007 - "In the House of Tom Bombadil" - Fool of a Took Podcast

Sam sleeps like a log, rain is mostly pee, and Pat struggles to articulate his hate for Tom Bombadil. This week we discuss book 1, chapter 7 - "In the House of Tom Bombadil", from The Fellowship of the Ring. 

Today's "Food For Thought": Tom Bombadil's Dinner Spread

This episode's Food for Thought was simply a recreation of what Tom fed the hobbits at his house. This included white bread, butter, yellow cream (clotted cream?), honey, cheese, ripe berries, and green herbs. 

I bought most of the items, but did make a loaf of my favorite Peasant Bread recipe from King Arthur Baking. This is the easiest and fastest no-knead bread EVER.

17 oz/480 g King Arthur all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp kosher salt (or 1.5 tsp regular salt)
1 packet or 2.25 tsp active dry yeast or instant yeast (I use SAF red instant yeast and keep it frozen)
16 oz (2 cups) warm water
butter for greasing pans 
 
Measure out 17 ounces (1 lb 1 oz) of KAF all-purpose flour. Yes, it has to be this flour. Yes, you really need to measure it. We've tried with other flours and it's not as good. If you want to take a risk, it's 4 cups of this flour. Other flours have different densities and protein levels. Take it from a hobbit- baking is a science.
Add sugar and salt. Mix well before adding yeast.
Add yeast and mix well.
Add warm water (shouldn't feel hot- just warm) and mix well.
Cover mixing bowl and let the dough rise for about 1-1.5 hours, depending on how warm your house is.
When dough has doubled in size and looks bubbly, push it down and squish the air out. I use forks.
Grease a bowl or baking dish. This dough is very soft and needs to be baked in a vessel that will hold its shape- it will not form a loaf. I use either two 2-qt Pyrex dishes or one 3-qt. You can use any grease you want, but salted butter gives the bread a delicious crust.
Turn on your oven to 450F while the dough rises a second time. Put it in the oven when it has again doubled, or at least reached the tops of your bowls. This takes about 20-30 minutes for me.
Bake at 450F for 15 minutes, then turn down the heat to 375. If making two small loaves, base for 17-20 minutes more. If making one big loaf, bake for 25-30 minutes more. 
Let loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack. I cool mine upside down because once when I cooled them right side up, they collapsed a bit. Cool for at least an hour- they'll still be warm.

These loaves are best eaten on the same day they are ma

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Hi! Welcome to Fool of a Took Podcast, a show about friends reading the Lord of the Rings together. Here's the catch - 2 of the 4 hosts have never read the books before! Pat and Rj help their spouses Chris and Laura read the Lord of the Rings for the first time in a weekly podcast that discusses each chapter along the way.

With chapter snacks, fresh grog, and plenty of tongue wagging, you can be sure we’ll all be “cracked” by the end.

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