Bring on the Bread
“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.”
Maybe it was my grandmother who got me hooked, I can’t quite remember. Whenever we went out for dinner, she always made a big deal out of insisting the waitress would bring her rolls. Hot rolls. I can still remember the little square pats of butter that the restaurant would stick in the basket with the napkin-covered bread. Whatever was left when we were leaving, would be tucked into my Grandmother’s handbag.
Years later, I went through a bread baking phase. The whole process delighted me, from mixing the ingredients, making sure the yeast was active before dumping it into the bowl, the kneading, forming the loaves… the happy aroma while baking and ultimately the cutting into the warm loft with butter melting into every crevice.
With gluten allergies growing today, fortunately, I remain among those for whom bread is still a joy. When the local bakery shuts down for a few days to allow employees a much-deserved respite, I find it somewhat devastating. I count the days until the doors open, offering bagels, bread and other yummy treats.
Bread, bread and more bread, in all its various forms. For me it equals happy.
Scratch Baking Company, The Toast Bar, Standard Baking, Big Sky - some of Greater Portland’s finest!