Two things I do are: 1) dabble, and, 2) go in phases. This means I try a lot of new things but don't necessarily master them. I don't mean to suggest this is unique or special to me, but it means I need to document what I'm doing because I don't always commit a new skill to memory -- physically or mentally. The mechanics don't become permanent; instructions are not ingrained. I think this type of hobby-ing lends itself well to keeping a weblog. Other people can read it if they want to -- but it's a way for me to keep track of what I've learned and experienced in a particular hobby. What projects I'm doing, what I still need to do, what has been put on hold...and why.
I went through a sewing phase in the Fall of 2011 when I bought a sewing machine and turned an old flannel sheet into a pair of pajama pants. I did a few other projects, helped with Halloween costumes, made a few mistakes, learned some lessons...but it was only a phase. I stopped after a few months, and I'll go back to it at some point in the future. I'll have to relearn how to set up the freaking bobbin and all that crap again -- should have kept a blog.
In the Summer of 2012 I become a season ticket holder for the Pittsburgh Pirates -- I went into a going to 2 out of every 3 Pirates games and selling a third of my tickets for a good profit phase. I was hoping they would have a magical season and make the playoffs. I was hoping they would end 2 decades of losing, so I bought tickets in July for the rest of the season and kept a blog of my experience. I think it turned out really well and I want to apply a similar approach to some of my random hobbies.
One thing I was doing a lot in the Winter and Spring of 2012 -- after the sewing phase and before the Pirates phase -- was baking: pie, cake, and bread.
I was really working on making a good, classic pie: Dutch Apple, with that cinnamon-y crumbly crust. SOOO GOOD! Making a really good pie crust, it turns out, is not easy. And when you do manage get it right, that doesn't guarantee you will get it right the next time! One technique I tried was shredding frozen sticks of butter with a cheese shredder to try and ensure the flakiness of the crust. I also made some blueberry, raspberry, and regular apple pies as well.
I focused on two other recipes besides the pies: banana bread and cinnamon crumb cake. I do have to say I got really good at both recipes.
The banana bread was really easy and really good. You just mush up a few bananas, mix in bunch of other stuff, put it in the bread pan, and bake it! Hahahaha I know those are really thorough instructions, and, you know, you would think -- in a baking blog -- you might see an actual recipe posted, with real tips on preparing it, but I will get to that eventually. I'm just saying the banana bread was easy. The recipe fit on a small post-it note and I could always make it without having to go to the store (if I had bananas), which is huge. I need simple recipes. When I get the inspiration to bake something, I want to already have all the ingredients. Simplicity is key.
This principle also applies to other hobbies. When I went through the sewing phase, I would have a moment of inspiration when I would want to work on something, but then I would realize that the sewing machine wasn't set up -- I had to wind the bobbin, thread the needle, all this crap you have to do to get it ready. I would just want to sit down, line up some cloth, step on the peddle, and go! A sewing machine can be pretty bad-ass if you're not always fucking around with everything! I mean, it's loud, sharp, dangerous, it moves pretty fucking fast, and you can make some really cool shit.
So yeah the banana bread had really basic ingredients and was really good. Here's a confession. I love to eat junk food. Well, it doesn't have to be junk. I just like to eat sweets from time to time. I often found myself stopping off at a convenience store to grab some Little Debbies or stocking up on Entenmann's at the grocery store. So I decided to make a little deal with myself. I said I could eat as much "junk food" I wanted -- IF -- I made it myself.
One of my favorite little convenience foods is Hostess apple pies. So I was like, alright, I gotta make my own apple pie! And I did a really good job. What did I learn...?
You can cut way down on the amount of sugar -- it doesn't have to be syrupy sweet!
Crust is hard to make
Doing the criss-cross crust across the top looks classy and rustic
Crumbly top on the Dutch Apple is amazing
Frozen berries work fine in a pinch
You can make multiple pies at once and freeze before baking!
I learned about this great, simple Mark Bittman recipe -- apple pie pizza.
The other recipe I worked on was cinnamon crumb cake. The one thing I came up with on my own for this was to add chopped apple. It worked out really well and added a juiciness to the cake. And again, you can cut down on the sugar if you use fruit! Also with this cake I realized that you can mix all the dry ingredients ahead of time. So I would prepare 4 to 6 cakes worth at a time, then whenever I wanted to whip it up, it was like I had a cake mix already prepared -- my own cake mix! So this is another great principle that I came to appreciate.
My "principles" as a baker are evolving:
- Junk food is ok when you make it yourself!
- Simplicity: use few ingredients.
- Lower the amount of sugar by 25% and increase fruit.
- Prep extra dry mixes (cake, pie crust, bread) or full pies (and freeze) ahead of time.
So, what will I do in this blog? Whenever I get back into a baking phase (or just have an isolated baking event), I will document my experiences. I will add the actual recipes I was using for pies, banana bread, and cinnamon cake, and I'll take pictures of course! I can pose questions when I need help in case I have any readers who can help me (or any readers, period). And I will, of course, promote my other blogs, which are going to start popping up now as I go through phases and dabble.
