A chance discussion led to this.
A trip down to that fabulous Italian grocery store, Laurenzo's, a week ago to pick up more durum flour. 20 lbs. in three buckets, because a 50 lb. bag is just way out of my league.
The owner asked if I was making pasta. No, bread. After some shop talk and few snapshots, he said that his dad would love some of the sesame semolina. Could I bake some for him? Why, yes. And I added an olive levain to boot, just for fun.
And it was fun to schedule the two breads as overlapping projects. Both baked this morning. The olive dough sheds nary a film of moisture onto the couche, so I shaped and couched them last night and baked them first thing this morning. Once the couche was dry I then did the same with the still bulk semolina dough. Having only one official couche, I decided to plan the activities with just that one linen.
And another thing. Recently there was lively discussion on TFL about what is an "Italian bread" with different camps of thought coming from folks here. While I had his ear last week, I asked David what he thought an "Italian bread" was and his reply was "whatever you grew up eating".
After delivering these to David he thanked me with a few articles from his store that are too generous to mention. Let me just say that it was an uneven barter.
Comments
bread would be freaked out by the baguettes:-) Still, bet he is happy as could be none the less!.
Well done as usual Alan and happy baking!
is in his 80's and he still shows up for work every day. Although I love being in the "retirement business" so to speak, I have to respect his dedication and attachment to his life's work. He surely did seem appreciative.
Lucky to get such great bread.
Leslie
It was my "luck" to get into this random conversation last week, which kicked off the whole enterprise. I grew up in NY where there are a boatload of Italian grocers. In my own county here there is a small chain of upscale very nice Italian supermarkets. But this place seems to be a one-of-a-kind. The real thing in my book. We came across it a little more than a year ago on a field trip to some ethnic supermarkets in Miami.
often leads to to something more! Wish we had something like that here, but we are just a very small community so must be grateful for the stores we do have.
Happy baking Alfanso! look forward to more of your wonderful breads
Leslie
Those are amazing as usual. I don't know how you keep putting out such gorgeous baguettes!
Need I preach to the choir, but practice is the key. Again, this is my "specialty", so I wouldn't test my skills or knowledge vs. the great array of long-in-the-tooth contributors here. I prosper in my little corner on Isle TFL, I guess.
thanks, alan
Those are some beauties!
What a great per-chance opportunity. I would feel so honored to have the chance to bake some bread for someone like this. I'm sure they were very happy with the trade.
Regards,
Ian
but I don't know if honored is the correct word. A very easy-going casual set of conversations, and a really nice staff from the few people I spoke with. I'd initially suggested that he look through some of my blog entries to see if there was anything other than the semolinas that tickled his fancy. And I know that he did, because he sent back a request for them with the blog entry Subject wording.
I'm approaching the curmudgeonly stage of life, heck I've been a card carrying member for a few years now, and I've never been good at or interested in "how's the weather" types of conversation. So if David had not provided the simple opening salvo, I'd have nothing to have reported here.
Thanks, alan
Great bake Alan.
I'm sure the recipients were very pleased!
Happy baking :)
Really good people too. Thanks, alan
And an even greater story! I also made some great friends over of these "random" conversations.
P.S. Have you seen granno cotto and/or millefiori (for Pastiera) in those Italian supermarkets?
so I can easily bypass the refrigerated display case with all of these goodies in them. Outside of a few standards, they are like foreign objects to me, and I had to look these up. The closest I've come to the grano cotto is a standard ricotta cheese cake, which retains some graininess to it. As far as millefiori, it seems to be some type of liquid aromatic for desserts. So, no, never came across that one either.
Italy is, by and large, divided up into 20 regions each with their own unique historical take on foods and culture. And as I learned a number of years ago, what is available in one region may not even have been heard of in the neighboring region.
A lot of the immigrants to the USA from Italy came during the great immigration starting around the cusp of the 20th century. And a large portion of those immigrants to NY and then far beyond were from the southern regions of Italy, many from the general area of Naples. Being brought up in NY my exposure to "Italian food" (as if there really is such a specific thing - re: what I earlier mentioned), was the standard "red sauce" types of plates. And so the same may well be true of desserts. Or maybe I just plain never noticed them in the showcase before!
Thanks, alan
Not a dessert guy! Next you'll be telling me you don't like chocolate or cheese....then I'll have to take you out of my will!
oreos, cheesecake and lots more. But I have my limits on what I don't really like. Flaky desserts (more for breakfast or an afternoon coffee), and just about anything cream or goo filled are off my list, along with a host of others. And keep the peach cobbler to yourself, please!
Thanks for clarifying that :).
I'm not a big cooked fruit kind of guy and don't like pies unless they have chocolate or cream in them. Oh wait, I do love a pecan pie though :0.