Skip to main content

Featured Post

Now blogging over at Onemanmanyplans.com.au

It's been real, thanks Blogger! Hey thanks for checking out this page! After 10 years of posting here and over 600 posts, it's time to try something new at over possibly greener pastures. Which means you can now find me and all my random adventuring ways over at One Man Many Plans . 

Give us our daily bread, cheap!

In no particular order I love the occasional small punt (aka wager), bargain and food.
So when rummaging around some garage sales recently and stumbling across a dusty bread maker with a measly $5 price tag on it, you could just imagine how happy I was to tick all of that like a ready to go Trifecta...

Sadly the original pic seems to have been lost to the sands of internet time but it looked roughly like this one.

Now there was the chance it didn't work or it might set the house on fire or turn dough into bulletproof bricks...but hey, it was only costing me a fiver so why not? A bargain bread machine!

While the owners couldn't find the instructions that went with it, I was still happy to throw it in the boot and garage sale hunt some more - visions of exotic spiced breads from far off lands served on a silver platter by veiled beauties dancing in my head.

This wasn't what I meant..

Sadly in preparation for the great bake test of 2012, the local IGA supermarket had a dizzying choice of whole meal mix or whole meal mix. No Spanish onion and tequila slice tonight! Still, for testing purposes whole meal would have to suffice.

So we set best bread maker aka El Breadmakero (it's new name) in the kitchen and when it lit up, so did my enthusiasm - already off to a great start! It wouldn't before we would be snaking on Barecove Raddler and lime loaf!
My wife put in the first mix, pressed the button to start kneading it... nothing. The time began to count down but the ingredients stood there stunned like a tasered rioter.

Completely unfazed, she took out the ingredients and took over the kneading herself, popped the dough back in and with a quick prayer to the Bakeoff the god of baking, pressed the button - shazam the mixer came alive! We'd be having super-kneaded Bolivian Moscato and geese bread before you know it!

After the mixing then came the heating and for a change the house was filled with the smell of something not getting burnt severely. Chocolate and salami croissant anyone? That could soon be a possibility!

Over time the loaf the wife built started to rise and I've never been so excited over a loaf of whole meal ever before in my life. Well it was probably more so over the fact that soon I'd be able to whip up some potato and stroganoff bread for when the Russian mafia came calling - just like mama used to make before she went out to break some legs.

Finally it was time and with the aid of a can of WD40 and an engine hoist, she levered the block right out of that pan. It looked crusty, smelt divine and was ready to devour. First this and then some Cointreau and cucumber ciabatta, possibly!

After tasting, my notes read like this: 

Tasted like hot whole meal.

And while I was tucking into my first slice, there was a knock at the door and the Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard came in to award my wife an order of Australia for services to baking.

'Smells good in here!'


Success, my cheap gamble on a 2nd hand bread maker (I think it was a Samsung Bread Maker, my mind is a little fuzzy nowadays) payed off in droves.
 
Now, does anyone have a recipe for Mongolian battle monk whiskey focaccia?

Comments

Popular Posts