Desert Messenger

10 www.DesertMessenger.com June 14, 2017 Traveling with Gypsy Jane by Jane Finley (1936-2017) The Great Bread-making fi asco 11/08/09 Quartzsite, AZ THRIFT STORE Benefitting the La Paz County Animal Shelter in Parker Supported by your generous donations! 455 E. Main St. Quartzsite Open Tues. thru Sat. 9-3 928-927-4223 Quartzsite Beauty Salon Perms, Colors, Haircuts. Men & Women HOURS 9-5 Monday thru Saturday Walk Ins Welcome! 250 E. Main Street Quartzsite, AZ 928-927-6664 LAST NIGHT IT FELT LIKE SPRING Last night it felt like spring. I don't know why, exactly, for the February cold lingered on, but there was a kind of newness in the air, a hint of new beginnings. The chorus of birds fl ocking around the bird feeder and the rabbits hopping, pausing, hopping again added to the feeling. In my rocker on the porch, I sat quietly, eyes closed, breathing in, breathing out like Thich Nhat Hanh says to do, and I felt the tranquility of this place. Peace seeped in. I sat for a while then, just being, watching the mountains change from pink to gray and darker still, absorbing the wonder of it all… experiencing bliss. Quartzsite, Arizona (2/21/11) ~ Gypsy Jane Finley Poems from the Road THE GREAT BREAD-MAKING FIAS- CO.....Quartzsite, Arizona (11/8/09) (dedicated to Charlie Campbell, my bread-making guru) I had been considering taking up mak- ing bread again -- ever since my friend Charlie talked about his bread-baking machine in his emails. In my mind (but not to Charlie), I pooh-poohed bread- making machines as too easy and miss- ing the benefi ts of baking bread from scratch, especially venting one's frus- trations by kneading the dough. I baked bread from scratch years ago and was eventually able to make bread without a recipe -- just doing it by feel and throw- ing in all sorts of different fl ours. But baking bread from scratch just ain't happenin' now: all that fl our, all that time, all that mess, all that clean- ing up. Even though baking bread in an conventional oven sends a tantaliz- ing aroma through the air, the bread machine won out. When I accidentally walked into the Parker Senior Center rummage sale, I knew it was meant to be. There it was: a bread machine with a sign that said $10. Without prompting, the woman said, "But I'll take $8.00." When asked, she assured me it had only been used a couple of times. Being a life-long rummage sale per- son, I said, "Don't sell it yet and walked around the rest of the tables," but I knew I WANTED that bread machine. I sidled nonchalantly back over and went through my wallet. When I asked why she was selling it, she said she had two. "Well, I've got a $5.00 bill, or I can write a check for $8.00." SOLD for $5.00 -- just the machine; no instruc- tion booklet. I could hardly wait to get home to email Charlie about my good fortune and to ask for his healthiest bread rec- ipe. Meanwhile, I found a basic bread recipe on the internet; so I made that. The recipe was pretty explicit: a list of ingredients and step-by-step instruc- tions as to what to put in the bread ma- chine and in what order. The instruc- tions even told me what to do if I wasn't sure my yeast from last year was still active. It wasn't, but fortunately I had the foresight to purchase some bread- machine yeast on sale. I also used up all my old fl our (oat, soy, whole wheat, and millet). So, with all the ingredients in the bread ma- chine, I accepted the challenge to op- erate it without instructions -- a REAL challenge for a right-brain person. (Al- though a woman alone in this day and age better learn some left-brain tech- niques pronto.) I repeated to myself: "Remain calm and read," which is ex- actly the same advice I give people who have trouble with computers. Surprise, surprise! It was FUN! I looked at the dial and pushed the select button several times until it reached "whole wheat." Then I pushed the up and down arrows above light and dark. Lastly I pushed the start button, and it worked! Joy of joys! The machine is so smart it not only tells you how much time is left before the bread is done but when it's kneading, resting, rising, and baking. After about three hours of wait- ing impatiently, I reaped my reward of a thick slice of hot bread slathered with butter. HEAVEN! Right then and there I vowed never to eat store-bought (or even bakery) bread again: no additives, no artifi cal anything -- just wholesome, healthy goodness for as long as you can make it last. The bread was delicious though a bit dense. When I compared my recipe to Charlie's, I discovered mine had no oil. All the other recipes I checked had oil too. Soooooooo, I made Charlie's recipe yesterday, and that's where the title of this story comes in. I noticed his called for more fl our, and since my last loaf did not fi ll the pan, I fi gured I was safe. WRONG! Even before the dough reached the "rising" phase, it was near- ing the top of the container. I spent a rather anxious couple of hours peeking inside as the bread approached the top of the pan, nearing the lid. Maybe that's why the bread sank in the middle. Then I smelled a burning smell and smoke was coming out of the machine. I per- severed, keeping my fi re extinguisher handy. I thought even if the bread turns out, the smell of smoke would have per- meated the whole loaf. Finally the bread was done, but when I went to grab the handle, it was stuck to the side with baked on dough. I broke off the top crust and pryed the handle up. As I removed the bread from the machine, I noticed a big burn spot inside the machine and more burned bread on the outside of the baking con- tainer. To get the bread out of the pan, I had to break off the crust all around the top. I sliced a piece off the "good" end -- the end that hadn't sunk. It was OK; actually it was better than OK. It was delicious: lighter than my previous loaf and best of all no burn smell. So I chalked it all up to a learning experience. I bought three bags of or- ganic, whole-wheat fl our on sale; so I'm defi nitely into bread making. I'm going to look for different kinds of fl our too. Apparently, from my recent experi- ence, it is hard to go wrong when mak- ing bread! And now that I am an expe- rienced bread maker, I think I'll try a green chili and cheese next. I'm sure it will be absolutely PERFECT! The fact is that it takes more than ingredients and technique to cook a good meal. A good cook puts something of themselves into the preparation and cooks with enjoyment, anticipation, spontaneity, and a willingness to experiment. ~ Pearl Barley......oops! I mean Pearl Bailey (1918 - 1990)

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