Friday, March 26, 2010

Baking Frenzy

Felt like baking lately, so on Wednesday I made a butter cake.

Initially I thought that the cake was undercooked, so I pop it back into the oven again. But after about 3 times, the middle of the cake still felt a little too wet! What!? If I keep putting it into the oven again and again, the stupid cake is gonna turn into a giant butter cookie!

After analyzing what the hell went wrong, I came to the conclusion that because I didn't use the electric mixer, therefore the batter was not airy enough. And because it was so dense, the batter couldn't cook properly. There. All because of Jolie. I didn't use the electric mixer because I didn't want to disturb her nap! So my butter cake has failed because of her. :P



Although it may be a little uncooked in the middle, it still tasted very good OK... Will improve next time!

On the same day I started making No Knead Bread. I had to time when I start making it because it takes about 20 hours to be ready! I wasn't sure if it would work or not as it was my very 1st attempt in making bread, but on the next day, it was looking good! I was so nervous and excited when I finally put the dough into the oven. This is the 1st time I felt so excited about baking! Haha...

AND IT TURNED OUT BEAUTIFUL!



Look at that! It looks just like something you buy from the bakery! I was so awed and amazed, I was snapping pictures, jumping around, sms and tweeting everybody! When I sliced it, it felt a little wet inside. I know that you can't expect it to taste like those sold in the store because they added special bread chemicals, but hey, it was delicious to me! So I baked it for another 10mins, just in case.

This morning I had home made bread for breakfast and it tasted like heaven to me! Reminds me of the Sophie Kinsella story, The Undomestic Goddess. I flipped the pages and found the part, here it is:

'Hold out your arms Samantha.' Iris's voice is suddenly behind me. 'Don't open your eyes. Go on.'
I have no idea what she's up to, but I open my eyes and hold out my arms. The next moment I feel something warm being put into them. A yeasty smell is rising up. I open my eyes to see a loaf of bread in my arms.
I stare in utter disbelief. It looks like proper bread. Real, proper bread like you see in a baker's window. Fat and plump and golden-brown, with faint striations and a crusty, almost flaky top. It smells so delicious I can feel my mouth watering.
'Tell me that's nothing,' says Iris, squeezing my arm. 'You made that, sweetie. And you should be proud of yourself.'
I can't reply. Something hot is wadding up my throat as I clutch the warm loaf. I made this bread. I made it. I, Samantha Sweeting, who couldn't even microwave a packet of soup. Who gave up seven years of her existence to end up with nothing, to be wiped out of existence. Who has no idea who she even is any more.
I made a loaf of bread. Right now I feel like this is the only thing I have to hold on to.

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