Recently, a friend and I were talking about narcissism.
Bloggers spend a great deal of timing writing into space, on our blogs and on Twitter, about ourselves, hoping people will read them, hoping people will like them, hoping people will like us.
We write about what we had for breakfast, we write about our dogs, our kids, our boyfriends and our parents. We right about the trivial moments of our lives and we write about the most important moments in our lives.
Are we narcissistic or just outgoing? Do we have a lot to say or do we say too much?
I think that there is a boundary, a happy medium that’s defined by how genuine you are. Is it all good, all the time? Or are you just sharing stories from your life as they happen, when they happen, because you havre a passion for that?
Well, I talk about my great cooking all time but I’m going to be honest with you when I tell you about this week’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge: it was a flop.
I. Am. Bad. At. Hearth. Baking.
When you bake certain types of breads from the book, Peter Reinhart instructs you to replicate a traditional hearth with your home oven, using a baking stone and creating steam by spraying your oven walls with hot water.
At some point between the second proof and that second spray of water, I ruin the bread. I gave French bread the old college try but it wound up looking as though it would be more useful in batting practice than in a bread basket.
Since the smell of bread baking had left me with a craving for a crusty piece of bread alongside the salad I was having for dinner, I did what any rational, resourceful, twenty-something woman would do.
And it was delicious.
17 Comments
Kerstin
September 26, 2009 at 11:51 pmAww, sorry it didn’t work out. I actually never make bread because I’m not good at it, and I even have the BBA book at home…
Sues
September 25, 2009 at 11:35 pmAwww I actually think your bread looks quite beautiful! I would def. do the same thing too though 🙂 Thanks for being honest! 🙂
Roz
September 25, 2009 at 8:07 pmHi Maris, Thanks for stopping by my blog back in August and for your kind compliment of its new design. So today I dropped by your new blog (via the other one) to pay a visit. The bread looks divine and I’ll bet your kitchen smelled like bliss! I’ll continue to stop by and check on your recipe posts; they all look so good! Roz (bella)
Chez US
September 25, 2009 at 5:30 pmMaris, I think your bread looks amazing!!! I love fresh baked french bread but never remember to make it … so easy to grab a baguette from the shelve!
Paula
September 25, 2009 at 3:33 pmSometimes you just HAVE to go for the shop-made stuff…
April Marie (Girl Japan)
September 25, 2009 at 6:55 amI’ve never attempted it either… I am intimidated to try it actually…. yikes…
Erin
September 25, 2009 at 1:36 amYou win some you lose some! 😉
Melissa
September 24, 2009 at 8:39 pmawesome post!
julia child describes coming up with a method to bake french bread in her memoir (which I read this summer due to all the julie/julia hype). and oh my goodness- it sounded way too difficult.
good job for trying.
thatShortChick
September 24, 2009 at 7:45 pmyou are so freaking bold. hearth baking? whoa.
Megan
September 24, 2009 at 1:13 pmIt’s interesting how we all have our own reasons for writing… and that curiousity about whether others will like what we write. And yes, I suppose we do brag a little when we make something really good… but hey, we did all the work to make it good! Nice save on the bread. I think I would have done the same thing!
Rebecca_C
September 24, 2009 at 12:21 pmOh, how i love your honesty. I make an “okay” french bread. Not perfect, but it does the trick. Try tossing ice cubes in the bottom of the oven instead of spraying. The sound is a little freaky but they evaporate. Poof. It seems to help.
Patricia
September 24, 2009 at 10:16 amLOL Love it! I am really bad at the French bread too. I just can’t get it…so, yes, I buy mine also.
kat
September 24, 2009 at 9:32 amYou know I have never been able to get a french loaf to work out at home either.
Daryl Callahan
September 24, 2009 at 9:08 amLOL!!! Very cute!!! You had me fooled for a second–I was thinking Wow it looks professional!!!! You are adorable!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)
September 24, 2009 at 9:01 amI’m giggling! And I would do exactly the same thing.
VeggieGirl
September 24, 2009 at 7:37 amOh please, haha – no worries!! And I love what you ended up doing in the end – you rock 😀
elra
September 24, 2009 at 1:25 amMaris,
I must say that your french bread look really good. Honestly, I never made it before, although I made quite a bit of bread. Somehow, I never really tried this one. Maybe I should!