I picked up MEDIOCRE: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeolma Oluo assuming it was, like Pedigree, about how our meritocracy enables mediocrities with the “right” credential to beat out more talented people (see also the glass floor). Instead it’s a big-picture look at how much of our schools, workplaces and government offices were formed with an eye to affirming and defending white male supremacy; this is relevant to the topic but not what I was looking for. Nor do I entirely buy that all the ways the system is rigged are designed with intent toward that end (this does not make them any less of a problem, of course)
When I picked up SIX THOUSAND YEARS OF BREAD: Its Holy and Unholy History I had a feeling from browsing that author HE Jacob might be one of those thinkers whose efforts to build a synthesis from multiple disparate parts would exceed his grasp. Still, it was a Friends of the Library sale so it was cheap — but I was correct about the book. Jacob offers dubious speculation about Paleolithic bread-baking, historical information often barely related to the topic (there’s a lot of stuff about the Greek and Persian wars that has nothing to do with bread) and a lengthy discussion of what could have caused mass wafers to appear to bleed when broken. Cuisine and Empire covered bread in history better, and felt more reliable.
THE FALL OF CTHULHU OMNIBUS by Michael Alan Nelson collects several volumes I read years back, plus the conclusion which I was never able to find. The human protagonists discover cultists seeking to wake Cthulhu — not his worshippers, but followers of the god Nodens, who seeks to hunt the Old One down for sport. Nyarlathotep has his own agenda, as does the sinister Harlot of the Dreamlands. Does the human race stand a chance? I think this one’s excellent.
#SFWApro.
I was dubious because the book places heavy emphasis on sourdough, like the loaf in my photo. I like sourdough but not so much I’d make sourdough recipes a regular thing. That makes it feel pointless to go through the work of growing a starter, then keeping it around after I finish the initial bread — I may not make another sourdough for months and I don’t want to keep nursing the starter along. It would be different if I had a family of five to feed, but it’s mostly just me and there’s only so much bread I can eat a week.
—and ciabatta, though they came out smaller than I’d expected. Still, easy enough I might try it again when I’m having sandwiches.
Last weekend I made a peppery squash bread though with sweet potato instead, as I had some of that left over.
Last month I also checked a book, Bread Head out of the library. I’ve only gotten around to trying one recipe, a buckwheat flour sourdough banana bread, but it was most tasty.
I hope to try a couple more before I send the book back (I’ll give it an actual review then) but overall I don’t think it’s for me. The authors, Greg Wade and Rachel Hotlzman, are into sourdough starter big time. I like sourdough but not os much that it’s worth keeping a pot of starter around all the time. Still the book did serve as a useful reminder on things like checking water temperature for my breads — possibly that’s why the ciabatta came in undersized.
While rising too much can ruin the bread, that didn’t happen here. It came out with a golden crust—
And very, very tasty. It bonded tightly to the loaf pan but after I extracted the bread, the 
They were a fair amount of work; anything that involves making dough, rolling it out and then putting filling in it usually is. But they taste good and they’re very satisfying. About half of one makes a meal for me.
The past month I’ve been surprised how little I’ve been cooking, compared to usual. Not that I’m switching to junk food or takeout — fruit on cereal or yogurt, veggie sandwiches, scrambled eggs with this or that are all easy and they all provide me with healthy, or reasonably healthy, meals. Plus TYG’s been cooking for herself and I often wind up eating her leftovers
Wisp, meanwhile, has suddenly decided to sleep on the couch next to me or in my lap rather than on her pillow.
It’s almost like they’re living creatures who change their preferences rather than wind-up toys.
#SFWApro
Next weekend I’m going to try the book’s recipe for a raw apple pie — no baking, just a lot of chopping, mixing and pressing together. We’ll see how it goes.
The flavor was strong enough it would have worked better as a sandwich bread rather than just as toast. It also makes firm, solid slices for sandwiches; next time I plan some sort of fancy sandwich, I may make the bread again and see how it works.
It’s also the first time in over a year that we’ve had a chain restaurant maximal calorie dessert, the kahlua chocolate brownie.
Okay, that one was partially eaten when I photographed it.
— and no, that’s not two bagels on top of each other, it’s one loaf — and watched some TV. Plus petting dogs, Wisp, using the stationary bike and snuggling with TYG some.
