rituals: bread

Let me start this one off by saying that this really is not a food blog. Nick has been spreading that rumor around, but it’s just not true! I must just be better at documenting baked goods than crafts. I promise the next post will be something non-food. Anyway, in food related news: in two months I will have gone two years without buying bread.

measuringMaking bread is a mostly weekly ritual around here, which means that sometimes I get busy, so Nick goes the week without sandwiches, and I have to eat something besides buttered toast topped with a poached egg (a staple in my diet). But usually I do alright– I think we lived here a few months before a need for hot dog buns led me to realize I had no idea which aisle the bread was on.

second rise

There are plenty of breads worth buying, and it’s typically not an expensive grocery item, but nothing beats the taste (or the cost) of fresh-baked bread. I can name all the ingredients, and it doesn’t have that sour, been-sitting-on-the-shelf taste. But mostly, I like the challenge.

shaping the loaf

The bread recipes I use are from this book, by Rose Levy Beranbaum (again!). My favorite is her hearth bread, which is perfect for toast or hearty sandwiches. The recipes in the book are pretty in depth, but I found a simplified version of this bread here. Turns out Ms. Beranbaum has a blog! I will definitely be sending some traffic her way.

fresh baked bread + plugra + sea saltThere are likely millions of ways to enjoy this delicious bread, but since I had some Plugra leftover from danish-making, I decided to top a fresh slice with a nice-sized dab and a sprinkle of sea salt. And I may have to go back for seconds…

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