Atar the Baker

[Who2]

Went to the 'dark-side today shopping, popped into Atar's when back on the 'bright-side.
Now his bread the last few months, if one de-thaws a loaf and cuts it, the crust comes off the bread.
Has anyone experienced this phenomena ?
I took out another loaf out months old de-thawed it, fresh as a daisy no problems.
I know other people are having similar problems on his white 'bloomers, I sadly could not explain to him the problem.
Anybody else want to try if your experiencing the same problem. 'Cheers….
Ps: I believe an important General is visiting today, clean streets & lots of 'coppers...

[HEPZIBAH]

De-thaw? Is that refreezing?

[Who2]

No that's defrosting after one takes it out of the freezer them having been frozen within 2 hours of baking. Only frozen once….

[HEPZIBAH]

So what is de-thawing?

[Scottishtourist]

For God's sake Hepzibah!
You're like a dog with a bloomin bone!

I think we can all assume that Who2 means he has taken a loaf outa his freezer and de-frosted it!
He's thawed the bloody thing out!

Jeez oh!Stop being so pedantic!

[BBLUX]

Ps: I believe an important General is visiting today, clean streets & lots of 'coppers...

Two government ministers, several Ambassadors and a whole bunch of other important people

[HEPZIBAH]

For God's sake Hepzibah!
You're like a dog with a bloomin bone!

I think we can all assume that Who2 means he has taken a loaf outa his freezer and de-frosted it!
He's thawed the bloody thing out!

Jeez oh!Stop being so pedantic!

Genuine question asked in good faith. A word has been used that I'm obviously not familiar with and my definition has been refuted - which leaves me wondering what the original word means.

Suggest you go do your mithering elsewhere, or go and get your head stuck in a some trashy novel.

[Nwilliams]

does anyone have a recipe to make Egyptian bread the ones you buy on street corners looks like a cob I loved when we lived there and used to buy from a lady sat on corner near vodaphone shop thanks

[Winged Isis]

It's called aish shamsi or sun bread as it's left in the sun to rise.

Flour is mixed with water, a bit of salt, and in the past a lump of dough saved from the previous batch as a leavening. Increasingly, however, dried instant yeast is available in shops and thus, the distinctive sourdough taste is being lost.
Fist sized lumps of dough are made into balls, dusted in flour, patted out to about 12 cm. loaves, and laid out on the platters to rise in the sun for about 45 minutes. They may be turned over or shifted to a sunnier spot.

So do you have a clay oven?

[Billy_whiz]

I used to love the bread from Atar but have to say that the last couple of loaves I had were not that great. We usually phone him and he makes them fresh and I freeze them myself after slicing them up, rather than have loaves from his freezer. Not noticed a problem with the crust, just the bread itself was quite hard after defrosting - not that appetising! I'll give him the benefit of the doubt though and will try again, hopefully all will be back to normal and delicious

[Scottishtourist]

For God's sake Hepzibah!
You're like a dog with a bloomin bone!

I think we can all assume that Who2 means he has taken a loaf outa his freezer and de-frosted it!
He's thawed the bloody thing out!

Jeez oh!Stop being so pedantic!

Genuine question asked in good faith. A word has been used that I'm obviously not familiar with and my definition has been refuted - which leaves me wondering what the original word means.

Suggest you go do your mithering elsewhere, or go and get your head stuck in a some trashy novel.

Thank heavens for Billy whiz!
At least the topic has been brought back on track now!

No chance of me getting head stuck in trashy novel at the moment Hepzibah.I'm too busy knitting a blanket for wee cat I'm adopting from SSPCA.

And I suggest you knew EXACTLY what Who2 was meaning!!

Anyway..back to Atar's bread...

[HEPZIBAH]

It's called aish shamsi or sun bread as it's left in the sun to rise.

Flour is mixed with water, a bit of salt, and in the past a lump of dough saved from the previous batch as a leavening. Increasingly, however, dried instant yeast is available in shops and thus, the distinctive sourdough taste is being lost.
Fist sized lumps of dough are made into balls, dusted in flour, patted out to about 12 cm. loaves, and laid out on the platters to rise in the sun for about 45 minutes. They may be turned over or shifted to a sunnier spot.

So do you have a clay oven?

I used to be disappointed if the girls in the family I stayed with made this on mornings I wasn't expecting them to and they let me sleep in. After watching them a few times - under the guidance and watchful eye of the matriarch - I was eventually allowed to get involved, initially helping to carry discs of bread out to the sun, being allowed to dust the discs with flour and even razoring the loaves before they went in the oven, but only a few times was I allowed to try to actually form the last loaves from the remaining dough. Much as I was willing, I think the matriarch rightly prioritised in making sure her newest daughter in law and eldest granddaughters knew how to make the perfect loaf before she could risk her precious dough recipe to me.

[Winged Isis]

Yes, it's lovely when allowed or invited to be involved, I always enjoy it. But I prefer to eat aish baladi, as I find shamsi is to bulky for dips, and too filling.

[HEPZIBAH]

Yes, learning which is the right bread to eat with which food, for it's taste and ease of use, is quite an art in itself. One that I have yet to master but happy to continue experimenting in.

[Who2]

Their baking here is a good as their butchery skills and mechanical skills, their bread is 'stog has little vitamins other than filling an empty stomach. Now take the French who's baking skills are renown, some eat to live others live to eat, usually invading and conquering armies being the latter.
Least Atar tries his best and is willing to learn to the point of him having a nervous breakdown over it.
Mind you Russian flour doesn't give one a good base product, never mind the quality feed the masses….
Ps: I imagine Chinese flour is as good as their Chinese Cleopatra Fags...

[Winged Isis]

I love any bread baked in a wood fired oven. The best of any bread I've had was in Turkey and France.

[Brian Yare]

Ps: I believe an important General is visiting today, clean streets & lots of 'coppers...

Two government ministers, several Ambassadors and a whole bunch of other important people

Opening of the Visitor Centre at Deir el-Bahari was by invitation only. There were about 55 police vehicles involved. The third tier was also completely opened.

The smaller opening, the Tomb of Huy near Deir el-Medina only had about a dozen vehicles. I watched the end of it from over the boundary wall. They probably have to lay a car-park and print tickets before Joe Bloggs gets a look-in. The good news for me is that the tomb is at the foot of the hill, assuming that the opening was performed outside it!

[Who2]

Other hole in the ground, did they find anything good ?…..

[Brian Yare]

Other hole in the ground, did they find anything good ?…..

I believe that this tomb is very good, and hope to see it soon. But from reading Davies and Gardiner's excavation report I suspect that the ceremony was not actually at the tomb, which is high on the hill.

[Who2]

which is high on the hill. any lonely goatherds ?……