I can finally call this bread

I spent the last 3-4 days with unsuccessful attempts to make bread. Wanted to stick with it rather than quit for a month like the last go round so decided on a totally new recipe. The main difference with this one was they said a packet of yeast rather than 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon like others. Still I had to almost double the amount of flower which I should have done with the others. Is it the temperature or humidity that make all bread recipes not work here ??

I'll spare you all the flat, wet piles of dough that didn't work and will only post the foto below that looks very much like Artisan no-knead bread I was trying for. Attractive but hard as a brick like my previous two.

The new recipe called for milk, I used yogurt ..... and shortening, I used olive oil. Also sugar and butter to butter the pans. A little fancier than Artisan bread that just uses flour, salt, yeast and water but I had to try something new. Anyway after adding about twice the called for amount of flower I could finally handle it and let it rise in a bowl. Then punch it down and knead it for 5 minutes. Divide it in two and put it in two buttered pans and let rise again. Pop into preheated oven at 375 for about 40 minutes. Not exactly Artisan/French bread style but still very good and I have one success to my name.

Attractive bricks

First rise

Left to rise in buttered pans

They have risen

Just out of the oven

Both I and neighbors were impressed

Real good with my home made humus

Anything is better with Limón y Sal

Lime and Salt do the trick with Carambola

Not that Carambola (Start Fruit) is bad without them .... it's just more than twice as good with them.  I hadn't tried it until a couple days ago. It didn't make sense that I was giving most of them away to neighbors and this year I have tons. I have a few older neighbors that favor them for health reasons so they will get some but Lauri and Hugo say don't give them all away

Carambola is rich in antioxidants, potassium, and vitamin C; and low in sugar, sodium, and acid. It is also a potent source of both primary and secondary polyphenolic antioxidants. Averrhoa carambola has both antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Scavenging of nitric oxide (NO) by the fruit extract is dependent on concentration and stage of ripening. Extracts showed antimicrobial activity against E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Like the grapefruit, carambola is considered to be a potent inhibitor of seven cytochrome P450 isoforms. These enzymes are significant in the first-pass elimination of many medicines, and, thus, the consumption of carambola or its juice in combination with certain prescription medications can significantly increase their effective dosage within the body. Research into grapefruit juice (its potent enzymes) for instance, identified a significant effect (requires change in dose or other side effects) on common medications when taken concurrently by the patient, including statins, which are commonly used to treat high cholesterol and cardiovascular illness, and benzodiazepines (a sedative tranquilizer drug family that includes diazepam).

Cutting Pepinos

Way back around the turn of the century when Mexico was still very new to me I spent a few weeks with friends in Mexico City. Helping cut veggies for a salad I was startled by "my kids are not going to like the way you cut the pepinos". I mean I know how to cut cucumbers for a salad but since they were already destroyed we didn't delve further into what should have been.

The salad was my idea and design but since salads here are often more like a garnish than a main dish my only thought was you don't put pepinos in a bowl with a bunch of other veggies. You slice them in strips, douse with lots of lime juice, sprinkle sea salt over the top ... and probably some Valentina hot sauce. Ever wonder how to eat Jicama ..... the very same way.

A tip on citrus squeezers/juicers or wives tale -- Those cast aluminium ones look very sturdy but it's rumored that the acid reaction will eventually make them go sour. Better to use inert plastic.

So many ways?

Peal and all ready for lime

Lime squeezer