Dispensing Happiness

BBM: Indulge Me...Who's Signed Up & Ready to Ship

2009-11-22T04:57:00.041-05:00

Alright, a total of 35 this time; a nice little group.

All swap information has been sent out, & there's just a few basic things to remember.

Once you've shipped your package, let me know.

When your box arrives, take pictures!! Write a post, share with the class all the neat stuff you got. And of course...let me know.

Beyond that, just have fun. Pack up your five indulgences, ship your box & keep an eye open for the mail carrier!

Books That Travel--Package has shipped!

Cave Cibum---Package has shipped!---Package has arrived!!

Chef Barbie Cooks--Package has shipped!---Package has arrived!!

Chocolate & Croissants--Package has shipped!---Package has arrived!!

Cocina a Tiempo Parcial--Package has shipped!

Dispensing Happiness---Package has shipped!---Package has arrived!!

emzeegee & the hungry three--Package has shipped!

Food Art & Random Thoughts---Package has shipped!

Fridgg---Package has shipped!

Gourmetmom--Package has shipped!

Jotttings of Life--Package has shipped!

Kahakai Kitchen--Package has shipped!---Package has arrived!!

Kitchenwench---Package has arrived!!

Laws of the Kitchen---Package has shipped!

Life Rules--Package has shipped!---Package has arrived!!

Lindsey's Kitchen---Package has shipped!---Package has arrived!!

Mischief Maker---Package has shipped!---Package has arrived!!

Ms Fifikins--Package has shipped!

Notitie van Lien---Package has shipped!---Package has arrived!!

Off the Mark & Roaming--Package has shipped!

One Hot Stove--Package has shipped!---Package has arrived!!

Out of the Hole

Paulchen's FoodBlog?!--Package has shipped!

Pieces--Package has shipped!

She Devil Delights--Package has shipped!

Suklaasydän (Heart of Chocolate)---Package has shipped! ---Package has arrived!!

Thayirsaadham--Package has shipped!

The Feast Within--Package has shipped!---Package has arrived!!

The Food of Love--Package has shipped! ---Package has arrived!!

The Life & Times of Me---Package has shipped!---Package has arrived!!

The Lotus Tree--Package has shipped!---Package has arrived!!

The Missing Flavor--Package has shipped!

The Sour Dough---Package has shipped!

The World of Me--Package has shipped!

Trap Door--Package has shipped!

BBM: Pretty Things from India

2009-12-17T18:22:00.006-05:00

There's always an awkward moment, during Blogging by Mail match-ups. It comes when I need to find someone to send me a package. Nothing like saying 'hey, give me stuff, ok?' to someone you don't know!

This time the task was given to Gauri, of Life Rules in India.

And what a lovely, & unexpected, package I got!!

A pretty holiday card.

A bag of tea. Because...in my house...few things are better than tea!

A wonderful hand-written note on very pretty paper.

And jewelry!! Gauri sent two kinds.

These gorgeous beaded necklaces & earrings, which she made herself (and just happened to 'know' purple & blue are among my favorite colors?).

And these amazing & so-delicate terra cotta pieces, as well!

Jewlery, for me, is definitely an indulgence. So thank you, Gauri...I get to feel pretty & special with my new accessories!!

They Tell You to Eat Three Square Meals a Day...

2009-12-08T21:49:00.002-05:00

So, I'm only following orders.

Dinner of Gruyere waffles topped with peppery bacon (or Morningstar Farms faux bacon strips) & scrambled eggs. Seriously filling & perfect on a cold night.

File Under: "Shiny" & "Bright". Also, "On Sale".

2009-12-06T05:54:00.003-05:00

You've seen me talk about New West Knifeworks; their Super Bread Knife as well as the Santoku & the Chopper.

And through Wednesday, their Fusionwood Steak Knife Set & their Damascus Steak Knife Set are on sale.

Yes, it's a bit more than you'd pay for a a set of knives from your local box store, & yes...they are worth every penny.

Two Days After Thanksgiving Dinner '09: Scenes From the Crime

2009-11-29T01:14:00.002-05:00

Missing from photos: Coffin Meatloaf, Blood Soup with Eyeballs & Bugs (tomato soup, bocconcini with pimento & olives studded with chive antenna & rosemary legs).

Let's Call it 'Eclectic'

2009-11-26T22:47:00.003-05:00

Pumpkin Seed Flatbread

Non-traditional Tday dinner with the in-laws.

Caprese

Tofu & Mushroom-Filled Yuba Bundles

Jicama, Red Cabbage & Carrot Salad

Cream of Pepper Soup

Wild Rice with Walnuts

Ginger Ice Cream

BBM: Indulge Me: SIGN-UPS ARE NOW CLOSED

2009-11-01T01:42:00.004-04:00

Well, here we go. Today begins the busiest two months most of us face all year. Holidays, shopping, cleaning, cooking, entertaining, wrapping, decorating, stop, breathe, do it all over again.

All gearing up to hand us a nice big package of stress.

And while we already know we should latch on to some of those self-help phrases like 'take time for me', it's not something that usually happens.

Am I right? Show of hands now: who here puts everyone & everything first, with your own well-being coming in somewhere between "clean gutters" & "buy stamps".

Fine. I'll go first.

Ehem. "I confess, taking care of me falls pretty low on my to-do list".

Anyone else?

Which is why it's so important we do stop, take a break, relax & so on.

And this time, you'll be getting a little help from your friends, because Blogging by Mail is back.

BBM, that wonderfully crazy idea from Nic of Baking Bites, where food-loving bloggers from around the globe swap care packages, has returned after a much-needed hiatus.

The concept is the same: you send a box of stuff to one person, someone else ships one to you.

And this time around, we're sharing our favorite indulgences.

Your five 'Calgon, take me away' items; be it a chocolate bar, tea, recipe (and important ingredients), book, movie..whatever you turn to when you need to de-stress.

Box it up & share it with a new friend.

So, want to join in?

Here's what you need to know:

1. Be absolutely sure you can commit to this. By signing up for Blogging by Mail, you're promising to send a package to someone out there, and they'll be waiting for it. My goal for this round is for EVERY BBM'er to receive a box.

2. Have, or contribute to, a blog. It is called Blogging by Mail, after all. I'm sorry, but if you don't have one, you can't join. It's kind of the point. On the bright side, it's pretty easy to start up a blog!

3. Agree to write a post about, including pictures of, any package you receive. Every one of us gets a kick out of seeing what's being sent, so posting is important!

4. Fill out the sign up form below, and send it to me at thehappysorceress at gmail dot com. If you want to be a part of this, add that address to your 'safe' list right away, or you could end up missing vital swap information! I will reply to your email with 48 hours, letting you know you're officially part of BBM.

Based on the last couple of BBM's, & the fact the holidays are coming, I'm limiting sign-ups to just two weeks. 100+ people takes this fun little event far away from the 'fun' side of things. So, if you'd like to join, do so quickly!

Match-ups will be made during the days after the sign-ups close; for the record, I do not do an A-to-B, B-to-A swap. You could be sending a box to England and getting one from Singapore!

In the days after sign-ups close, I will begin sending out your 'to send' information. If you haven't heard from me by the end of November, check your Spam/Junk mail folders. If you still don't see anything, send off an email to me immediately!

Sign-ups will be open until Saturday, 14 November.

Packages must be shipped by Saturday, 28 November.

***Double, and even triple, check your information before sending it to me. A missed number in a postal code, a typo in your street address, could be the reason you're left package-less!***

Official Blogging by Mail Form

Your Full Name (first and last)

Your Blog's Name

Your Blog's URL

Your Email Address

Your 'Real' Address (be sure to include postal/country codes)

Are You Willing to Ship Internationally?

Any Strong Dislikes, Likes, Allergies, Etc

If You've Participated in Past Rounds, if Possible Please Remind Me Who You've Been Paired With (to & from), So I Can Do My Best Not to Repeat!

Add any other information you deem pertinent, of course.

If you have any other questions, let me know. Now go on, start packing that box!

My Emerald Archer

2009-10-28T23:42:00.004-04:00

Alex as Green Arrow, Oliver Queen.

More to come...including the one with 'Ollie' & his bevy of blond babes....

And here they are:

Souper Sundays: Chicken Soup with Jasmine Rice & Ginger

2009-10-25T06:02:00.000-04:00

It's been a while.

But here's my contribution to Deb's Souper Sundays.

A surprisingly filling soup. A homemade chicken broth for Matt, vegetable for us.

Jasmine rice is simmered in water for a bit, then stock, salt, soy sauce (in place of fish sauce) & sugar are added, rice simmers a little longer.

Stir in the ginger, and...yep, tiny bit more.

Ladle into bowls, top with chicken & reserved ginger...and eat.

Warming, hearty & just generally good.

Be Very, Very, Quiet

2009-10-20T06:13:00.001-04:00

Shhhh.

Don't tell anyone I was here. I'd hate to get their hopes up.

But I made these Cinnamon Rolls and thought they were too pretty not to share.

Best. Birthday Present. EVER.

2009-10-18T21:35:00.003-04:00

(click for full detail)

Batman lithograph. Signed by BOB KANE himself.

BOB KANE!

HHDD#28: The Round-Up

2009-09-28T23:27:00.007-04:00

Parmesan & Polenta Tofu

Parmesan & Polenta Chicken>

(so sorry for the delay)

Going to keep this nice & short, for the sake of finally getting this posted.

Zaira showed up with something a little different, Fried Polenta with Vegetables & Cheese

Suzie got the kids on the way to salad fandom with her rendition.

Silvermoon Dragon had a bit more trouble convincing her little ones to dig in, but so long as Mom's happy...

J returned to blogging & HHDD just in time to run into me!

And of course the lovely lady behind all this, Denise, was pleasantly surprised by the salad.

Seems everyone liked this dish, & due to it's relatively easy prep time I hope it'll show up on your tables again!

Product Review: New West Knife Works Super Bread Knife

2009-09-12T21:48:00.003-04:00

Because he takes slicing bread very seriously...for reasons you'll soon learn..Matt has taken on this review

Growing up in a household where bread was baked up to three times a week, the bread knife was an important object. You used the bread knife to cut bread and nothing else. If you just cut bread, it remained fairly clean. If you got it dirty by cutting something else (say, cheese or roast beef), it had to go through a full cleaning cycle, during which there could be no bread. And not being able to slice bread properly was unacceptable. That's so deeply ingrained that, for me, the most disturbing scene in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill had nothing to do with blood, dismemberment, or even Uma Thurman. It was the scene towards the end of the second part where David Caradine sliced some bread and then stuck that same knife INTO A JAR OF MAYO! HOW'S HE GOING TO SLICE BREAD NOW? HE'LL CROSS-CONTAMINATE! MANIAC!

So I regard bread knives as serious business. For the past couple of years, we've alternated between a cheap, flimsy, and easily replaced nondescript bread knife and a bow-shaped knife (a left-handed version special-ordered for me years ago, as a gesture of resistance against the revanchist forces of the running-dog dextrist hegemony). The bow knife cuts well, but it cuts slices in a very narrow range of thickness. The cheap blade is more versatile, but doesn't cut nearly as well. So we had a strong interest in how the New West Knifeworks bread knife would do. The blades we got from them a few months ago have become my go-to knives (sharpness comparable to our ceramics but without the fear factor about dropping them), but that weird curvy blade...

Turns out it's absolutely brilliant. In fact, it cut so well that it took some getting used to. The blade bites very deeply with each stroke, practically sinking into the loaf. It gets through the bread with surprising, even alarming, speed, so it requires a touch which is different from any other knife we own. However, once you've adjusted to that, it's outstanding. I was able to cut through a baguette with a single pull of the blade, no back-and-forth sawing. I was able to cut nearly transparent, perfectly even slices from Pullman-style loaves without the slightest suggestion of a slant (and equally even thick slices). I sliced a fresh croissant in half the long way without crushing the outer layers or smashing the inside. Yes, it doesn't look like a standard bread knife, but it's much better than a standard bread knife. If you buy only one bread knife this year...well, you know the drill.

HHDD#28: Polenta of Choices

2009-09-05T13:46:00.005-04:00

With the shock of hearing from Chez Us that I'd won last month's HHDD came the realization I'd be hosting this month's event!

(photo to come soon; camera issues!)

The search for my many Donna Hay cookbooks, as well as the never-have-enough magazine collection, lead to 30 or more dishes I remembered I wanted to make, but it wasn't until I spied the recipe for Parmesan and Polenta Chicken that I knew I had this month's challenge.

A gorgeous salad on it's own, and one that can be easily adapted to personal preferences.

The greens can be changed to a favorite, or what's in season.

The chicken can be swapped out for tofu, for the vegetarians (raises hand).

And if the corn isn't growing just now where you are, try frozen or baby corn.

Ingredients that cannot be swapped out: the corn itself, in some form, & the polenta coating.

Complete rules can be found here

To enter, make the recipe below, do the usual photograph/blog etc.

To me (thehappysorceress at gmail dot com), send the following:

The Name & URL of your blog
Your Name
Your Location
Name of your recipe
The URL or the permalink to your entry
And a photo if you have it!

Be sure your post links back here & to Chez Us

Entries are due 20 September.

Parmesan and Polenta Chicken

2 cobs corn, husks and silks removed
olive oil for brushing
2 x 200g (7oz) chicken breasts
flour for dusting
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1/2 cup(100g/3 1/2 oz) polenta
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
100g (3 1/2 oz) baby spinach leaves
1/2 basil leaves
grated parmesan cheese, extra to serve
dressing
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
sea salt and cracked black pepper

To make the dressing, place the mustard, lemon juice, garlic, oil, honey, salt & pepper in a bowl & whisk to combine. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 220 C (425 F. Brush the corn with oil, place in a baking dish & roast for 25 minutes or until golden. Slice the kernels from the corn & set aside.
Slice the chicken in half horizontally, dust with the flour, dip into the egg & press into the combined parmesan & polenta to coat. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat & cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden & cooked through. Arrange the chicken, corn, spinach & basil on plates & spoon over the dressing & grated parmesan to serve. Serves 4

Party Food

2009-08-25T18:40:00.001-04:00

The Primanti Brothers-esque Sandwich

2009-08-08T15:14:00.001-04:00

Invitation to the Edible Word

2009-08-05T09:42:00.004-04:00

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My eternally fabulous co-host of Cook the Books, Cath of A Blithe Palate, and I are co-hosting a new edition of The Edible Word, a foodie book club on September 5 and was hoping one of you would like to join us!
What's involved? Well, a little reading (it IS a book club), a lot of inspiration followed by some cooking or baking, and hopefully, a lot of fun.

We're reading “Confections of a Closet Master Baker” by Gesine Bullock-Prado, a former Hollywood executive who flees La La Land to become a baker in Vermont. The book traces her baking journey as it sustains her through various life trials — the Hollywood machine; her mother’s illness; the wonky life in a sweet, odd small town.

Event rules? Simple:

Pick a dish that she mentions in the book or an ingredient that she talks about.
Find a recipe or create a recipe for that dish, pastry or ingredient, and make it! (or if you like, make one of the yummy recipes she's included in the book)
Post an entry with a picture to your blog and share with us what compelled you to pick that particular dish, and any history about the recipe you created or are using to make that dish.

I have an extra book to share, so if you would like to join this food blogging event, please send me an email at thehappysorceress (AT) gmail (DOT) com with your snail mail address by six o'clock EST TODAY, August 5 and I’ll have one of the dogs randomly select one person to join us. If you don’t have a food blog but would like to participate, I’ll be happy to post your blog entry here.

Look for the event on September 5 and the round up on September 7!

HHDH#27: Sugar Snap Pea, Cucumber, Mint & Tofu Summer Salad

2009-08-03T21:15:00.004-04:00

Reach for the smelling salts.

Not only have I quite possibly returned to blogging, but I have (dun dun dun!) entered a blogging event!!

It's ok. I can wait till you've recovered. Take your time.

I saw there was a new Hey Hey It's Donna Hay!, & since we've very nearly deified her in our house....it seemed as good a reason to do this again as any.

The current 'challenge' was given by Akshayapaatram in conjunction with Chez Us: a light, fresh summer salad.

This is very much how we've been eating around here, anyway.

Yes, we made some changes to the original recipe. A strong dislike of bean thread noodles (on my part) led to the substitution of rice noodles. Instead of green beans, there were sugar snap peas, one of my favorites vegetables of all time. Foul, dish soap-y cilantro got the heave-ho.Oh! Tofu. Added cubes of tofu. And instead of fish sauce in the dressing we used soy (2/3 vegetarians, remember) & put sriracha in there instead of chillies in the salad, itself.

Really good, & as it should be. Light & fresh & cool.

DIY Ginger Beer

2009-07-06T13:09:00.002-04:00

Because you asked...

Run a small handful of ginger through a food processor (don't bother peeling it; you can, but it all gets filtered later). Put ginger, two cups of water, and two cups of sugar into a pot, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Take off the heat and allow to cool. It doesn't have to be room temperature, but you do need it cool enough that it won't kill the yeast. Pour the ginger syrup into an empty two-liter bottle through a sieve or cheesecloth to filter out the solids. Add a large pinch (about an eighth of a teaspoon) of yeast; bread yeast will work, but if you can get champagne yeast, that'll be better. You can also add a squirt of lemon or lime juice and/or a splash of vanilla. Top off the bottle with distilled water and close the bottle tightly. Let sit in a warm place and squeeze the bottle every 6-8 hours to check on the pressure. Initially, the pressure inside and outside the bottle will be equal, so you can easily make a dent in the flexible plastic with your finger. As the pressure from fermentation increases, the bottle will feel more rigid. When it gets to feeling really firm, briefly crack the bottle to release pressure and close it again. Depending on the kind of yeast you use and the ambient temperature, it can be ready to drink in as little as a day and a half. Store in the refrigerator.

Not Dead Yet

2009-06-12T00:18:00.002-04:00

What's that? Right. Sorry. Yes, I have been away from here a while, haven't I?

Yeah...Dispensing Happiness is coming up on it's fifth birthday, and my other 'every day' blog, Standing here solidly on my own two hands and going crazy will mark it's seventh year around the same time. That's a lot of posting, a lot of pictures, a lot of writing, a lot of me.

A girl can go through some periods of 'meh' now & again. I guess this is one of them.

But to prove I'm still here, still capable of stringing letters together & forming words, I borrow this little Q & A from Erin.

All About Me (AV Edition)
I think the best shows on TV right now are
1. Chuck
2. Burn Notice
3. Leverage
4. The Closer

I think the best show(s) NOT on TV is (are)
1. Pushing Daisies
2. Eyes
3. Justice League Unlimited

Shows I think I would like but haven’t watched yet are

No idea.

The show I am most anticipating is

See above

My go-to movies for repeat viewings are
1. The Princess Bride
2. Sneakers
3. The Philadelphia Story
4. The Thin Man

I will watch any movie starring
1. Cary Grant
2. Doris Day
3. Jennifer Garner
4. Sandra Bullock

I will listen to any CD by
1. Fleetwood Mac
2. Jackson Browne
3. Artie Shaw
4. Bif Naked
5. Ookla the Mok
6. Dave Matthew Band

My favorite musical soundtracks are

Um...

My favorite Beatles song

Pick just about any from Rubber Soul or Revolver

My favorite Regina Spektor song

Whozat?

My favorite Weezer song

Island in the Sun (hip hip)

My favorite Simon and Garfunkel song

Cecilia

My favorite Britney Spears song

Such a thing does not exist

My favorite movie soundtracks
1. All three LotR
2. Sneakers
uh...

My favorite Disney movie
Sleeping Beauty

My favorite song from a Disney Movie

??

My favorite songs at this exact moment are
1. Say Hey (I Love You)- Michael Franti & Spearhead
2. I'm the Man Who Murdered Love- XTC
3. We Already Said Goodbye- The Lovemakers
4. You Wanted More- Tonic
5. Dawn-Bif Naked

Mirin Chicken with Ramen Noodles for Souper Sundays

2009-05-31T05:42:00.001-04:00

From Noodle Fusion; a tasty little soup.

Chicken (or Quorn cutlets) is marinated with a reduction of mirin, soy sauce, (vegetable) broth, & sugar. Bring vegetarian dashi (sans bonito flakes) to boil, cook ramen for a couple minutes, drain, cover with foil, reserve broth.

The chicken or chicken-replacement-product is seared on each side, cooled & sliced.

Broth is boiled again, put noodles in bowls, pour broth over, top with chicken (or whatever), garnish...we used grated ginger & daikon matchsticks.

Skipped: black mushrooms

It's got some flavor, the noodles are fun, just a good soup.

Here you go, Deb! More soup for your Sunday.

Smoked Chicken & Tortellini in a Cream Sauce

2009-05-29T07:45:00.001-04:00

It was one of those days...a Saturday, I believe...that just got away from us. We'd had a plan for dinner, but ended up too tired to bother.

Night wore on, realized we had to eat something. As always, I started suggesting things Matt might like. He was stuck on pasta, so I suggested he use up the cheese tortellini we'd gotten for something else.

He liked that idea.

I then brought up the remainder of the smoked chicken he still had in the refrigerator.

Also in favor of this.

And yes, we did have some cream left...so very quickly, what might have been a peanut butter sandwich kind of night resulted in...for him anyway...a pretty tasty & unexpected dinner.

Warm Potato Salad with Pancetta & Brown Butter Dressing

2009-05-28T06:12:00.000-04:00

A little different than the usual mayo-yellow mustard coated potato salad.

Fingerling potatoes (we found this lovely trio of Yukons, reds & purple) are sliced & boiled just till tender, then tossed with a dressing of butter-cooked pancetta with shallots, a nice grainy mustard & sherry vinegar, & finally topped with chives.

Despite the amount of pork fat in this dish, the lack of mayonnaise makes this rather light compared to conventional potato salads. Oh, and quite tasty. (says Matt)

Batman: Year Seventy

2009-05-27T23:59:00.003-04:00

Right, so it's no real secret I like comic books, heroes, and all the trappings associated with them. It's also fairly well-known the level of detail I will put into anything I am even mildly passionate about.

So don't tell me you're shocked to learn that I celebrated Batman's 70th 'birthday'; we both know you're sitting there...rolling your eyes and/or laughing...saying 'yeah, that's exactly the sort of thing she'd do'.

It was 70 years ago that the Caped Crusader made his first appearance in Detective Comics, and that's a heck of a milestone for anyone. The sort that demands celebration.

And there's really only one way I know how to celebrate: with food.

I have had conversations with both my foodie & comic book friends about this: what do heroes eat? It's not something that's ever shown, really; ok, if you're reading the Flash, for example, you may get a scene or two where he's shoveling in large quantities of food. But that's less 'what' he's eating & more 'gotta keep up with that super-charged metabolism'.

Yes, I have my favorites in the hero world, and Batman is at the top of that list. (Technically he's tied with Wonder Woman, but that's a different post for a different day.)

I've actually given this a lot of thought (No! Really?); what exactly would Bruce Wayne eat, as Batman? He's often depicted as being too busy to bother with whatever Alfred has prepared, but the guy has to eat eventually.

Alfred's a smart man. He'd be sure whatever was on the tray he set next to 'Master Bruce', close to the computer, would be hearty, flavorful, & good for him. And most importantly, it would be something that would keep: years & years of looking after Gotham City's self-proclaimed protector meant he knew the food had to be ready & edible whenever Bats got around to it.

That ruled out a lot of options. Nothing that had to be kept hot, or might get soggy.

It also had to be easy to eat; Bruce would be working on...oh, comparing bullets, researching links between suspicious characters, or analyzing DNA samples. Any food he bothered to pick up would have to be pick up-able.

A roasted tomato basil soup, delicious both hot or cold, served in a big mug. Pick up, take a swig, go back to work.

Sandwich with nutty, multi-grain bread, toasted & brushed with olive oil (mayo would go bad before Bruce got around to it), topped with slices of Gruyere, crisp bacon, roasted chicken breast & a good, crunchy lettuce.

Foods that can wait till the Batman realizes he's not eaten in more than twelve hours & had better keep up his strength, but won't slow him down in his quest to keep his city safe.

At least, that's what I like to think would happen.

And because no celebration should pass without a cake, I give you The Dark Knight Cake; a dense chocolate cake made with both cocoa & 88% dark chocolate, covered in dark chocolate ganache.

Oh, and yes...it may resemble a certain signal often seen in Gotham's night sky...

Happy Birthday, Batman.

Wartime Wednesdays: Honey Twist Bread

2009-05-27T03:05:00.002-04:00

Common Causes of Inferior Bread
POOR FLOUR---A cheap flour may be an expensive flour because it makes a loaf inferior in texture, flavor and volume.
OLD YEAST---Dead yeast plants cannot leaven bread. Old compressed yeast cakes or dry yeast which has been stored away until many f the yeast plants are dead will act very slowly if it all and will not give good results.
TOO MUCH or TOO LITTLE KNEADING---Dough kneaded too much becomes sticky and will not rise well in the oven. Dough kneaded too little makes streaked bread, poor in texture, which sometimes contains lumps that might have been worked out in kneading.
TOO MUCH FLOUR---Too stiff a dough makes coarse-textured bread of small volume and dry crumb.
OVER-RISING---Too long rising gives a very porous loaf with little flavor, a pale crust and a porous crumb with broken, irregular texture. This bread crumbles badly. If the rising continues too long, the dough may become sour
UNDER RISING---Too little rising gives a loaf which is small and flat. It browns too quickly in the oven. The crumb is compact and dull.
TOO COOL AN OVEN---Bread will continue to rise too long if the oven temperature is too low. The result is bread that is very porous in the center and upper par of the loaf. The bread dries out before it begins to bake.
TOO HOT AN OVEN---The dough crusts over immediately and cannot continue to rise as it should the first ten or fifteen minutes it is in the oven. The crust becomes very brown before he crumb is baked.
ROPE IN BREAD---Rope may appear at any time but is most likely during hot, damp weather. It gives bread a ropy, stringy quality and a very disagreeable odor and makes it unfit for use. It is due to a type of bacillus which may be in any one or more of the ingredients used in bread.
If rope develops, all utensils used in making bread and containers in which bread is stored should be sterilized with boiling water and rinsed with water to which vinegar has been added. Since acid inhibits the growth of the bacillus, 1 tablespoon vinegar for each quart of liquid should be added to each subsequent batch of dough until all the materials in stock at the time of rope appeared are used up.
---The Victory Binding of the American Woman's Cook Book; Wartime Edition, published 1943

A nice bread with a honey-sweetened crust. Made a ridiculous amount, so I sliced up the remainder & turned it into French toast. Worked really well.