Rustic Country Loaf

Given the subject of today’s Dilly Dally in response to the Daily Prompt, I should scarcely be surprised that I sit here now telling you that we cannot have photographs of this morning’s baking.

No! It did work. I have a proper loaf on the cooling wire, and it turned out of the new ceramic pan without sticking at all. I just cannot take photographs – my camera is in its cupboard.

This morning we had a courier delivery of several items. Three of the boxes were for Mr L – his new drum kit has arrived. It’s my own fault for suggesting that he set it up in my Studio. All will be well later but, just for now, there are heavy boxes stacked in front of my camera cupboard and I cannot reach my camera.

Mr L was on the telephone when the delivery came, he was speaking with his mother and he admitted to her what was being delivered. Oh, my, she said, you are bonkers. Then she muttered darkly that Beth would not be best pleased  by this move. He laughed and told her that it was all my idea in the first place. Now she thinks that it is I who am bonkers.

This may be true. The evidence was there to be seen this morning… when I mis-timed and failed to balance my bread-baking needs with my Yorkshire-pud-making ones. What a palaver.

I was initially thrown by the discovery that the bread recipe did not require two risings (too late!) and already panicked by having no notion of how to shape the bread to ensure that after proving it would fit the ceramic loaf pan. Then I looked at the clock and realised that I would have to serve lunch early if the bread was not to over-rise. Of course, I rushed the Toad in the Hole and put my batter in before the fat was hot enough and the pudding turned out very sad (tho’ tasty).

Then I decided that I needed to get the loaf pan in to heat while lunch was cooking, and realised after I put it in a hot oven that it was supposed to go into a cold one and be heated gently… so I had visions of a cracked loaf pan in my oven.

When shaping my bread, I opted for a roll. I made the roll and set it on a flat tray, dusted with polenta. I eye-balled my roll and realised it was too short and too fat, and would need to be re-shaped, but now it was liberally dusted with polenta… and it was not brushing off… but I re-shaped it anyway and left it to prove, which it did all too quickly (most likely benefiting from the oven heat required to make a Toad in the Hole) and long before my pudding was cooked.

By the time that the Toad came out of the oven, my shaped bread exceeded the dimensions of my loaf pan. (Of course it did, Old Sod was in the building!) I dusted the pan with flour and lifted my roll as gently as I could and plopped it in, slashed the top twice and banged it into the oven… in full and certain knowledge that the base of the dough was unlikely to touch the pan bottom.

Despite all this, and laughing in the face of Old Sod and his stupid Law, I have a loaf that looks practically credible, not to mention somewhat edible.

I wish I could reach my camera!

UPDATE: (Photos are now here)