BAKE 6 – APRIL 27, 2020

Yeast utilized: 1/2 teaspoon

With a produce delivery from the local farmstand, I happily found myself with many apples. What’s that mean?

Apple bread!

This recipe brought with it many first times for me, including but not limited to: 1) an overnight rise, and 2) starting a bake in a cold oven. Sounds simple, but don’t worry, I’ll find a way to really mess something up.

I started the dough about 8 p.m. It was quick and simple to put together.

Hi. I’m a quick and simple dough.

I then went to bed. I eagerly got up the next morning to see what had happened and look!

Lookit! It’s so puffy!

As a lovely start to the morning, I peeled and chopped up three apples before coating them in sugar and cinnamon. I then had to hand-mix them into the dough and THIS WAS THE BEST PART, Y’ALL.

This dough was all slimy and gooey, but adhered to itself. It reminded me of Gak, though that could be the ’90s kid in me talking. It was super satisfying to mix the apples into this weird, squishy substance. 10/10 would recommend making this recipe just for this experience.

Okay, so by this point, I was high on the thrill of squishy things. The recipe calls for a French Oven, which I had literally never heard of until I read this recipe. Needless to say, I do not own one, but I did some research and figured out what I had in my home that could maaaaaybe replicate the conditions, at least enough to get by.

So, I chose an oven-safe Centura Corningware bowl and an ugly plate I bought 20 years ago to break in a movie (but it wouldn’t break, hence…). After another rise, my apple bread loaf was looking all good and apple-y and ready to bake.

Like the biggest bowl of gooey apple-cinnamon porridge evah.

So into the oven it goes!

Godspeed, little loaf, and you faux French Oven.

‘Twas intriguing that this called for the loaf to go in the cold oven, and then let the temperature rise to °425F. My brain sees that as “not letting heat go to waste,” which makes no real sense, but I still like it.

Oh, dear reader, it’s all been going well so far, hasn’t it? But disaster looms.

After 45 minutes, I was supposed to remove the lid/ugly plate and I wanted to. I really, really did. But the plate didn’t want to let go. I had to get the longest knife I had and fight the plate for my loaf. I prevailed–or maybe it was a draw, because I got the plate off, but the plate took the top of my loaf with it.

Sigh.

So, naked-top loaf back into the oven for the remaining minutes of baking. I kept an eye on it because at this point…am I still looking for a golden-brown top? Probably, but I was all flustered and uncertain. (Observation: My baking confidence is very easily rattled.)

Finally, loaf fully baked, it was time to dump it onto the cooling tray. Hahahahahahaha! No. That was not happening. I had to use that same knife to slice my way out of this one, too. But I did it, eventually.

Behold, brown loaf bottom.

Bread forensics! So, really, most of this went fine. It was the “French Oven” where mistakes were made. The recipe said to “lightly grease” it, but I think I should have flippin’ doused it. This bread wanted to be one with that bowl.

The bread itself, however, was good and tasty. I didn’t make the maple butter the recipe suggested (I want to keep my butter for other recipes, since I’m low and still days out from my next grocery visit), but it definitely needs a sweet topper to make it a real winner.

Relieved to have freed the bread, I promptly forgot physics and put my oven-hot bowl right into cold water in the sink.

Well, crap.

Just when I thought I’d made it through this bake without permanent damage. I was about to just gather these pieces and throw them away when I remembered–wait! Kintsugi!

Adapt and overcome!

Just as I don’t have a French Oven, I also don’t have gold lacquer on hand, but I do have glue and gold paint.

Pieces pictured here with the glue gun that ended up being entirely the wrong tool for this project.

I cut my hands a lot and glued myself to the bowl seven times, but it lives on.

Until it falls over and shatters again. Sigh.

To the next bake—–>