RBWells

I bake exclusively with sourdough starter for any bread but this is the simple one my kids call "the sourdough". For two loaves:

300 grams whole wheat flour

700 grams strong white flour

700 grams water

200 grams refreshed starter at about 100% hydration

20 grams nice sel gris

I don't knead it, just stretch and fold 4 times over 2 hours, bulk rise another 2-3 hours, split and bench rest half an hour, shape and refrigerate it overnight in bannetons covered with plastic bags. In the morning (or whenever you are ready the next day) heat oven to 475 F (about 245 for you civilized folk) with the two big cast iron dutch ovens inside, so that they get really hot. Remove dough from fridge, tip it onto parchment (so the bottom is now the top) and score, cold dough is so easy to score! Carefully move into pans, close them up and bake 25 minutes closed then 20-25 minutes open.

So it doesn't look well risen in the morning but putting cold dough into a hot closed cast iron pot generates steam, which is pretty much a slam dunk for good looking bread.

Absolute magic, I still don't understand how something so delicious is created from literally just flour, water, and a little salt.

Pausing dry July for one drink, streets are too flooded to get to yoga and it's been an eventful month.

1.5 oz bourbon (any whiskey would be good)

.75 oz Amaro Toscano (would not substitute another)

.75 lemon juice

Shake together then stir in

3 oz dry or sweet full flavored ginger beer (mine is home fermented, spicy and dry but a strong and sweet one would also work)

Really hitting the spot, the Toscana and ginger reminds me of gingerbread. An aperitif before supper then back to none for another week. Usually my one drink of July is historically on the 15th so made it an extra week!

This sounds delicious and right up my alley, but a Paloma is so simple and easy and perfect, and with only an oz of grapefruit soda I'm not sure this is even a Paloma variation.

From Punch.

I am making ginger beer this week and sort of dreaming about what to do with it after my Dry July. I don't have the minty Fernet, but may aquire it to try this.

Recipe is in the non alcoholic pinned post.

Funny looking but really good. Made a half batch of the Verdita syrup, my jalapeno was not spicy but I guess that's better than too spicy. Mojito Mint.

Next one I may use tepache, not tonic, and spicy it with some fire tincture. But it's very good.

I made today a pineapple margarita with mezcal, tequila, lime, and the fresh pineapple juice. One more day before I start Dry July and I would like a banger, this is good but not great.

Any suggestions for this weekend, also anything interesting and pineapple not alcoholic would also be most welcome. I am making tepache, but it's not done will make ginger beer, have mint in the garden, have tonic water, will probably buy some Chinotto soda too.

Apparently we were a bitter bunch in June!

This is delicious. Fruity, tart, round in flavor.

2oz cognac

1oz Giffard Abricot

1oz Heirloom Pineapple Amaro

1oz lemon (a little more than an ounce, lemon was juicy)

Shake everything, a coupe would be ideal but it's too hot now to have an outdoor drink without ice. I wouldn't make any substitutions or corrections so it should probably have a name, but I can't think of one. The cognac and apricot are French, the Amaro is American Hipster, the flavor smooth as hell, feel this should be easy but my brain is fried from work.

The rain lilies are happy, and I am enjoying the rain with a paper plane. So happy the rainy season has arrived at last.

What are y'all drinking?

Well, this was quite a journey but it's good.

I was going to have a margarita with our dinner of chicken and black bean enchiladas, oh no, used almost all the tequila making a batch of margarita and one of Paloma for memorial day. Ok, plug the gap with mezcal, the good one. Measure the juice from my measley lime, nope not enough, juice my last lime, well now it's too much but I don't want to waste it. So a smidge of simple. I'll be damned, it ended up very good but I do think it is because of the good mezcal.

1oz Tequila Ocho claro

1oz Del Maguey Chichicapa

1oz orange liqueur

1.25 oz lime

.25oz simple (1/1)

Punch has such good articles. Any Germans who can confirm this is a local drink? I've never heard of it. I particularly liked the line:

"The simplest cocktails have the smallest margin for error."