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Basic White Bread
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aquadaze
Calificación: 4.0
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%20was%20a%20book%20that%20I%20had%20never%20heard%20of%20before.%20When%20the%20book%20club%20chose%20this%20book%20for%20November,%20I%20skimmed%20through%20the%20reviews%20on%20the%20net%20and%20decided,%20before%20I'd%20even%20read%20the%20first%20line%20in%20the%20book,%20that%20I%20wasn't%20going%20to%20like%20it.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E31%20year%20old%20Wyn,%20married%20to%20a%20upwardly%20mobile%20executive%20David,%20leads%20a%20life%20of%20leisure%20and%20luxury.%20Till%20the%20day%20when%20David%20announces%20that%20the%20seven%20year%20old%20marriage%20seems%20to%20cage%20him%20and%20wants%20out%20of%20it.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EStunned%20and%20devastated,%20Wyn%20moves%20to%20Seattle,%20where%20her%20best%20friend%20lives.%20As%20she%20fritters%20away%20most%20of%20her%20time%20at%20a%20nearby%20bakery%20-%20cafe,%20the%20aroma%20of%20freshly%20baked%20bread%20re-kindles%20her%20own%20love%20of%20bread%20baking.%20Many%20years%20ago,%20as%20a%20teenager,%20Wyn%20had%20spent%20a%20summer%20in%20Toulouse%20baking%20bread.%20The%20desire%20to%20pursue%20her%20passion%20is%20irresistible%20and%20for%20a%20paltry%20amount%20of%20$8%20an%20hour,%20she%20starts%20working%20at%20the%20bakery%20and%20begins%20life%20anew%20in%20Seattle.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ESomewhere%20down%20the%20road,%20she%20re-discovers%20herself%20and%20what%20she%20would%20like%20to%20do%20with%20her%20life%20and%20in%20the%20process,%20comes%20to%20terms%20with%20the%20people%20and%20other%20issues%20in%20her%20life.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ESurprisingly,%20though,%20I%20rather%20enjoyed%20reading%20Bread%20Alone.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EYes,%20it%20is%20an%20out%20and%20out%20chic-lit.%20Yes,%20the%20plot%20is%20familiar%20and%20the%20ending%20is%20rather%20expected.%20And%20yes,%20sometimes,%20the%20story%20seems%20to%20simply%20drag%20its%20feet.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EYet,%20something%20worked%20for%20me%20and%20that%20something%20is%20the%20way%20Judith%20Hendricks%20has%20built%20the%20characters%20in%20the%20novel.%20More%20than%20anything%20else,%20I%20really%20liked%20her%20for%20coming%20up%20with%20a%20protagonist%20like%20Wyn.%20She%20wallows%20in%20self%20pity%20when%20her%20husband%20dumps%20her,%20clutches%20at%20the%20straws%20in%20the%20naive%20hope%20that%20he%20will%20come%20grovelling%20back%20to%20her,%20throws%20away%20her%20self%20respect%20when%20she%20tries%20to%20desperately%20seduce%20him,%20behaves%20petulantly%20when%20her%20mother%20decides%20to%20re-marry.%20In%20other%20words,%20here%20is%20a%20protagonist%20who%20is%20seriously%20flawed%20but%20has%20the%20courage%20to%20accept%20it%20and%20therefore,%20comes%20across%20as%20very%20real,%20as%20very%20human.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20other%20thing%20that%20I%20loved%20was%20the%20way%20bread%20was%20woven%20through%20the%20fabric%20of%20the%20story%20-%20the%20aroma%20of%20freshly%20baked%20bread%20literally%20wafted%20through%20the%20pages%20of%20the%20novel.%20No%20surprise%20then%20that%20I%20just%20had%20to%20bake%20a%20loaf!%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI've%20just%20started%20baking%20bread;%20however,%20Wyn's%20method%20of%20halving%20the%20yeast%20and%20thereby%20doubling%20the%20rising%20time%20intrigued%20me.%20I%20followed%20the%20'plain%20old%20bread'%20recipe%20from%20the%20novel,%20but%20halved%20it.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIngredients:%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMethod:%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EStir%20the%20yeast%20and%20the%20sugar%20in%203%20bsps%20of%20water%20and%20let%20it%20sit%20for%20about%2015-20%20mins.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EPut%20the%20flour%20in%20a%20large%20mixing%20bowl,%20make%20a%20well%20in%20the%20centre%20and%20pour%20in%20the%20water%20and%20the%20yeast%20mixture%20and%20begin%20kneading.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWhen%20it%20clumps%20together,%20turn%20it%20onto%20the%20kitchen%20counter%20and%20knead%20for%20a%20further%2010%20-%2012%20mins,%20adding%20some%20flour%20if%20needed.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EFinally,%20add%20in%20the%20salt%20(%22because%20salt%20strengthens%20the%20gluten%20and%20makes%20the%20dough%20fight%20you%22)%20and%20knead%20for%20a%20few%20minutes%20more.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EOil%20a%20large%20(glass)%20bowl,%20turn%20the%20dough%20over%20in%20the%20oil%20so%20that%20the%20entire%20surface%20is%20oiled,%20cover%20it%20with%20a%20damp%20tea%20cloth%20and%20leave%20it%20to%20rise.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20left%20my%20dough%20out%20for%202%20hours%20and%20then%20put%20it%20in%20the%20fridge%20overnight.%20Next%20morning,%20I%20let%20it%20rise%20for%20about%204%20hrs%20after%20which%20I%20turned%20it%20on%20the%20kitchen%20counter%20and%20punched%20out%20all%20the%20air%20and%20kneaded%20it%20for%20a%20few%20minutes.%20Shaped%20it%20into%20a%20loaf,%20put%20it%20into%20the%20tin%20and%20left%20it%20to%20rise.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAfter%20about%203%20hrs%20(%20I%20lost%20track%20of%20time%20here),%20lightly%20glaze%20the%20top%20with%20some%20water%20and%20bake%20it%20at%20200%20deg%20C%20for%20about%2030%20mins%20or%20till%20the%20top%20is%20browned%20and%20the%20loaf%20sounds%20hollow%20when%20tapped%20from%20below.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20bread%20was%20awesome%20-%20it%20smelt%20heavenly,%20there%20was%20no%20trace%20of%20any%20yeast%20scent.%20If%20you've%20never%20baked%20before,%20go%20ahead%20now%20and%20bake%20a%20loaf,%20this%20is%20truly%20worth%20the%20effort!%3C/p%3E){kind=link}