Bread. Food for the Body and Soul.

One would think, being as devotedly Catholic that I am, this would be about Jesus in the Eucharist. But, it is about bread, the food, in it's humbler form.

I have been baking bread for years. Try to replace commercially produced, preservative and high fructose corn syrup laden breads several times a week. Often quick breads fill the bill (yeast not being the leavener of choice here) with a hearty, corn-bread, or a southern, style biscuit whole grains snuck in, of course. Still, the endeavor is to produce a lovely, yeast bread, rolls or pizza dough several times a week. It doesn't always happen, but with some very simple and consistently, reproducible recipes bread baking and consuming occurs quite frequently here.. I keep thinking that it shouldn't evoke the emotional satisfaction that it does. But, perhaps it is the same as pulling fresh vegetables from one's garden after organically, battling all manner of creatures and feeding them to family. It is also ant act of creativity, I decide what to make and do it as simply or full of flare as I choose. Another great factor is that after it is made, the job it done. Most jobs are never done, the sheer frustration of having to accept the partiality of a job finished is something that has caused me great trauma over the years. Bread once baked is finished.
This year it seems has been one in which most teachers would probably take a year sabbatical. Not that the enjoyment of teaching is gone, but the day to day responsibility feels heavier and more confining. As all things are providential perhaps my dear mother-in-law passed on a book that had come her way, or maybe she was actually thinking of me, I don't know, but, am very grateful that she put into my hands just what my sucked dry of creativity brain needed. "Local Breads - sourdough and whole-grain recipes from europe's best artisan bakers." by Daniel Leader.
While traveling just leafing through the book caused a serious baker's binge. The pictures of velvety, airy rye and whole-grain breads were like quick-witted come backs to the flat and heavy, whole-grains of my past. Like Frankenstein with the evil laughter in the background I could not wait to use the base recipes and add my own flare.
First, I would follow the recipes and learn. Wish I had a picture to share of my first adventure.. It was so thrilling to look around my kitchen. baking stone? check. Bread peel(wooden pizza board) ckeck. parchment paper, check. yeast. check, organic flour, check. spring water. check. Mwahhh!
So, I began simple Parisian Daily Bread, page 66.

I wasn't prepared for the numerous steps. Or the focus to learn something very new.
Mix, knead, ferment, give a turn, divide and reshape,shape the baguettes, form the couche, proof the baguettes, score the baguettes, bake. Geez my recipes really are simple.

See, I thought I knew how to make bread. Hah! Shaping the baguettes? Yes, that is when it happened. I touched this precocious, silk parading as bread dough. Hadn't even baked it yet... just holding the marvelous stuff in my hands I realized that I had never made bread before. Suddenly, I felt like a peasant being granted the favor of protecting the crown jewels. Anxiety, must be careful not to screw up the baking of this most auspicious of dough. Which of course, I did, somehow I put waxed paper, instead of parchment (the boxes do look alike) to couche the baguettes which then, of course baked into the bread.
It didn't matter. After spending ten minutes slicing it off, my family devoured almost every last crumb. My husband who never, and I repeat never compliments anything(at least not verbally.) He is a perfectionist and nothing ever quite reaches the state that inspires praise, well, he did, he said it was delicious. I thought, delicous? daily bread?. So I tasted it and it was delicous.
Later that evening when the baby took off her diaper and pooped on my bathroom floor and the 5 and 8 year boys were still fighting and keeping eachother awake an hour and half after being put to bed and I was arguing with my 12 year son that his ipod was mine until his chores were done and my 5 year old woke up and couldn't go back to sleep and at 10p.m. the only one asleep was my completely cooperative kids the 10 year son and 8 year old daughter, I just smiled and felt no stress because that evening, because I baked the first real bread of my life and it tasted amazing.


That was a month ago and I have been reading the book in my bathroom, and simply biding the time until I could "do it" again. Today, I started a "liquid levain" with the intention of making sourdough some week or so from now and the exciting thing is, you use only the yeast from your flour and air, no prepackaged, it wiil be interesting to say the least. Also, made a "biga" (water,flour and prepacked yeast that will sit for 9-17 hours.) with the intent of making Rosemary Filone, have been wanting to use my rosemary bush for something other than pork loin. Seems like a long wait until tomorrow, but time passes quickly.