Upcoming Holiday Vacation (Blog Note)

I'll be taking four days off around Christmas this year. I think that's the max I can stand; anxiety and existential dread would overpower any sense of rest, recuperation, and recreation. I like to write. During those four days, however, I'm going to do my level best not to work on anything; just take the time off and relax and that's it. I did that once for two days this past Fall and it really was rejuvenating.

The other update is that the Baker's Dozen is coming along fine. I was hoping to have it done by today, but these things just need to percolate. The latest bread recipe I'm trying requires 17 hours of rising time, so that's a better metaphor, better than percolation: the point being, you can't rush it. Pictures need time to sink in. Spending time with pictures is never wasted.

Also better because what better metaphor for the Baker's Dozen than a baking metaphor?  ;-)

And that segues nicely to my last item for this update: thanks for all the wisdom, suggestions, and links about baking. I doubt I'll do a deep dive into bread baking, but it would be nice to learn how to make a good loaf. For most of the time I've lived here, the local grocery store made a nine-grain bread in its own bakery that was very nice, and it was my regular bread. But a year or two back they changed their formula and ruined a good thing. I've had to be a "bread nomad" ever since, unable to settle down on anything, any one brand or type. I keep looking. Don't ya hate that? Humans just do not like to leave well enough alone. I hope there are still traditional boulangeries in Paris, that make French bread the old way.

Please come back after my four days away! And forgive the interruption. All work and no play makes Mike a dull boy.

Mike

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Comments

[Herman Krieger]

Taking a break-

[Bob G.]

Happy Holidays, Mike… I’ll just go sit on Thom’s doorstep a while until I see your car back in the driveway…

[Thomas Paris]

Happy holidays!

[Roger Bradbury]

Have a nice time Mike, and happy Christmas!

[Pak Ming Wan]

Happy holidays Mike!

There are certainly a lot of boulangeries in Paris (and in France) that still make bread the traditional way... Mainly because they have to. It's in French law.

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000000727617/

Pak

[Graeme Scott]

Have a good Xmas Mike.

Hopefully someone will buy you a breadmaker as a present. ( Panasonic make good ones ).

[Keith]

About 10 years ago, a baker and candymaker set up a small shop in a downtown area about 35 minutes away. I would sometimes get there early on a Saturday morning to buy a couple loaves of really fantastic bread (he was always sold out by mid morning). He was using a couple of moderately sized restored mixers from the first half of the 20 century, Hobart I think. When they broke down it was going to cost $80 in parts to fix each one, he showed me the mixers he had taken apart and the broken parts and ranted about the cost. Refused to spend the money on parts, so no more bread, 6 months later no more bake shop. Never quite wrapped my head around that.

[Artists. --Mike]