It’s the end of a decade, you may look back but I’m looking forward

As we approach the end of the year and the decade, there are lots of movie and TV best of and top 10 lists out there.  I’m going to pass on creating my own and instead focus on what’s coming up that I’m looking forward to, mostly but not all coming with the New Year.

Today I'll mention the big one still to come in December.  Soon I'll be back with thoughts on what's exciting in the new year.  The December event is perhaps the least accessible if you’re not already a Dr. Who fan.   BBC America is showing three specials starting this Saturday (12/19).  If you’re already a Dr. Who fan, you probably know this, if you’re not, here is the home page take a look and see if you're interested.   

Even if you’re not, enjoy this holiday card from the Dr J

If you are a fan, then you’re probably as excited as I am about these specials.  They represent the final work of David Tennant as the Dr.  It’s not often a “genre” show like Dr. Who gets an actor better known as the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet to be its star for several years.  But all good things must end and beginning in 2010 there will be a new Dr.  (If you’re not a fan and you are still reading, a bit of history – the way that this show has survived for 50 years is that the Dr can regenerate, but when he does he takes on a different form – hence a new actor can come in and play the role.  Also part of the regeneration is the Dr. takes on a new personality, again making it feasible to have different interpretations of the same character.)

At play in the kitchen

Since I’ve been unemployed I’ve had a chance to play in the kitchen more than I used to. Baking bread used to be something to try someday… well 5 months ago, someday came. Since then I’ve tried several different kinds of bread.

In my experimenting, I’ve focused on two different methods; one is from the book (and website) Artisanal Bread in Five Minutes a Day and the second involved purchasing a sourdough starter from King Arthur Flour and learning different ways to use Stanley. (Yes, I named my starter Stanley – for those unfamiliar, keeping sourdough starter is like having a pet so we named it.)

Both have been fun and rewarding, and by rewarding I mean providing family and friends with lots of good bread. The five minutes a day approach is great if you want good bread on a regular basis and don’t have a lot of time. Making sourdough at home is a more of a commitment, both to your starter and to finding recipes and procedures that work for you.

Today’s bread was “Duonyte's No-Knead Sourdough Bread”. I’ve tried this recipe before and it comes out great. I modify it a bit by using half wheat flour and half bread flour. I also prefer doing it on a baking stone instead of in a Dutch oven. However, when making that switch, I keep a broiler pan in the oven and add a cup of hot water when adding the dough. (This keeps the oven moist and makes for a crisp crust.)

Let me know in the comments section if you try it or have any questions.