This and that -
Mid Winter Rhythms, Daily Bread - Rosemary + Salt, Beauty Notes
Mid Winter Rhythms at Home
Lots of candles, warm lighting, the fire place is on. Although we’ve turned the corner and are noticing the days are not as short as they were a month ago, it’s still dark and rainy. I’ve been making lots of soups and roasts in the oven. The kitchen is cozy with cozy candles, linens, eggs from the farm, creamy coffee and notes scribbled in the margins of cookbooks.
Beauty Notes
What I’m reaching for - Products I’m actually finishing and ordering again.
**Most important, having skin that’s healthy is the best canvas and will require less make up to cover up imperfections. Here is a list of some of my favorite skin care products for reference. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out.
Winter has me thinking about beauty in smaller ways. Not big transformations - just things that feel kind and forgiving on the skin. Less is more, light touch, blend, blend, blend.
I choose cream cosmetics first and will sometimes follow up with the same/similar shade in a light powder. Using a fan brush helps to keep coverage light.
A rich hand cream by my night time side table and a favorite lip balm tucked into my tote or coat pocket. This one has been one I’ve gone back to time and time again. If lighting doesn’t feel right when you are putting on your make up, invest in a stand up mirror with adjustable light.
If I’m wanting just the bare minimum, here’s my routine. After rinsing with cool water, applying Vitamin C, moisturizer, and sunscreen, I gently and sparingly ‘tap on’ NARS concealer in custard. ILIA concealer is another favorite. Brows are important - I use the KOSAS pencil in taupe and then L’Oreal Brow Laminator to keep the brows in place.
I’ve been using Sara Creal Bronzer - ‘just like paradise’ - so good! It looks dark but blends well with your brush. Following bronzer (apply wherever the sunshine naturally hits) add blush. My favorite as of late is by RHODE. I apply to the back of my hand and use my blush brush to blend. Tap gently moving from the apple of your cheek up towards your temples. I even go above the outer edge of my brow.
An pretty and quick way to apply a little bit of lid color is to use a cream based product that can easily be swiped on. I really like Armani Beauty cream shadow.
Mascara - my eyes are sensitive so I can’t use so of the inexpensive brands. YSL seems to work. I’ve been leaning in to a softer look and the dark brown is working best for me.
Winter always pulls me back to bread. Not in an ambitious, all-day kind of way—but in the slow, familiar rhythm of flour on the counter, dough warming under my hands, the quiet hum of the oven filling the house. Bread feels like a conversation with the season itself. Simple. Patient. Reassuring.
In the wintertime I enjoy baking when the light is low and the radio is on, letting the day soften around me. There’s something grounding about working with dough.
Bread baking shouldn’t be about perfection or complicated techniques. It’s about repetition and comfort. The same motions, the same ingredients, the same anticipation as the loaf rises and the kitchen begins to smell alive again. If you are new to bread baking, allow yourself a few months to develop a healthy starter and learn the feel of bread baking.
This salted rosemary loaf has become one I reach for often. It’s sturdy, fragrant, and unfussy-just the kind of bread winter asks for. The rosemary is subtle but present, the salt gives it character, and the crust is meant to be torn - not sliced too neatly. I love it warm with butter or dipped in my favorite olive oil and course French salt.
Delicious for dunking in soups and stews or having warm with a large pat of butter!
Ingredients
175 g bubbly sourdough starter
360 g spring water
550 g high protein flour* (all-purpose can also be used)
2 or 3 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (adjust your flavor)
10 g kosher salt plus 2 tsp course sea salt for topping
Instructions
1. Place a large bowl on top of your scale. Zero the scale out.
2. Add 175 g active sourdough starter + 340 g water. Stir with bread whisk or fork until milky.
3. *Add 550 g flour. My preference is Bob Mills variety. Mix the flour until a sticky dough ball forms. Cover for 30 minutes and allow to sit in a warm area (72-78 degrees F.)
4. Place bowl back on scale. Zero out. Add salt. Kneed in to the dough until the salt is fully incorporated.
5. Add 2 or 3 tbsp chopped rosemary to the dough. Lift and fold each side of the dough incorporating the rosemary throughout.
6. Cover the dough and allow to rise in a warm spot for one hour.
7. Return to the dough. Uncover and repeat the lift and folds. Repeat this process three or four times over the course of 3 or 4 hours.
8. Cover dough tightly and place in the refrigerator over night. I usually start my loaf around noon and place it in the refrigerator around 4 pm. You can also skip the long ferment in the refrigerator and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 4 - 6 to hours or until double in size.
9. After the long rise period, turn dough out on to lightly floured surface. Form a rectangle with the dough. Fold in thirds, roll the dough and turn (making a letter C). Push the dough forward and back creating friction in the dough. Invert and place in a Banantan basket. I add rice flour the the linen liner to keep the dough from sticking. Allow to rise in a warm place for about three hours.
10. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. with your Dutch oven in it. Turn dough out on to parchment paper, score the bread and sprinkle with course sea salt. Place dough in Dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another ten minutes. Turn bread out on to wire cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes prior to slicing.
Notes
I recommend trying the Artisan Bread Flour and the All-purpose flour. The bread flour contains slightly more protein than the regular all-purpose flour. Both work well however I suggest you try for yourself. If you live in a cool climate I recommend a heating mat to make sure your starter and dough can develop properly. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Until next time!
Leslie xx