Artikel
0 Kommentare

Baking bread

Recently, I have started to bake bread again and the bread is getting better than ever before. Here are a few things that I think help to bake fluffy and soft crusted dark brown bread. I believe most of these tips apply to all sorts of bread. I do not follow any receipt for how much flower, which type of flower, and liquid is needed. My general rule is to use 500g of flower, usually I mix different types, I add seeds, some salt (usually not enough), yeast and water until the dough feels soft.

I always wanted to bake dark brown bread and never understood what type of flour is used. After googling for a few minutes I learnt that kakao powder does the trick. 1-2 table spoons is enough. The bread does not taste much of kakao, but you can smell it very well.

The first important step is to knead the dough long enough. I try to knead it for about 10 minutes. I do not have a kitchen machine, and use my hands. I try to listen to a podcast or audiobook or talk to somebody on the phone to make time go faster.

I divide the dough into small pieces and form small round breads. Then I let the dough rise for an hour. I cover the bread with a moist towel, and place it in a warm location, for example close to the oven or fire to make the bread rise.

When baking the bread, I add a bowl of water in the oven, to prevent the bread from drying out. This will help to keep the crust soft and make the bread rise completely. There are a lot of rules and tips for how warm and long the bread should be baked. 20 min at this temperature then lower the temperature for the last 5 minutes etc. I have a really old oven and this type of adjustment does not work for me. I bake the bread for 25 min at 200°C, which works in my case.

 

Artikel
0 Kommentare

Toilet bag

This toilet bag has been on my todo list for a very long time. I found the fabric at Bolli in Winterthur during the Christmas holiday in Switzerland.For the inside I used the fabric that is a bit water repellent, and can easily be washed with a cloth if anything is spilled. The pattern and instructions (in German) for the toilet bag can be found here.

I was not sure if my sewing machine could handle the letter parts, but it worked fine. The leather is ca. 1mm thick and (I think) cow leather that I found in Ryffel Felle + Leder.

Artikel
0 Kommentare

Birch trees

Birch must be my favourite tree. These trees have a speciality in every seasons.

In spring, birch leaves often appear around the time of the 17th of May, the National Day of Norway. During the first days, the leaves have a bright yellow colour. The leaves are showing that life is back. It is so beautiful.

In the summer the leaves turn green, much like most trees. Birch trees are still a special sight because of their white stems.

In autumn the yellow colour returns, but with a more orange tone. In the autumn sun, the birch trees look like they are lit on fire.

And in winter, when the leaves have fallen off, and the trees are resting again, their white stem shines in the snow.

Artikel
0 Kommentare

Note and sketchbooks

In the last weeks, I have felt creative again. A feeling I have not had for a long time. I guess that’s a good sign.

I’m getting old books with a nice or distinct cover. The pages are replaced with new blank pages that I stich together using a bookbinding approach. I add a book mark cords and book headbands.

The books are available in my Etsy shop.

Artikel
0 Kommentare

Damgårdsfjellet

Last weekend was nice but very cold and windy. I still had to go for a walk. I decided to hike to one of Bergen’s 7 mountains I still have not been to. Damgårdsfjellet.

It is the smallest of the 7 mountains and the hike is short and easy. The top reaches just above the tree line and the view is fantastic.

Artikel
0 Kommentare

Comic with ink

I recently read the Bone comic by Jeff Smith and got really into it. The story and the „bone creatures“ are great, but I also fell in love with the beautiful drawings. I like how black is used as a contrast, night scenes and sometimes black and white are simply reversed. So, I’ve been making some drawings from the Bone comic, using my new toy drawing ink. I like it, because using the ink the black parts really get pitch black.

 

Artikel
0 Kommentare

This was 2019

2019 was difficult, emotional, and exiting, but definitely not my finest year.

  • As always I started the year with holidays on the Canary Islands.
  • I made a pair of wooden skis by hand, which I am very proud of. But I also hurt my knee the first week I used them…

  • I travelled much less this year, and was very happy to spend all summer in Norway. Actually, I travelled to Senja, Tucson and China.
  • I walked on the edge of Grand Canyon.

  • I started with bookbinding and make note books from old books.
  • I published a handbook with 115 authors. I’ve been working on this paper and book for 3 years. I also wrote a blogpost about it.
  • I started my own project, the Three-D project. I set up my first and own experiment in Norway and in China.
  • For the third time, I posted a picture every day and will continue to do so.
  • I did not get funding from NFR this year.
  • I baked a bread on the fire.
  • I did not move back to Switzerland but stayed a little bit longer in Bergen. And this is fine for now, it is fine for a little bit longer.

I am still working on (re)discovering the purpose of life, staying wild, focus on what I want to give and not what I want to take and understand that nobody owes me anything (some of this is borrowed by Dr. Jacquelyn Gill).

And I want to blog a little bit more next year.

I’m glad to live in the Twenties!

Artikel
0 Kommentare

Velsmakende urter

„Viltvoksende og velsmakende“ is a beautifully illustrated book from Nadia Nörbom about edible plants and other knowledge how plants can be used. The book describes how to recognize the plants, where the plants grow, when to harvest, about taste and smell, how to use and cook them, storage and medical use.

I have wanted to learn more about how to use the thousands of plants around us for a long time. I usually study them and use them in my experiments. But which plants we can eat and how can they help to prevent illnesses. I believe that nature has a lot more to give and a lot of this knowledge has been lost over time. Maybe I can learn a bit more with this book.