Crew 162 Commander Daily Report
Sol 08
Crew Commander: Renee Garifi
A good leader knows that food feeds the body as well as the brain. When a
crew is well fed, they are more productive and willing to work together.
Fill their bellies and they will follow you anywhere…even to Mars! NASA
knows this and puts a great deal of time into researching what foods the
astronauts like best, in addition to which foods are the most nutritious.
Flavor, texture and aroma contribute to the food preference rankings of the
crew on the ISS. Coffee served in a 3-d printed cup, for example, is
favored over coffee drunk from a silver bag with a straw because in a cup
you can smell the drink in addition to tasting it.
Being a small crew, we function well as a unit and my leadership style is,
I hope, perceived as exemplary and encouraging. One thing I try to provide
my crew with is food- some of the best tasting rehydrated dishes on the
planet! No fuel in the belly, no fire in the brain. One dish I’ve shared
with my crew and prepared twice so far is my recipe for settler’s bread.
It’s rustic, crusty, soft inside and very filling. When you cut into it,
fresh out of the hab oven, the steam and aroma fill the kitchen.
Here’s the recipe, give it a try in your Earth oven and enjoy!
Martian Settler’s Bread
Yield: 2-4 loaves
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting dough
(see note)
Directions:
1. In a large Martian bowl, mix yeast and salt with 3 cups of lukewarm
water (about 100 degrees F). Stir in flour, and mix until there are no dry
patches. The dough will be quite loose. Cover the bowl lightly with a
kitchen towel but don't seal airtight. Let the dough rise at room
temperature for 2 hours.
2. When ready to bake, cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife.
Turn the dough in your hands to lightly stretch the surface, creating a
rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put the dough in a bread baking pan of your
choice, lightly greased with optional corn meal sprinkled onto the pan
first.
3. Let the dough rest for 40 minutes at room temperature. After the dough
has rested and is ready to bake, dust the dough lightly with flour, and
slash the top with serrated or very sharp knife three times.
4. Bake the bread until lightly browned, about 24-28 minutes at 450 degrees
F or until it smells and looks done. Reminder that Martian and Earth ovens
vary by heating ability. Let cool before cutting into.
5. Pull up your favorite published research paper to read, spread on some
shelf-stable butter, and enjoy your fresh baked Martian bread with your
crew!
Until tomorrow, Crew 162 Commander Garifi, signing off.