It’s a very wet day in the neighborhood…


I woke several times during the night with rain blasting down on the metal roof. When I came fully awake at 5 it was … blasting down on the metal roof and that was bad, because step 1 after pulling my pants on is taking Tobie outside. Tobie does not care that it’s raining, any more than Little Bear did. Also like Little Bear, he can’t be trusted to go out by himself and come back. So by quarter after five, grumpy Uncle Joel was dressed in rain gear with a headlamp on his hat, waiting for this damned dog to take a dump so we could both go back inside.

So yeah, Monsoon decided to go into extra innings this week. The mud is, once again, epic.

But here’s something (I find) somewhat cheerier. Wanna see the prettiest loaf of bread I ever baked? Well, you’re gonna…


Eh? Eh? I’ve only been doing this fifteen years, about time I started getting it right.

About Joel

You shouldn't ask these questions of a paranoid recluse, you know.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

14 Responses to It’s a very wet day in the neighborhood…

  1. Ben says:

    Too pretty to eat?

  2. Paul B says:

    Never to pretty to eat. But it does look like you are getting better. Maybe the humidity in the air made the difference?

  3. Joel says:

    Maybe the humidity in the air made the difference?

    Y’know, that explanation never occurred to me. I’m going to keep taking credit for it, though. 🙂

  4. Terry says:

    Hey Joel, trial and error has showed me the bread always rises higher during rainy weather. It is consistently so.

  5. anonymous says:

    14 years and you still acknowledge the needs of civilization??? Given where you live why do you have to put anything on to go out with your dog? Hat, headlamp, waterproof long jacket, boots and maybe socks. In warmer weather not all of that is needed. Hang up wet outerwear, grump your way back to bed, roll up in your blankets or sleeping bag, and go back to sleep. No clothes needed.

  6. Judy says:

    Anonymous…Murphy is the why.

  7. Joel says:

    No clothes needed.

    In summer, when it’s dry, sure, the vicinity of the Lair is sometimes clothing-optional and let the trespasser beware. In the cold rain? I think not.

  8. Terrapod says:

    Does look a tad damp outside. Time to scrounge some flagstones, pavers, scrap railroad ties and so on. Keep putting that stuff down and you can build your own version of the “yellow brick road” out to the proper pee/dump location 😉

    As to the bread, would not mind stopping by for a sammich some day. Does look very good.

  9. Robert says:

    Time for Joel to start a second, bread-centric blog or possibly a you-tube channel!
    For a real adventure, trying getting soaped up and rinsed off during the deluge.

  10. Terrapod says:

    And deposits of slate nearby?

  11. I’ve been making my own bread (although I cheat, I use a bread machine) for about 17 years now, & I know exactly what you mean. If they’re tasty. that’s what matters, but now and then one is truly pretty. This one is, Joel. Take all the credit you like. You did make it, after all.

  12. SLee says:

    Nice looking bread!

  13. Steve Walton says:

    Nice-looking loaf! But I’m going to share something that may piss you off: I’ve been making bread “by hand” for all of about a dozen loaves, and they all look like that. Everybody says I “just have a knack”, but that’s crap. I must have just lucked onto the right YouTube recipe, shared here:

    In a bowl, put 1-1/3rd cup warm water, 1tsp salt, 2tsp yeast, 3tsp sugar, 1 egg
    Let sit for a few minutes until it bubbles.
    Add to 3 cups of flour, mix with fork until it’s shaggy
    Throw onto table with flour, knead and add up to 1/2 cup flour as needed, for 4 minutes
    Turn on oven for two minutes to make it warmish, then turn it off
    Form into ball, put back into bowl, cover with towel, set in prewarmed oven for an hour.
    Dump back onto table, punch it down, knead a little, form into loaf and put into greased pan.
    Cover with towel and let rise for 1/2 hour. Lite up oven to 380-400 degrees while waiting
    Take off towel, paint loaf with butter and/or eggwash, bake for up to 30 minutes, plus or minus.
    Take out, let cool 15 minutes, dump out, eat.

    Easy-peasy. I’m at 3500′ altitude in ~30% humidity, but it doesn’t seem different when raining.
    Good, fresh “active dry yeast” in a bottle from a store is a must. Get the good stuff.
    The yeast that comes in paper packets sucks.

  14. Mike says:

    Rain… Ah, the joy of owning a dog.

    The bread sure looks nice. I was going to show the photos to my wife and once again suggest we try to make some bread. But the thought of the laughter afterwards stopped me. Sigh…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *