private accounting as a Senior Tax Analyst. Doesn't the title sound sexy? I feel more important already!

To say that I'm excited about this is an understatement, but I'm looking forward to it as being an overall healthy move for me. As an added bonus, the accounting staff is roughly 6 times bigger than my previous office, so I'll have a way bigger audience to bake for!

Why I Like My Boyfriend

Well, there are many reasons why I like my boyfriend. But pretty darn close to the top of list is his cooking. Get this: he knows how to cook and he likes to cook. And he doesn't just make the same old boring things for me. He comes up with crazy ideas and we try them out.

Take Exhibit A: A grilled cheese bacon cheeseburger.

Oh yeah! It's like the KFC Double Down of grilled cheese and burgers! Let's examine the evidence a little closer in Exhibit B:


Ok, so we have a grilled cheese sandwich. Followed by a moist and flavorful all beef patty. Topped with bacon and more melted cheese. Finished off by, wait, what's that you say? Yes, another grilled cheese!

Clearly this was a day where I fell off the diet wagon.

A Discussion on Bacon

Can we chat for a second about bacon? I think that we should. I feel like this is an important topic that we really need to discuss.


Bacon is amazing!


That's all. I mean, seriously, what more could I tell you about it? It's good stuff.

Oh! You wanted me to tell you what to do with it? Gotcha. Well friends, I like to put it in chocolate chip cookies!


Do you see that? Yup! That's what we in the biz like to call a "bacon chocolate chip cookie." Let's take a closer look at this.


Uh huh. Those big chunks of goodness are none other than crispy pieces of bacon. I just cooked about 5 or 6 slices of thick bacon and then crumbled it into my usual chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Pillsbury Best Desserts

5-6 slices of bacon
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 12 oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

  1. Cook bacon until crisp. Cool and crumble into pieces.
  2. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; blend well. Add flour, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Fold in chocolate chips and bacon pieces.
  3. Drop dough by rounded tablesppoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.
  4. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Be careful not to overbake them.