In Memory of the Rev. Peter Rood

...emakers he hosted book events for us. He collaborated with the Los Angeles Bread Bakers in building a community oven which became a place to gather for monthly bread and pizza parties. Peter had the same condition as Kelly and was very supportive during Kelly’s two open heart surgeries. He was a kind, creative and loving soul who will be greatly missed by so many people. I went though my photos to find pictures of Peter at work but he was always m...

Read…

That Time I Got Deplatformed

...time, but back in September of 2017 a Meetup group I ran, The Los Angeles Bread Bakers got booted off its payment system, a Paypal competitor called WePay (as of October 2017, owned by JPMorgan Chase). Mike of WePay’s Orwelian “Customer Delight” department sent me this astonishingly rude email: Mike (WePay Support) Sep 1, 2017 1:56 PM PDT Hi there, We apologize for the inconvenience, but WePay is no longer able to process payments for your accoun...

Read…

Saturday Linkages: Balloon Jumping, Front Yard Graves and a Poo Themed Restaurant

...deas on Dornob http://dornob.com/six-legged-caravan-gives-new-meaning-to-walking-home/ … Out of Stock: Simple & Easy-to-Assemble 3-Shelf Wall Set http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dornob/~3/WFfQM7iaKJg/story01.htm … Truck recycling? http://www.we2ours2.in/2013/10/truck-recycling.html … Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips and Bourbon http://www.nwedible.com/2013/10/pumpkin-bread-with-chocolate-chips-and-bourbon.html … Infuse Your Booze! A Complete Guid...

Read…

Hidey Holes and Hooch Hounds

A few years ago I had the great privilege of teaching bread classes in the Greystone mansion for the Institute of Domestic Technology. The mansion, located in Beverly Hills, was the most expensive home built in the 1920s. It was a gift from oil bazillionaire Edward Doheny to his son Ned Doheny. To put it mildly, things life did not go well for the family. The Doheny family almost brought down president Harding through their involvement in the Tea...

Read…

Choosing the Perfect Tortilla Press

...s. The last step is to heat them on the stove for one minute on each side. Making your own masa from scratch is much harder (I tried it once for tamales and found that it’s a job best outsourced). But you can bet I’ve bought my last supermarket corn tortilla. From now on they’ll be made in our own cast iron press. Update: One of the members of the LA Bread Bakers, Gloria, put her vote in for the traditional wood press. Cooks Illustrated Magazine a...

Read…