Quote Originally Posted by ZenSojourner View Post
Arrrgh, Bleeker!

NO BAKING POWDER! I threw mine out awhile ago because it was too old.

I MEANT to get some more.

*grump grump grump*
and
Ok, so I finally got around to ordering the breadmaking books suggested here.

What I REALLY want is crusty french baguettes! Hope there's a recipe in one of those books for that.
I'm bit confused now. Ar ya' lookin' for a sodabread? or ar ya' lookin' for a baguette?

For a sodabread, you need acid to make the bread rise. So if you are planning to use baking soda (sodium bicarb), you need to use either buttermilk or milk + TBS of vinegar or ... You need some kind of acid no matter what with soda bread.

soda bread as baugettes. now that's interesting...

Oh for a crusty baugettes, you get that effect with steam in the oven as it's baking. The trick provided in the book that really works is the pan of boiling water underneath (on a lower rack) the pan where the bread is baking. water can not touch the pan. Isn't pan also Spanish for bread??

smilingcat