in pictures: RAW showcase
Zocalo Hannah
foooooood: no need to knead!
The easiest bread you’ll ever make, or, if you’re like me, probably more or less the only bread you’ll ever make. (I make a damn good pizza crust, though. We’ll get to that another time.) The great thing about this stupid easy bread recipe (no kneading!!!), though, is that, well… It’s also f’ing delicious. So instead of talking about it, let’s get down to the business at hand: the recipe. (Sidenote, per usual: the recipe may seem long, but that’s because I’m verbose as balls. It’s actually a super short, easy recipe. Don’t be intimidated!)
You’ll need flour, yeast, salt, and water. A pan of some sort (it could be a cookie sheet or a cast iron skillet or whatever you have on hand that has no plastic bits that’ll melt in the oven—no need for a legit bread pan) and something to grease the pan with (unless it’s nonstick). And then a big plastic container, a tablespoon, a measuring cup, and a mixing spoon. Das it. Donezo.
Lots of complicated ingredients.
Okay.
STEP ONE: Get three (3) cups of warm water, pour ‘em in your big plastic container, add a tablespoon (1 tbsp) of salt and tablespoon and a half (1.5 tbsps) of yeast. I’ve heard different opinions on whether you let this mixture sit for a couple of minutes to give the yeast time to get happy. I let it sit while I measure out the flour ‘cuz I figure it can’t hurt. (A sidenote here: I recommend you get a big-ish container of yeast instead of the little packets for two reasons: first, those packets have about two and quarter teaspoons in them. It’s a good amount for a lot of other recipes, but impractical for the recipe at hand. Second, you’re gonna want a lot of yeast because as soon as you make this bread you’re gonna want to make it again. And again.)
STEP TWO: Measure out sevenish (7ish) cups of flour. I do this in a seperate bowl to give the yeast (the aforementioned) time to get all bub’ly in the warm water, ‘cuz it takes all of two seconds to rinse out a bowl that only had flour in it. (Another sidenote: what’s up with the sevenish cups, huh? Well if you dip the measuring cup into the flour and then level it off, you’ll probably only need about six and a half (6.5) cups of flour. If you do what I do, which is use a spoon to scoop the flour out of the bag and into the measuring cup, the flour’s not packed down as much so you’ll need seven (7) cups. And that’s what’s up.)
STEP THREE: Dump the flour into the water/salt/yeast mixture. Mix it up thoroughly until there are no clumps of flour. The dough will be pretty wet.
STEP FOUR: Put the lid loosely on your container and let it rise at room temp for an hour and a half or two hours. Then transfer it to the fridge and let it hang out there for at least a couple of hours… Or overnight… Or for a few days. Whatever. Basically, for some science-y reason, the dough is just getting tastier and tastier the longer you let it sit. When you can’t stand it any longer… Move on to step cinco.
Mad dough.
STEP FIVE: Preheat yr oven to 450°. Grease yr pan. Grease yr handz. Grab a fatty chunk of the dough (probably about half of it) and plop it in the aforementioned pan. Shape the dough a lil if you feel so inclined, or don’t. Score it with a knife if you want to, makes it look profesh.
STEP SIX: Put the dough in the oven. Bake it for 25 minutes at 450° and 5-10 minutes at 500°. The extra heat at the end there gives the bread a prettier golden crust, but if you’re lazy, like I sometimes am, you can just bake it for 30-35 minutes at 450° and it’ll still be awesome. Then take your bread out of the oven, dump it out onto a cookie rack or your stovetop, let it cool for maybe five minutes or more if you can bear it, and then… Eat the shit out of the bread. You can thank me later!!! (Oh and by the way, you still have a whole loaf’s worth of dough still chillin’ in your fridge, waiting to be baked. Best. News. Ever.)
Holy yum! (Cute cutting boards make everything taste better, too. FYI.)
street style: 4th ave
Kyle. SERIOUSLY GUYS. Think about your shoes. Kyle’s outfit could be ruined if he wore flip flops* instead of these fresh-ass kicks. I cannot stress this enough. People think shoes don’t matter… Wrong.
Okay, but really, Kyle’s outfit is super solid (love the lavender shorts), and it’s the shoes that make it happen. Plus, I’m pretty sure he had a British accent or something? Maybe I was hallucinating in the heat? Regardless, the result was pretty cool vibes from this guy.
*Sharp eyes will notice that Anthony, featured in a previous street style post, wore flip flops. He got damn lucky. Normally that shit’s a dealbreaker.
i’ll see you at… RAW showcase
Headed to the RAW showcase tomorrow at Plush to check out some budding artistic talent of Tucson. From the RAW website:
“RAW’s mission is to provide up-and-coming artists of all creative realms with the tools, resources and exposure needed to inspire and cultivate creativity so that they might be seen, heard and loved. RAW educates, connects and exposes emerging artists in 54 artistic communities across the United States and Australia, through monthly showcase events. Join us in celebrating the work of these artists…
RAW events are multi-faceted artistic showcases. Each event features a film screening, musical performance, fashion show, art gallery, performance art and a featured hairstylist and makeup artist. These artists are all local, hand-picked talent who have been chosen to feature at RAW.
RAW events feature a cash bar for cocktails while you enjoy the night. Dress code is cocktail attire, so dress the occasion and get ready for an artistic circus of creativity!”
See you there!
good eats: tucson tamale company
I’ve always been a big tamale person (I’m going to take this moment to ask: does anyone else picture a giant, anthropomorphized tamale when I write “tamale person”? That happens to me with “fan,” too, like, “I’m a big hot dog fan,” and then I have this mental image of a big ceiling fan made of hot dogs. A mental image, incidentally, that makes me kind of uncomfortable. But I digress) — so when my friend and I passed Tucson Tamale Company the other day, we decided to stop in and give it a try. My impressions:
Efficient service. Not overly friendly, and vaguely distracted, but I tend to give the people behind the counter a break — great attitude is a bonus for me, not a requirement, especially at a busy spot like Tucson Tamale.
Bright! I loved the orange walls and the array of colorful hot sauces on the counter. The design was warm, inviting, and completely unpretentious.
Bad choice (mine). I was starving when I ordered, so I barely glanced at the menu — I noticed something that sounded good and got it without taking the time to consider all my options. I got the tamale salad with a Sonora tamale (chicken with green chile sauce). If I did it again, I’d get a more adventuresome tamale and pair it with beans or chips and guacamole instead of a salad. (A salad? Really? At a tamale place? I don’t know what I was thinking.)
I’ll be back. I’m intrigued. Like I said, I’d like to try some of Tuscon Tamale Company’s more adventuresome tamales — if I’m sticking to the basics, I’d be happy to get my tamales homemade from someone wandering around selling them at 11 p.m. at a bar. At Tucson Tamale, I’m looking forward to trying the — well, the Tucson Tamale! “Lots and lots of cheese in grilled jalepeño masa” gets a big ol’ “Yes, please,” from me. I’m thinking I might buy a selection of frozen tamales and keep them around the house for lazy dinners. What’s your favorite tamale at Tucson Tamale, or where’s your favorite spot to eat tamales in Tucson? Tweet me @hannahzocalo.
street style: work clothes
Melissa @ Brooklyn Pizza. I wish I had hair like hers — the ultimate accessory that raises her outfit to a whole new level.
música: tom walbank @ che’s
L to R: Connor, Jake, and Tom at Che’s Lounge on Saturday, September 22nd.
I’ve seen Tom Walbank play at Café Passé a few times — he does a solo show every Friday evening for “Blues Under the Trees” on the Passé Patio (the opening act is Roman Barton Sherman, a kid — literally, like, nine years old — who frickin’ busts out some old man blues music. It’s nuts!). But it was really fun to see him play at Che’s Lounge last night, where he drew a fatty crowd and rounded out his sound with the addition of drumz (Jake Sullivan) and gee-tar (Connor Gallaher). Wherever he happens to be singing and guitar-ing and harmonica-ing his heart out, Tom — an Englishman who calls Tucson his real home for real — can blues it up like no other, and I highly recommend checking him out. More about the spectacular Mister Tom Walbank at ze MySpace and his website. Peep it, yo.
street style: 4th ave
Jennifer & Anthony. How cool is it that their tops & pants are almost exactly the same color, but switched? And I’m digging the little details of Jennifer’s outfit: her turquoise necklaces, the toned-down copper studs on her belt, and the uneven cuffs on her pants.
i’ll see you at… party at popcycle!
Popcycle reminds me of my absolute favorite shop from back home in Portland, Maine (if you ever go to Portland, check out Ferdinand on Congress Street). I haven’t been in Tucson long enough to develop the love affair with Popcycle that I did with Ferdinand, but I’m definitely stoked enough about the shop that I’m planning on hitting up their 4th birthday party, happening this Thursday from 6-8pm (with a sale that lasts through Sunday). Cold beer, 20% off sale, and awesome upcycled goods? Um, yes please. See you there! Tweet me @zocalohannah if you’re gonna hit it up.
allow me to introduce myself…
My inaugural blog post—damn, better make it good. I’m a bit hungover, so to get the creative juices flowing I’m taking the edge off with a (rather well-made, if I do say so myself) Bloody Mary. Yes—it is ten o’clock in the morning, and I’m having a drink. But I don’t want to give you the wrong impression… And this, my friends, is the right impression. I am anything but coy, and I solemnly swear I will never pretend to be someone I’m not. So—who am I, then? First of all, I’m the kind of lady (yes, a lady!) who drinks Bloody Marys at ten in the morning. (Ed.’s note: Erm, like I said, I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. I might be posting this on Tuesday, but I wrote it on a Sunday… Sunday’s a more appropriate day to be having booze with breakfast, don’t you agree? But I digress.) Anyway, so who am I, and what’s up with this blog!? … I’ll get back to you after I finish this Bloody.
Okay! Good. We’ve moved on to coffee—now it’s time for a proper introduction. In Mexico, zócalo means the main square of a city. (Bear with me—this isn’t a meaningless tangent.) The zócalo is a point of mass congregation; it’s where gossip is exchanged, food is sold and eaten and enjoyed, beautiful people wander, and bums swigs liquor. From time to time, it becomes a locus of protest, as the people come together to raise their voices against injustice.
The purpose of a Zócalo blog is going to be to act as a zócalo—a point of congregation—for Tucson. But instead of the people coming to the zócalo… The zócalo will be coming to the people. In a way, I—and fellow bloggers who may join me—will be a little bit like the zócalo, personified. A tall order, indeed! But I won’t be going it alone. I won’t be holed up in my home office (okay, okay—my bed), pretending to know what’s going on outside in the streets and parks and coffeeshops and art studios; I will be out and about. Zócalo got legs and she’s roamin’ around! She’s climbin’ in yo’ window, snatchin’ yo people up, so—wait a minute… Sorry, got carried away there. Because really, until it gets filled up with people and places and experiences, the zócalo is just a big ol’ empty plaza. I’ll be chatting with you, visiting your bars, checking out your bands, admiring your art, drinking your craft brews (yup, can’t say I’m not looking forward to that). I’m new to this town, and this blog will document my discovery of Tucson. And you’ll read about all of my escapades here. Check back on the regular—there’s never a dull moment in the zócalo. Oh, and if there’s somewhere or something or someone you think I oughta know about, tweet me @zocalohannah. Talk to you soon!
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