All the Pages Are My Days

My adventures with yeast continued this weekend, when I attempted a much more complex recipe than usual. Pane Pugliese is a simple, rustic bread, but some effort is required to achieve the seemingly nonchalant result.

First, this is a sponge based bread. This sponge, known as biga, worked overnight (unlike previous 1 hour sponges I've used), which caused the water, flour and yeast mixture to triple in size and look all bubbly and active. So, start the biga around 10pm, mix the dough together around noon the next day, and after all is said and done you will have excellent fresh bread for dinner!

I used the Kitchenaide mixer instead of the bread machine (another first) to knead the dough. Finally, after multiple rise cycles stretching over 3 hours (2-3 times longer than normal), the bread was shaped and allowed to rise one last time. It was then soaked with water from are a squirt bottle right before baking in a very hot, 450 degree oven.

The water contributed to a loaf that had the crunchiest crust I've ever baked. The bread also had excellent flavor; the depth and complexity resulted from using the biga and the long, slow, multiple rise cycles. Pretty amazing results considering the only ingredients were flour, water, salt, and yeast!

Postscript: the bread didn't age well, and was dry and chewy the day after it was baked. Oh, but the excellent toast it made; in some ways better than it was the day it was baked! (Sorry, all you Atkins advocates :-)

I used to link to the recipe on the King Arthur site. Then I discovered it's impossible to provide persistent links to their recipes. Plus, their search engine simply doesn't work. Herewith, then, the recipe:

Pane Pugliese

This crusty, slightly domed and delicious peasant bread is made with a very slack (wet) dough. The dough is almost impossible to work with, but produces a pleasingly open texture. A long fermentation enhances the bread's flavor.

Biga 1/2 cup (4 ounces) water 1 1/4 cups (5 1/8 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

In a small mixing bowl, combine the water, flour and yeast to form a soft dough. Don't knead it; just make sure all of the ingredients are well-incorporated. Set this mixture aside in a warm place, covered, for 12 to 16 hours.

Dough all of the biga (above) 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) water 4 cups (17 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon instant yeast

Knead all of the dough ingredients together, using a mixer or bread machine (this is well nigh impossible to knead by hand), until the dough is cohesive and elastic (though not necessarily smooth), about 10 minutes. Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 2 to 3 hours, gently stirring it down each hour. (The longer you let the dough rise at this point, the better the flavor of the finished loaf will be).

Lightly grease a half-sheet pan or other flat pan. Scoop the very wet dough, in two separate pieces, onto the pan lengthwise, shaping each piece into a rough oval as best you can. Cover the dough with heavily greased plastic wrap, and allow it to rise for about 90 minutes. It'll spread quite a bit; don't worry, it's supposed to.

Spray the loaves heavily with warm water, and bake them in a preheated 450°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they're a deep, golden brown. Turn the oven off, prop the door open, transfer the loaves from the pan to the oven rack, and allow them to cool in the turned-off oven. Yield: 2 loaves.

Nutrition information per serving (1 slice, 1/10th of 1 loaf, 48g): 108 cal, less than 1g fat, 3g protein, 23g complex carbohydrates, 1g dietary fiber, 214mg sodium, 43mg potassium, 2mg iron, 1mg calcium, 30mg phosphorus.

Posted by mike 8:40 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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Posted by mike 12:04 AM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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I got this in the mail recently and it seemed worth passing along.

The 9/11 Commission Hearings are available right now for free at http://www.audible.com/911hearings. These important audio documents represent yet another way Audible keeps you informed of the important events shaping our time.

You'll hear Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, former National Counterterrorism Coordinator Richard Clarke, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and others as they answer tough questions on blind spots in foreign intelligence that may have enabled the worst terrorist attack in American history.

Download the Hearings now from our Web site, and feel free to share this e-mail with your friends. Let them know they can download the audio for free as well.

Sincerely,

Corey Thrasher
Senior Editor
Audible, Inc.

(Disclaimer: I am an audible.com customer, but am receiving no consideration for posting this message.)

Posted by mike 8:03 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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A reflection on things I learned today:

The pessimist is one who says "Things couldn't possibly be worse," the optimist says, "Sure they can." -- the daily irrelevant

Posted by mike 9:11 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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The games haven't changed since the 1980's, but the delivery mechanism is pure 21st century. Zork, (and Zork II & III) are now playable using an AIM compatible client. In addition, many other Infocom adventure games are available, including Planetfall and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. You can even save and restore previous games! Waxy.org has more details and a partial transcript of a game session. A nice blending of technologies!

Posted by mike 11:37 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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As usual, one thing led to another, and I ended up discovering a delightful online art museum, known simply as the webmuseum. It turns out they are hosted as one of many specialized sites that together comprise ibiblio, an organization that seeks to be "the public's library and digital archive". Based on a quick look at their site, they have a chance of achieving that goal.

One of the featured sections of the webmuseum is the Famous Artworks exhibition. There is a wide variety of material available and the oldest paintings were painted over 500 years ago. By no means complete, the museum does appear to offer a good representative example of a large variety of famous artworks through the ages. Due to modern copyright(wrong) restrictions, there are some gaps in the 20th century material, but there's plenty that did make it into the collection.

Actually, I discovered all the above only after I had been visiting the site for a while. I came across a link to the very colorful, expressive paintings that were created by Wassily Kandinsky, known as one of the primary founders of the modern abstract art movement. In his paintings and writings he spoke of how music and color were intertwined in his mind. That reminded me of a phenomenom I noticed when listening to Jerry play live; his lower register notes sounded blonde to me and as he worked his way up the register they would eventually be more of a reddish-purple. A minor form of synethesia, I believe. (hey, you ... stop smirking back there.)

Here are a couple of my favorite images; click on either of the images to find out more about the artist and to see more of his works. Also, one of the cool things about the iblibio site is that most of the content may be mirrored using the standard rsync protocol!

Posted by mike 10:18 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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Hilarious link from Farber's Interesting People list:

It seems some of the Brits are rather amused at the goings on recently at the FCC. One of the BBC channels has been running a very, very funny R rated advert. Channel Four International (C4i) asked a number of US and UK film and TV stars what the favorite swear words were -- and to say them out loud (and they do). What follows is a 2 minute melange of famous faces saying, amongst other things, bloody, wanker, bollocks and bugger -- it is England, after all -- and an awful lot of other swear words you'd recognize in the U.S.

It's worth reading the rest of the article for insights into why such a seemingly inane commercial was ever made. The article also has a link to the actual commercial. This is your first warning that the commercial is definitely NOT work safe due to the language.

Along these lines, I just heard a humorous bit by George Carlin on the Tonight Show. He was noting the apparent contradiction where publications won't use certain words due to fear of offending their readers, but instead will simply replace part of the offending word with asterisks. As George notes, everyone knows what is meant; why the charade? Don't they like the letters u and c?

Posted by mike 12:06 AM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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And so, another year has passed.

It is pretty much imponderable how much different my life would have been were it not for Sheryl's mother, Laurina. Her blessings and support as Sheryl and I began our life together proved immeasurably helpful.

I always chuckle at one of the stories Sheryl tells, of when we were young and far from home and homesick and perhaps not always seeing eye to eye. Her mom would tell her, "No, I'm not sending you the money to come home. You won't be here for even 2 weeks before you'll be asking for the money to go back. Just stay there and work things out." And we have. Thanks, Laurina.

Posted by mike 10:35 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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Tom Tomorrow posted a lengthy letter from a Spanish reader commenting on the recent bombing in Madrid and the subsequent elections. He eloquently speaks of the heroism and compassion displayed in the immediate aftermath of the bombing; the immediacy of his first-hand reporting is powerful.

The behavior of the people was of utter heroism. I must say it, I didn't expect it and I'm very proud of my people now. When the victims in the trains started shouting "neighbours, neighbours, please help us!" to the surrounding buildings, hundreds of every age and sex rushed downstairs to help, even understanding that there were bombs and could be more. Commuter drivers in nearby roads stopped their cars and took the horribly mutilated and burnt woundeds to area hospitals even before the first ambulances arrived. Even some people who were inside the trains stayed to help others instead of fleeing! Please believe me when I tell you that the people of Madrid behave EXCEPTIONALLY and with rare bravery and solidarity in these very hard minutes. I use to be quite cynic, but this defies any cynicism. It was epic, heroic, I don't have words. Those thinking that the Spanish people is being coward should reconsider their opinion in the light of this.

He then turns to the elections and examines the thinking that led to the surprising results. Despite the obvious danger in making a choice that was influenced by terrorists, Spaniards by the millions felt even more strongly that a government that lies is not worthy to govern. They largely voted the incumbents out of office in last Sunday's election.

But let me tell you that I honestly think that we voted not guided by fear, but guided by anger. In the critical hours after the attack, Aznar's Government confronted and bipolarized the Spanish people lying and manipulating even when the truth was already obvious for millions. This caused an automatic reaction in the low and middle classes thinking "they make wars against our opinion, then it's our blood who pays them, and furthermore they're lying us and insulting our deads and our intelligence".

Posted by mike 10:14 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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THE INVISIBLE KILLER:

Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and *kills* uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE:

* Is also known as hydric acid, and is a major component of acid rain.
* contributes to the greenhouse effect.
* may cause severe burns.
* accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals
* may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
* has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.

CONTAMINATION IS REACHING EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS!

Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream, lake and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global, and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. In the midwest alone DHMO has caused *millions* of dollars in property damage.

DESPITE THE DANGER, DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE IS OFTEN USED:

* as an industrial solvent and coolant.
* in nuclear power plants.
* in the production of styrofoam.
* as a fire retardant.
* in many forms of cruel animal research.
* in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical.
* as an additive in certain "junk-foods" and other food products.

Waste DHMO is allowed to pollute our precious lakes, rivers, streams and the ocean itself. The impact on wildlife is extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer!

THE HORROR MUST BE STOPPED!

The American government has *refused* to ban the production, distribution, or use of this damaging chemical due to it's "importance to the economic health of this nation." In fact, the navy and other military organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during *warfare* situations. Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly sophisticated underground distribution network. Many store large quantities for later use.

IT'S NOT TOO LATE!

Act NOW to prevent further contamination. Find out more about this dangerous chemical. What you don't know CAN hurt you and others throughout the world.

In related news, the Associated Press had an article, published today (15Mar04), on this very topic!

Posted by mike 9:47 PM | Comments/Permalink (1)
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So far I've been pretty successful in meeting one of my goals for 2004: learning to bake yeast breads and rolls. Many of the successful recipes have been posted here and I have been been baking 2 out of every 3 weeks on average. I hadn't tried anything new recently, instead cycling between flatbreads, rolls (sweet and savory), and so on, practicing and refining my techniques.

Today was time for a change, and I discovered a dough that should work great for making empanada's (a moment of silence for the late, lamented Jose's in Palo Alto, famous for empanadas and bbq sauce pizza). Here then is the link to the recipe for King Arthur Onion Rolls. The rolls are crunchy on the outside and moist and flavorful on the inside, thanks to the onions. Besides making empanadas with this dough, variations of the onion roll could be made, using different fillings, and perhaps flavoring the dough with herbs. Hmmm ...

I used to link to the recipe on the King Arthur site. Then I discovered it's impossible to provide persistent links to their recipes. Plus, their search engine simply doesn't work. Herewith, then, the recipe:

Onion Rolls

Sponge 2 teaspoons instant yeast 1/2 cup (4 ounces) lukewarm water 2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) sugar 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

Dough 1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk 1 egg 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) vegetable oil 1 teaspoon salt 2 to 2 1/2 cups (8 1/2 to 10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

Filling 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter or margarine 2 cups chopped onions (2 medium-to-large onions, 12 ounces unpeeled, 10 ounces peeled and chopped) 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)

Topping melted butter poppy seeds (optional)*

Sponge: In a large bowl, or in the bucket of a bread machine, mix together the yeast, lukewarm water, sugar and 1 cup of the flour. Let sit till bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Manual/Mixer Method: Place all of the remaining dough ingredients into the bowl with the sponge. Mix and knead until you've formed a smooth dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until it's almost doubled in bulk.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your bread machine, along with the sponge; program the machine for manual or dough, and press Start. Check the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle; it should be perhaps a bit "gnarly," but still nice and soft and workable.

Filling: While the dough is rising, prepare the onions. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and add the onions. Saute them over low-to-medium heat until they're soft and barely golden, about 20 minutes. Remove them from the heat and set them aside. Stir in 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, if desired.

Shaping: Gently deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured or oiled work surface. Divide it into eight pieces. Flatten each piece into a rough rectangle approximately 4 inches wide by 7 inches long. Spoon 1/8 of the onion mixture in a strip down the "short center" of each dough rectangle (i.e., spoon filling the short way across the dough, not the long way). Fold both sides of dough over the onions and pinch together to seal all around, making eight rolls which are each approximately 4 inches long by 2 1/2 inches wide. If you happen to have a crimping sealer, run it all around the border of the dough; it'll do a really nice job.

Place the rolls, about an inch apart, on a lightly greased (or parchment-lined) baking sheet. Set them in a warm place to rise until puffy, about 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Gently brush the rolls with a little melted butter, then sprinkle with poppy seeds, if desired.

Bake the rolls for 10 minutes, or until they're golden brown; this quick baking at a high temperature makes rolls that are golden brown outside, but still very soft inside. Remove the rolls from the oven and cool them completely on a wire rack. Store them in a plastic bag. These rolls are actually better, in taste and texture, if allowed to "ripen" overnight. Yield: 8 rolls.

*Traditional onion rolls have a bit of chopped onion sprinkled on top. I don't do this as it's hard to prevent the onion from burning, and burned onion imparts a very bitter taste to the rolls.

Nutrition information per serving (1 roll, 133g): 302 cal, 11g fat, 7g protein, 40g complex carbohydrates, 3g sugar, 2g dietary fiber, 35mg cholesterol, 285mg sodium, 175mg potassium, 49RE vitamin A, 3mg vitamin C, 3mg iron, 32mg calcium, 96mg phosphorus

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet (r) (Vol. XII, No. 4, Spring 2001 issue). The Baking Sheet is a newsletter published six times a year by The Baker's Catalogue(r), P.O. Box 876, Norwich, Vermont 05055. (The Baking Sheet and The Baker's Catalogue are both registered trademarks of The Baker's Catalogue, Inc.)

Posted by mike 6:53 PM | Comments/Permalink (1)
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An original recipe; somewhat related to Bow-Tie Chicken. One of those, "what can I make with ingredients on hand?", concoctions that I'm fond of creating.

Ingredients

12 oz penne pasta
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 lb fresh asparagus
1 med carrot
1 celery stalk
1/2 med onion
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs vinegar (I use rice wine vinegar; lemon juice would probably be nice as well)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt to taste
1/2 grated parmesan cheese
1 C chicken broth

Preparation

Cut chicken into bite size pieces.
Dice carrot and onion; slice celery; mince garlic.
Break off tough ends of asparagus; trim the tips and set aside. Slice asparagus stalks into bite size pieces.

Mix together chicken, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, asparagus stalks, pepper flakes, oil, vinegar and salt and let marinate for up to 3 hours.

Bring water to boil and cook pasta till al dente.

Sautee the chicken mixture till done; add the asparagus tips and broth a few minutes before finished.

Mix chicken mixture with pasta, stirring in the cheese at this time and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Posted by mike 5:26 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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Click on the image for more details on the Madrid bombing.

Posted by mike 7:32 AM | Comments/Permalink (0)
Categories: General | History | Politics | Tags: | top of page

I can't believe I've used various unix systems for 20 years and have only now, via kuro5hin, discovered the joys of the powerful utility known as screen.

Screen provides the ability to run multiple terminal based applications, including connecting to remote systems, within one terminal window. More than that, the utility provides the ability to save state between sessions. This means a lengthy process can run and be monitored whilst moving between work and home, for example. While the need for such a tool is not as common as in the past, the process detachment facilities provided by screen should prove far superiour to using the tried and true "nohup" command.

Posted by mike 11:12 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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Former colleague, and well known author and educator Dave Taylor has put together a site that should be useful to all authors. The site performs a number of standard readability tests, including the fairly well known Kincaid and Flesh forumulas, against a submitted URL or Word document. The results allow authors to quickly evaluate if their writing level is appropriate for their intended audience and can also provide useful insights to readers as well as authors. One interesting exercise is to evaluate your site and then compare the results to some of your favorite sites.

As Dave says:

Curious about how complex your documents or Web pages are to read? You don't have to get a team of experts to study it: you can just use readability.info to analyze the characteristics of your writing and ascertain a readability score. By comparing the readability score of different documents (or Web pages) you can better hone your writing and make sure that you aren't creating overly complex sentences and paragraphs for your audience.

Posted by mike 10:35 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
Categories: Blogging | General | Tags: | top of page

Jambands is featuring an interesting interview with mandolin virtuoso David Grisman. Dawg, as he is commonly called, has been making music for close to 40 years; he's recorded numerous albums and regularly played live concerts.

During the early 90s he and Jerry Garcia shared a special musical and personal relationship as they spent many hours together, both in the studio and live on stage. The studio work was unique in that they would often gather at David's home recording studio, which resulted in a peaceful, relaxed environment which was very conducive to making good music. Here they recorded a wide variety of acoustic music including traditional American folk music, bluegrass, and even Miles Davis. So What on acoustic guitar and mandolin is different, but still very engaging.

The interview covers the basic history of how Jerry and David met, their time in Old and in the Way and how they got back together again in the late 80s. Grisman also chats a bit about starting his own record label and has a few comments on the current musical scene. Definitely worth checking out!

"And keep it on!" Pigpen, 1945-1973

Posted by mike 3:18 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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I guess Martha Stewart, now convicted of a relatively minor, victimless crime, has a greater appreciation for this Bob Dylan quote:

Steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king.

Here's some good advice, from the Beatles song that shares a title with this posting:

Hold your head up you silly girl, look what you've done. When you find yourself in the thick of it ...

But really, where's the justice when one thinks of the true crimes committed by Ken Lay and the utter lack of punishment he's likely to face? Hmm, Martha, uppity democrat; Ken, upstanding republican. You do the math. And don't forget to vote this fall.

Posted by mike 11:56 PM | Comments/Permalink (2)
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I've previously written about humorous faux-blogs, including one from North Korea's Kim Jong; now comes one of the first blogs from a galactic traveler.

Posted by mike 6:48 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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"If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable." -Seneca

"If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." -George Harrison, Any Road

Interesting, thought-provoking perspectives on two very different approaches to life. BTW, I haven't heard the whole album, but Any Road, one of George's last recorded pieces, is an excellent song.

Posted by mike 11:44 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
Categories: Music | Quotes | Tags: | top of page

After a couple of hours effort last night my archive templates now all validate as either XHTML 1.0 strict or XHTML 1.1. That's not to say all the content validates, however. The main page, permalinks and monthly archives created after 1 March 2004 should validate. Category archives mostly don't validate, as they have older, non-valid content lurking within. Same for older monthly archives and permalinks. Someday ...

I was able to specify my permalinks as XHTML 1.1 as they don't use the anchors that the other pages use (see prior post regarding "ids" and "names"); that was cool.

Oh, and pitfalls to validation? Data sources that you don't completely control. Both the history and random quote function rely on data that isn't completely encoded as required by the XHTML specs. Hence, occasional random failures to validate. I suppose there's probably an MT plugin out there that will cleanse this input, but that's gonna have to wait a bit.

This situation certainly brings to mind the late, great Jon Postel's famous quote: Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send.

Posted by mike 6:47 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
Categories: Blogging | History | Quotes | Technology | Tags: | top of page

In what turned out to be a relatively painless exercise, I made this site validate against the XHTML 1.0 strict specification. Though I started out with over 500 errors, many of them were unclosed img and br statements. There were a few missing paragraph statements, and that was about it. I hadn't realized I was so close to having a valid site; I just thought I'd fix a few obvious flaws and get a sense of the extent of the problem when I started out yesterday afternoon. By evening, the site was validating!

But, there's one very frustrating thing left. I can't claim XHTML 1.1 compliance. That's due to how MovableType refers to articles within a page. The system uses anchors, implemented using "name", which has been replaced by "id". I could cope with that, but "ids" cannot begin with a numeral, as MT article ids do, so there is no obvious, quick, transparent fix.

The archives and permalinks still don't validate, but their time is coming. I'm next going to work on making the permalink template validate and after that turn my attention to the date and category archives, in that order. I don't know that I'll ever get a chance to go through my oldest content and make it validate, but having all content from now on validate is a good thing.

Posted by mike 7:50 PM | Comments/Permalink (0)
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