More Add-Ins

As is my habitual means of cooking I often begin in the fridge to find what has been lurking.  If I find anything that can serve as a base (my, that's a lot of leftover rice), or something accumulating in overabundance (last week, for example, we had three bags of kale), or an item past its sell-by date, but probably not past its use-by date, I think about how to turn those things into something edible.

Especially for not-quite-past the use-by date, I figure I can turn it into bread.  Anything dangerous is not like to survive a roasting at 475 degrees fahrenheit.

I made this baguette with apple juice concentrate that had been in the fridge since Passover.  That would have been about a month ago.  The vague sweetness of apple and sour from the sourdough turned out a loaf that was soft on the interior, very fragrant, and a little bit like an apple brandy.

This loaf, FIG AND FENNEL, in contrast to my loaves where I make it up as I go follows a recipe I learned in England.  In addition to the chopped figs, the loaf also has a couple of tablespoons of green fennel seeds. Together they are mouthwatering, kind of like a fresh cinnamon - raisin loaf.  It is a combination dreamed up by some genius baker who should be honored with every morning's toast.

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