Trying to get back at it.

It’s been a few months since I last posted. The main reason was from a lack of inspiration and drive. Every so often, I fall into a funk, mainly from writers block, and I have difficulty getting out of it. Today, however, I’ve been feeling surprisingly motivated in the creative department, and it all started with a simple conversation with my dad.

For those who may not be familiar with some of my previous posts, I’m originally from upstate New York. Twelve years ago, I moved to the Houston area, and my dad recently retired and moved down. For a long time, I had trouble finding foods that were more common in the Northeast, but over time, I found restaurants that helped cure that part of homesickness. When I first moved down, several snacks that are sold at the grocery stores where I grew up couldn’t be found here. Thankfully, some of those guilty pleasures are much easier to find now.

Which brings me back to the conversation with my dad. He made a comment a couple of days ago how he just wanted a buttered hard roll. Traditional delis aren’t common in Texas, and the bakery’s in grocery stores have a softer roll, which just isn’t the same. On a whim, I told him I’ll make rolls for him.

Now, I’m a passible baker. I’m good at following instructions and checking different recipes before I start. With that said, the closest thing to bread I’ve made are pretzel bites. The funny thing is, I think the pretzel bites were harder to make than Kaiser Rolls. So, I woke up earlier than usual on my off day and headed to get the ingredients I needed. After some procrastination and vacation planning, I set to work.

Bread dough pre rise

In the past, when I made dough, I toughed it out and kneaded by hand. This time around, I decided to use my stand mixer, which cut the mixing and kneading time down significantly. Once it was done, I left the dough to its first rise for an hour before the next step.

Form before the second rise

The most difficult part was shaping the dough so it would have the look of a Kaier Roll. It involved tying knots and folding the dough. When that task was done, it was another hour long wait for the second rise.

After over 2 hours, it was finally time to bake. As someone who has no idea how to make bread, this was the most nerve-racking part. I’m always paranoid when cooking. I tend to feel I’ve messed something up, or I’ll under cook something. Even after the fact when people tell me it’s okay, I still think of things I could have done better. Even with that fear, after 15 minutes, I pulled the rolls out and hoped for the best.

Missed shaped but okay

They looked alright when I took them out of the oven. But, I felt they weren’t done. My dad reassured me, and we let them cool. Neither of us jumped to eat them. I think we both weren’t really in an eating mood, at least until dinner. We settled on hot dogs, and because I attempted to make two long rolls, we chose them for buns.

My weird hot dog choices

It turns out they were alright. For a moment, I had a hit of home in a bite, so I’ll call that a success.

This whole experiment was meant to reignite my dormit creativity. I’ve had friends ask how my writing is going, and each time I have to answer not well, it kills me a little. Will I pick up a pen tomorrow? Probably not. Will I write another blog post? Unlikely. But at least I took a step in the right direction.