Well, they didn’t exactly throw in the towel…..
They dropped the towel in a bucket (or big bowl) of water.
But….
Wait for this…..
First they wrapped it around the bread dough!
Yup, you read that correctly.
Elle, of Feeding my Enthusiasms, and our host kitchen for the month, decided that the Babes should proof (prove?) their bread underwater.
Fortunately, it was only the dough that needed to be submerged, not the Babes.
Although having the Babes underwater could have made for some interesting photos….
Anyway, Elle blamed the whole idea on James Beard. She found it in his book ‘Beard on Bread’.
Apparently, for whatever reason, it made fantastic bread! For the details, visit Elle at Feeding My Enthusiasms.
While you’re there, get the recipe and details for being a Bread Baking Buddy and have some fun.
Cathy’s Bread
Aparna’s Bread
Ilva’s Bread
And the Babes are:
The Bread Baking Babes
Bake My Day – Karen
blog from OUR kitchen – Elizabeth
Bread Experience – Cathy
Feeding My Enthusiasms – Elle
girlichef – Heather
Life’s a Feast – Jamie
Living in the Kitchen with Puppies – Natashya
Lucullian Delights – Ilva
My Diverse Kitchen — Aparna
My Kitchen In Half Cups – Tanna
Notitie Van Lien – LienAnd me…. Thyme for Cooking – Katie
From the BBBBB (Bitchin’ Bread Baking Babe Bibliothécaire).
Hilarious concept but divine results !!
Katie – I actually have gone one step further when proofing my bread (to be or not to be – that is the question!!!) – more so in the winter months (it’s been a long one here in Montreal). I actually use my everyday downfilled jacket to tuck around my bread – it’s very light weight (please note – on top of the bread is a damp tea towel – so the coat doesn’t get flour/dough etc. on it. My downfilled jaacket could actually reveal some good stories – it’s even been wrapped around a turkey that has come out of an oven (best turkey EVER – moist, moist, moist). I can see the book title now … The Adventures of a Canadian Down Filled Jacket …
FCAnna, I’m relieved to hear that you haven’t plunged your down filled jacket (wrapped around proofing bread dough) into a bowl of water!
Excellent round-up, Katie! And you are forgiven for rubbing my nose in the fact that you have mowed several times and seen flowers galore. Thank you for putting my photo first!!! Wow. I’m honoured.
Being a bread “Boy” myself I found this process very interesting. Thanks, GREG
Can you imagine how tempting those photos are at 10 p.m. at night? I want/
Mimi
Thanks for the lovely roundup! This was a fun bread to make and tastes delicious.
Wonderful round up. Should have thought of an underwater photo of myself to go with …hahaha….but the breads all look great, despite (or because of) their watery beginning. Thanks for being the monthly historian for us all. You are a star!
Ah Katie I’m always in awe at how wonderfully creative and fresh your intros are. You always make us look so good … although I’m struck at how I seem to be the one using so much whole grain flour.
Kate, they’re all lovely, aren’t they?
Anna, one has to be creative when one lives in a cold climate…. I lived in Minnesota and Wisconsin. I know these things.
Elizabeth, if it makes you feel any better, our cold and rain has returned… and you’re welcome.
Greg, I thought it was, too, Are you going to try it?
Mimi, they’re tempting any time I think
Cathy, you’re welcome – it’s always fun to see them all.
Elle, an underwater photo would have been great!
Tanna, they are all lovely… and you’re just so health conscious….