0131-CommanderReport

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.