Creativity Bootcamp Day 2

Creativity Bootcamp Day 2
The theme is "picnic," and for me, picnics are rare these days. I would rather prep in my kitchen and grill in the back yard, then eat in the house while I enjoy the air conditioning and the absence of flying and crawling critters trying to eat me and share my feast.

Because so much of the work in doing a picnic is in the packing up of everything from salt and pepper to plates and napkins, and drinks to desserts, I prefer absolute simplicity. My preference is for a picnic of a bottle of wine or beer, a loaf of artisan bread, and some great cheese.
Originally, I had another plan, but it fell through because I forgot to get an essential part when we went grocery shopping this morning. DH and I make the trip to the commissary about every two weeks, and this time it was longer due to our not feeling well. ...Summer colds are the pits! Anyway, I had to give more thought to how I would tie "picnic" and recycling together in another way and make this one a quick project. What I came up with is bread. The recycled element is "bubba" my sourdough starter, and my whole grain, seeded experiment is rising as I type. What better for a picnic than hearty homemade bread, Boar's Head cheese, and a glass of American wine? In this first photo, I am trying out a new recipe that after an hour of "rising" looks like the dough has no back-bone at all. Just a glob of gooey dough. I took it from here and kneaded in more unbleached flour to increase gluten, and added in some honey to sweeten it up a little and give the yeastie beasties something to grow on, and after a good rise, it baked into a fine loaf.

Pairing it up with wine and cheese is all good, but another favorite recipe is a triumph truly fit for a picnic.

Recipe for picnic loaf:

1. Slice the boule in half horizontally. Scoop out the inner portion, leaving the crust walls about 3/4" think.
2. Brush the entire inner surface with plain or herbed olive oil.
3. Add filling below by spooning it in and packing it high so it will fill the upper part of the crust too.
4. Cap with top crust.
5. Wrap snuggly with foil.
6. Allow to "season" overnight in the refrigerator. Flavors will blend and enhance.
7. The following day, carefully unwrap and cut into wedges, being careful to preserve the shape and contents.
8. Re-wrap and its ready for the picnic!

Filling:

• scramble one dozen eggs (depends on the size of your boule)
• add shredded cheese as desired
• add seasonings as desired
• in pan, saute diced onions, bell peppers, and garlic. You can also add diced ham , bacon, or sausage if you want a meat.
• stir the egg mixture into the other ingredients and cook til set.

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