Whoever says college students are lazy, ungrateful and just wasting their time and (parents’) money hasn’t been to Rice University, where a group of students is working diligently on a cure for heart disease and cancer.

That just so happens to be a beer.

The students are hoping to create a genetically modified strain of yeast that will ferment the beer while also producing resveratol, a substance in grapes that has been shown to reduce the risks of heart disease and cancer.

The brew will be known as BioBeer, and if all goes well, we will all soon be drinking/chugging/bonging/beer ponging/keg standing to our health.

Literally.

Great work, students of Rice University. Great work indeed.
[Photo courtesy of www.united-nations-of-beer.com]

Making pita bread from scratch… is it even possible? Is it even worth it? Fortunately for you and me, the answer to both questions is a resounding YES.

To me, these little breads are almost like magic. You roll them flat as pancakes, then they puff up and fill with air. How does it happen? I have no idea, but I’m glad it does.

For two pita pockets, you’ll need ½ cup flour (all-purpose or wheat works), 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon rapid-rise yeast, and 2 tablespoons water.

In a small bowl, mix the flour, sugar, yeast, and water. The water should be around room temperature—just make sure it’s not way too hot or too cold. It’s OK if the dough hardly comes together—you’re going to knead it, and it will absorb more flour when you do that.

In the bowl or on a flat work surface, knead the dough for about 5 minutes. You may need to add more flour as you go along to keep the dough from getting too sticky. When you’re finished, shape the dough into a ball, and put it back in the bowl. Read More »

There are very few things I love more than a loaf of bread fresh from the oven. It makes the kitchen smell great, it’s cheaper than buying bread at the store, and it’s sooooo good.

The problem is, making fresh bread usually requires fooling around with yeast. I don’t have anything against yeast, but it’s temperamental. If the water you mix it with is too cold, it won’t ferment. If it’s too hot, the yeast will die. I don’t have time to screw around with that stuff! That’s why this bread recipe is great… if you can get water to room temperature, then you virtually can’t screw it up.

For one loaf starter, you need a cup of water, 2 cups of flour, and ¼ teaspoon yeast (rapid-rise yeast is best). Then, for the bread, you need an additional ¼ cup water, 1 cup flour, 1 ½ teaspoons yeast (again, rapid-rise is best), 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional). If you want to brush something nice over the top so the bread is shiny, you need more olive oil or 1 egg white.

To begin, mix the starter ingredients together. The water should be at a cool room temperature. Once you’ve combined the ingredients and mixed them so that all the flour is absorbed, put plastic wrap over the bowl you mixed them in, and let the starter rest overnight or for 12-16 hours. The dough should rise dramatically and look somewhat bubbly when it’s done. Read More »