Good bread is hard to find

This is what started it all

La Tanda on Nueva España

Jaluco cruzeiro no-name bakery  

We went into Cihuatlan to buy Yare's new school uniforms and couldn't go without doing some serious shopping at Bodega. I noticed these sandwiches, they looked very fresh, were loaded and were only 14 pesos. Best part is the bread. Crispy crust, not soft and almost soggy like the typical bolillo.

I started asking around and some said there was a good bakery at the old Barra Casino. Nobody in Barra knew of a Casino let alone an old one, Glen then remembered there used to be a Casino in the strip mall on the road to Barra. I dropped by and nothing there. Someone finally popped up and said there was a good bakery on Nueva España just past the cell tower. There is one there but it's more like 7 blocks past the cell tower on the right. I talked to the guy and tried one of their banana breads. He also said nothing they make is crunchy and much of it frozen. Maybe some day because they have a good selection.

I asked again where the old Casino was on a message board and someone finally said at the Jaluco cruzeiro in that rather run down large building on the corner. So it wasn't in Barra at all but definitely in Jaluco. Stopped there today and they said only open Mon, Wend, and Fri. Someone suggested don't go before 10 because they are still baking, 

What to do with a rainy week

Make Bread

We've had clouds like these for the last 4-5 days with rain off and on. Hurricane Dolores passed well offshore but we got a little before and after weather from her. Working in the yard is not a lot of fun when everything is wet and there definitely is no painting or sealing the roofs. Last night we may have had the most rain and Melaque had it's normal flooded streets this morning. Took Yari into town for her next years school fotos along with a bunch more shopping.

Our rain clouds

Sitting in front of Foto Geity 

Followed a Ciabatta recipe

Really the best bread yet although a little moist/heavy inside. I even made a sour dough starter the day before which didn't get very sour so neither was the bread. This was a no-knead process that only took 4-5 hours rather than overnight like most others. I fed the starter after using some and it looks like what was described. I tried a little sour no-sugar yogurt to see if that will help

Rain and buggy bread

That really looks like rain to me but stick your head outside and it's a high overcast. What is over us now is not connected to Invest 98E further south which has a 90% chance of becoming a Tropical Storm latter today or tomorrow. The Eastern Pacific's last named storm was Ela but it ended up near Hawaii so we didn't notice it. Another storm using the letter D must have done the same thing. Guess that means this next storm will begin with an F.

According to the Weather Underground I am wrong about the names. There may be a Central Pacific area with a different set of names.

Tropical Depression Five-E formed Saturday morning and is currently located about 265 miles south-southeast of Acapulco, Mexico.

Tropical Depression Five-E is expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Dolores possibly as soon as later Saturday and may strengthen into a hurricane next week.

On my last bread excursion I noticed little black specs in the wet flour and I picked them out as I saw them. Never saw any in the dry flour. Just in case this time I decided to sift the flour from a new bag and sifting is probably a good idea anyway. Sure enough at the bottom of each sift were 10 to 15 of these little critters and most were moving. Google "bugs in flour" and I found it's rather common and are called Weevils and Mites. They could have been in the flour at the store because I seem to remember a tiny flour leak when I bought them. 

On the other hand something was eating my Faba/Fava and Garbanzo/Guasanas beans a few months ago. I'd see little holes in the beans and powder in the bottom of the bag. Anything kept in plastic containers seems immune but plastic bags don't stop them.

My flour Mites

BTW - this try was another brick

I can finally call this bread

I spent the last 3-4 days with unsuccessful attempts to make bread. Wanted to stick with it rather than quit for a month like the last go round so decided on a totally new recipe. The main difference with this one was they said a packet of yeast rather than 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon like others. Still I had to almost double the amount of flower which I should have done with the others. Is it the temperature or humidity that make all bread recipes not work here ??

I'll spare you all the flat, wet piles of dough that didn't work and will only post the foto below that looks very much like Artisan no-knead bread I was trying for. Attractive but hard as a brick like my previous two.

The new recipe called for milk, I used yogurt ..... and shortening, I used olive oil. Also sugar and butter to butter the pans. A little fancier than Artisan bread that just uses flour, salt, yeast and water but I had to try something new. Anyway after adding about twice the called for amount of flower I could finally handle it and let it rise in a bowl. Then punch it down and knead it for 5 minutes. Divide it in two and put it in two buttered pans and let rise again. Pop into preheated oven at 375 for about 40 minutes. Not exactly Artisan/French bread style but still very good and I have one success to my name.

Attractive bricks

First rise

Left to rise in buttered pans

They have risen

Just out of the oven

Both I and neighbors were impressed

Real good with my home made humus

Another bread adventure

I started this batch late in the morning so I could put it away until tomorrow morning. A couple things surprised me and the first was only a 1/4 teaspoon of yeast for 3 cups of flour. The other was using plastic wrap. It's been years since I've used a brand like Saran Wrap so no idea how easy it was to handle. All I know now is you can not pull out how many inches and cut it with scissors or expect the builtin cutter to work. After 3 to 4 tries that ended up in balls on the kitchen floor .... I finally figured out if you "glue" one end you can pull the roll over it's target and cut after it's in place. I assume problems come from an inexpensive process of manufacturing this plastic. I considered just using a plastic bag of which I have millions but air-tight might make a difference.

Only me emotionally

Of course one was not wide enough

I'll check on this first thing in the morning and continue

Many bread recipes use a dutch oven to bake and I've never seen an all metal heavy pot in this area. I imagine in Manzanillo but I seldom go there any more. I picked up this pressure cooker for nothing at the going out of business sale of CocoCabanas restaurant on Playa de Cocos. Even though I cleaned it and checked the valves I've never used one before and would prefer using a new one as a first experience. It's heavy aluminum and a good size so I figured if I removed all the plastic and rubber it just might work. It looked pretty tired and I was amazed at how well it cleaned up.

The removed parts

Only metal left

Lets make some bread

I've been working on this for a couple days and the first try was embarrassing, the second was a lesson and the third was decent but needs a lot of improvement. Talking while making attempts would have been like a certain woman in Melaque telling everyone she was quitting smoking and then she couldn't quit. Better just work on quitting and talk about it later. So I made some bread and quit smoking ;)

So the first one didn't rise and I have no idea. The second was way too wet and didn't rise much but it did make a couple of bricks. The third try was a lot drier, rose a lot and resembled a loaf of bread. What I found was parchment paper is heat resistant but not moisture resistant. The paper tears easily when damp and it stuck to the bottom of the loafs. So I'm thinking it's almost a moisture guide for the dough. Maybe an oiled pan but the paper makes it easy to transfer to the oven. Also think my old oven's temperature does not match the dial. A little hotter next time.

It's hard finding the right utensils and materials to work with in Melaque. I'm sure Manzanillo would offer more choices but I'll make do for now. I bought some plastic wrap and it was thinner than thin and totally stuck to itself. I had to throw it out and use a plastic bag. Can't find a good rubber/plastic spatula. No heavy all metal cookware. Pyrex like glass ware are all the wrong shape and size. My local small store had that bread knife and I think she sold it to me for 20 pesos because she'd had it for years and couldn't get rid of it.

Time to take a break for a couple days, maybe look for a few more things in Cihuatlan and try for a drier dough soon. Also need to find some yeast or levadura. I didn't bring a lot down from Seattle. Does corn meal exist here .... we'll see.

My bricks

Just mixed

Rise after 2 hours

Very edible with olive oil and balsamic vinegar 

More of my neighbors cooking

A few days ago my neighbor asked if she could use my oven (horno) and I assumed theirs didn't work or they didn't have one.   Many people use just a cook-top and don't have a full stove.  I told her sure but I haven't used it so unsure if it works (used stove).

Yesterday they wanted to bake a pastel or a cake .... and by her description it sounded like a sponge cake with a lot of other things thrown in.

They brought over a big metal pot covered with aluminium foil and I didn't really look inside.  I asked if they knew at what temperature and for how long and I assume they guessed at 200 for 45 minutes.   The oven did work and about an hour later they came back to check, decided it was good and time to pour the "agua" over it.  The "agua" consisted of sugar, Jamaica (hibiscus), cinnamon and maybe more.   Then back in the oven for another 20+ minutes.

When it came out and we tasted it I got a better description.   Toasted bread, tortas or maybe even tortillas ... anything bread like.  Fruit, raisins, coconut and nuts.   The "agua" was to give it flavor beyond sweet and keep it moist.   This morning I thought of "bread pudding", looked it up on the Internet and that's exactly what it was.   Recipes call for a preheated oven at 350 ... but my oven only goes to 305.   We must be on the metric system here and maybe 200 was correct.   Anyway it was good, I got a big plate and they enough to feed a large family.   Had to borrow the foto as my camera does not do well in low light.

11 Ton Three Kings Bread - Mexico City

A huge, 11-tonne (10,000 kg) bread was readied Sunday for the traditional Magi party that sees thousands of Mexican families coming together to celebrate with food and gifts for children.

"This event is important ... we will not lose our traditions" that unite families, said Laura Vazquez, Mexico's secretary for economic development.

A central part of the celebration of the nativity's Three Wise Men -- described in the Bible as bringing presents to the newborn Jesus Christ -- revolves around baking and eating La Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings Bread), a sweet, dry delicacy.

The bread in question, unveiled in all its glory at the central Zocalo square in Mexico City, is about 1,600 meters (one mile) long, and weighs close to 11 tonnes (10,000 kilograms).

It will be shared between some 200,000 people gathered to celebrate in the city center.

Around 2,300 bakers affiliated to the national baker's association (Canainpa) helped bake the bread.

In all, the sweet bread used seven tonnes (6,600 kg) of flour, 3.3 tonnes (3,000 kg) of butter and 396 gallons (1,500 liters) of milk, according to Canainpa head Antonio Arias.

Families in Mexico and throughout Latin America celebrate the Epiphany on January 6, remembering the day when the Three Wise Men following the star to Bethlehem arrived bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the Baby Jesus.