Baking Bread
So, it turns out this never posted after I wrote it last October. In my defense, it was right before I came home, so my focus was probably elsewhere. Anyway, I think it's a cool post (who doesn't want to look at fresh bread), so I'm publishing it now as a teaser while a write a new post.
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On October 2, 2017, I went to Peguche to make bread with some of my contacts. One of the women made a doll for me and a horse for Doug out of bread, which is something they normally do for a festival on November 2. Maybe I'll be there for it next year!
Each woman prepared a large basin with dough in the morning, then let it rise all day. They come together for a minga to form the bread into shapes (after kneading more pig fat into it) and bake it.
They don't use bread pans like we're used to, but instead, form the bread into shapes (bagel-like, pretty twisted bagel-like which I found impossible, braids which I could do, snails/cinnamon rolls, hearts, empanadas, etc) and bake them on cookie sheets. I'd wager they baked roughly 10 trays, holding 16-20 beads each, simultaneously in the giant brick oven. The daughters and I formed the bread, while the parents baked it and tended the oven (which is why I have to guess about the baking). They keep track of which batch belongs to which person, as the bread will go home with that woman for her family.
Based on the amount we made, I thought they must be making bread for a special occasion, like a wedding. Imagine my surprise when they told me this was for each family's consumption and would (only) last about a week and a half!
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On October 2, 2017, I went to Peguche to make bread with some of my contacts. One of the women made a doll for me and a horse for Doug out of bread, which is something they normally do for a festival on November 2. Maybe I'll be there for it next year!
Each woman prepared a large basin with dough in the morning, then let it rise all day. They come together for a minga to form the bread into shapes (after kneading more pig fat into it) and bake it.
They don't use bread pans like we're used to, but instead, form the bread into shapes (bagel-like, pretty twisted bagel-like which I found impossible, braids which I could do, snails/cinnamon rolls, hearts, empanadas, etc) and bake them on cookie sheets. I'd wager they baked roughly 10 trays, holding 16-20 beads each, simultaneously in the giant brick oven. The daughters and I formed the bread, while the parents baked it and tended the oven (which is why I have to guess about the baking). They keep track of which batch belongs to which person, as the bread will go home with that woman for her family.
Based on the amount we made, I thought they must be making bread for a special occasion, like a wedding. Imagine my surprise when they told me this was for each family's consumption and would (only) last about a week and a half!
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