Sigh, heavy sigh. I have been taken to gentle task by my lovely pal ‘Mouse for not sharing the results of my weekend ExpoFestoRama of Baking. And here I thought that if I just kept quietly, discreetly mum, it would all be forgotten about. That’ll teach me.
The plan was simple. Two loaves of brioche. Four white sandwich loaves, milk-and-butter white bread, two loaves enriched with eggs, two loaves without. Apple-cranberry-ginger pie, the recipe a gift from the aforementioned lovely ‘Mouse. The pie recipe was straightforward, the breads were all breads I’ve made before, and could make under general anesthesia.
It is good to be reminded that no matter how skilled you think you are, in the end, your ingredients and your equipment call the day, and if you forget that, they will kick your ass.
The white eggless dough, stiff in the best circumstances, this time was too stiff to shape properly. I didn’t even try to bake it. I just knew. The brioche was perfect, or would have been had I not tried to bake them in clay pans that weren’t quite seasoned enough. They’re still very nice, if a little misshapen, and they taste and smell gorgeous, like Normandy butter, but they have no bottom crusts. They look forlorn and apologetic, kind of like I sound now, I guess.
Fortunately, I had better luck with the white-with-eggs loaves and the pie. ‘Mouse, it’s wonderful pie. And yes, next time I’ll do it your way. 
