July 16, 2010
Streusel Rhubarb Bread
Filed under: The Black Arts
Click thumbnail for larger image.
So, like, I was bad yesterday. Really fucking bad. I had my pot of coffee (decaf, but that's okay since Papa's black ass has begun to appreciate the wide world of flavored coffee) but I didn't email anyone. I mean, I did, but I don't think the incomplete correspondence totaling five whole paragraphs still sitting in my drafts folder to my girl E really constitutes as "writing and replying to email".
I got off track before even starting. (Fuck, if you're going to do something, do it spectacularly?) I knew if I settled my ass in front of the computer and properly wrote in my diary I'd bleed my reservoir of concentration dry. So, instead, I split the rabbit skull images from the crow photos thinking I'd more or less scribble down an expletive-laden paragraph or two and finish off the exquisite piece of journaling - heh! - by stamping the entry with the skull photos.
Click thumbnail for larger image.
Yeah, I know, that didn't happen. I wrote the effing entry, got emotional, then Italics woke up, we got A LITTLE high (I was still under the false impression that I was actually going to manage tackling some email that day) but instead of turning my attention to my inbox, I tearfully regurgitated what I had just written to Italics and I ended up retiring early in front of the TV to watch a movie with him. ("IT'S ONLY TWO HOURS INTO MY DAY, I CAN TOTALLY RECOUP TIME AFTER WATCHING SOMETHING...")
Today I need to exercise more restraint, and the only way to do that is publish a picture (or two) that doesn't really require a bit of storytelling to put into context. An image that doesn't necessitate an explanation? Sounds like The Black Arts fodder to me...
Irene Sankey: "This tender bread from Irene Sankey of Stevens Point, Wisconsin has a sweet crunchy topping and great rhubarb taste. 'My family asks me to make it time and time again,' she comments."
INGREDIENTS: BREAD
* 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1 egg
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh or sliced frozen rhubarb
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
INGREDIENTS: TOPPING
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon cold butter
METHOD:
01.) In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar and oil. Add egg, mix well. Beat in buttermilk and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into brown sugar mixture just until combined. Fold in the rhubarb and nuts. Pour into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans.
02.) For topping, in a bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and butter until crumbly; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Cut with a serrated knife.
Things I've learned about working with a gluten-free flour mix: always use an extra egg (g-f flour sucks up moisture like you wouldn't believe), buttermilk always works a dream (it really helps the g-f flour remain super airy and light) and the best possible outcomes always involve a runny batter/dough (I've found that g-f flour HATES being physically worked into shapes, the less I fuss with it the better it rises and appears).
And the super best most awesome thing about gluten-free flour? It still makes damn good streusel. I might not be able to knead gluten-free flour to bake yeast-based bread, or create perfectly crispy buffalo wings (I'm still experimenting!) but, dammit, I can still enjoy my special quiet time that comes with the repetitive, rhythmic action of rubbing cold butter into flour, sugar and spices to make streusel topping. Therapeutic bliss.
