Clay Pot Boule Bread

I used a lead-free and cadmium-free clay pot, which was a very thoughtful gift from a kind soul of Christmas past, and made the basic boule dough recipe from Hertzberg and Francois:

1.5 T kosher salt

1.5 T yeast

3 cups lukewarm water

6.5 cups unbleached all purpose flour, scooped and swept

About one third of the dough was placed in the pot to rise to the top, and baked at 350 degrees F for one hour. We ate it for lunch. Another third was tried similarly, but baked for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees F. The results were similar, pictured below, for our hosts this evening.

Happy New Year!

Microwave Popcorn, Without the Perfluoroalkyls

Gender-bending perfluoroalkyls are in the news, here, stating how the chemical is showing up in human blood and warning about the possible health problems it may cause.

These compounds are found in non-stick cookware, microwave popcorn bags, and fast food packaging, among other things. The story has a link to a list. Evidently the compounds show up in your blood because they leach into the food under heat.

So, popcorn lovers, here's a technique we've been using to save money, but may also be healthier because it uses a simple paper bag.

"Home Made" Microwave Popcorn

.25 cup popcorn kernels

1 paper lunch bag (roughly 5X3X10)

Fully unfold the bag and add the kernels to the bag. Fold the open end over tightly about a half inch and crease. Repeat one or two times. 

Set the bag on its side in a microwave with a turntable and shake it to distribute the kernels evenly over the bottom. The rolled up end should be facing down.

Cook using the popcorn "sense" setting and open immediately when it's done and empty into a bowl to stop the cooking at once.

You may have to experiment depending on the features of your microwave so as not to start the bag on fire! It's never happened to me, and I never re-use the bag, but be forewarned and watch what you're doing.

Add melted butter and salt as desired.