Bread & Tulips

On Tuesday off to Polesden Lacey, in an attempt to see their tulip fesitval, just about a year since the last such (see May 2nd 2012 in the other place) and just about six months since the last visit (see 11th November). Arrived to find that there had been a lot of daffodils, now more or less over, but that the tulip festival had gone awol. There were some handsome tulips, particularly around the house, but the massed ranks were missing and their beds were empty. Perusal of the festival site (http://www.dejager.co.uk/) suggests that the sponsors have pulled the plug on freebie tulips for stately home down south, in favour of dahlias up north.

On the other hand it was a very warm and balmy spring day, so we ensconced ourselves in a couple of deck chairs on the south lawn, the one sloping down towards the wooded valley, and we both promptly fell asleep for an hour or so. For long enough that I started to worry about sunburn when I woke up. Snooze followed by lunch. Main course rather full of some Paxo like quantity and the Bakewell slice not much like a Bakewell tart - but it did have far too much white icing on top. But reasonable value at £20 for 2.

Then yesterday, revolution on the bread front. BH has been cooking our pizzas on a flat baking stone for some time now, stone baking been strongly advocated in some quarters. So I thought I would try doing bread on a stone. Had to go for half quantities as an unenclosed one pound loaf would occupy a stone. The other loaf went in a pyrex baking dish, maybe a foot square and an inch and a half deep and usually used for spare rib under potato bake. The stone loaf turned out large, slightly leathery crust and very light crumb. Very good it was too, bringing to mind the superb wholemeal loaves of much the same size and shape which I used to buy in Gerrard Street, before the bakery in question became a Chinese restaurant. This loaf did one sitting for one person. The pyrex loaf was rather smaller and was not quite as good. Not at all clear to me why stone should make such a difference and why stone should be different to pyrex: the increased amount of yeast did not seem to make any difference to the rising so I don't think it was that.

The problem now being that while the stone loaf was good, the stones are quite dear and even if one had two of the things one would only be baking 2lbs of bread on stones at a time rather than 4lbs in tins, which would take one to near daily baking, which is too often even for an enthusiast of my water. Much thought clearly needed.

Will I invest in a new stone? How much will I care if it does not match the one we have? I am rather tidy minded about such things and I would certainly be much happier with a match than without. Professor Google suggests that there is a whole world of cooking stones out there, including oven to table stones for the smarter presentation of your cooked meat.

PS: the owls are back. For two nights this week we have heard owls, the first time for some while.