Bread Alone

As if perfect challah was not enough, E proceeded to bake the best bread I’ve ever had, and that’s no joke.  She thinks the TN water has something to do with it.  It’s not toxic.  But I say it’s alchemy.

I can’t even begin to describe this bread–perfectly crusty on the outside and fluffy substance on the inside, like an excellent Italian or French bread, and somehow made with only a few basic inexpensive ingredients.  The secret was letting it rise all day and evening, to achieve an almost sourdough character, then  recreating dutch oven conditions (we don’t have one yet) to bake it.  I literally could live on this bread alone–well OK, maybe some good cheese to go with it, and some wine or beer to wash it down, I suppose some produce for fiber, and some good olives wouldn’t hurt…but seriously, I can see why simple homemade bread is so primal and basic to human culture, not just survival.  With only some bread flour, water, yeast, a little something sweet for the yeast to eat, and some cornmeal for texture, you can create an edible work of artisanal wonder.  A picture doesn’t do it justice, but here’s what’s left of it:

Also, Pesach is looming, so maybe I’m getting bread out of my system.  And beer.  And now, back to E’s legendary challah.  Erev cheers.

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