Sunday, May 11, 2014

Quirky Urban Bread Geek



Bread, the staple in cultures around the World. It has a bad reputation at the moment.  There is a campaign that is out to crush bread.  Everyone should cut wheat out of their diet.  It's bad for you, causes wheat gut, leaky gut syndrome and other things that I have never heard of.  There are some who have a true allergy to wheat or a disease that will not allow them to eat gluten but the whole Country?  Now that thought has to make you scratch your head.  "They", once again, are out to convince us that we need gluten free products.  The question I would like to ask you today is why are we letting the media tell us what we need or don't need. We allow them do it with drugs, food and well, pretty much everything.  The media is not our friend.  They just want our money!!!!

Okay I'll get off my soapbox and get on with the bread making. So bread is kind of a mystery to some. You put something alive in bread. Yeast. It  It  bubbles as it feeds on gluten.  It rises and then is popped into an oven and then comes the smell.  The smell that fills your home with feelings of love and warmth. The moment that it happens you cannot help but feeling the love that went into those loaves.  The recipe is simple. Flour, water, yeast.  Yup that's it all you need to create a simple loaf is that. Nothing more.  Why the heck "they" put yoga mat in it is beyond my comprehension.  True, that simple formula is for a simple loaf but even the most complex ones don't require much more.  Perhaps some salt, oil, potatoes water, spices.  Maybe some eggs for that fluffy Challah.  Simple as that!

But is it?  I have been on my quest for the perfect loaf for years.  I have tried, failed and tried again.  It has become an obsession and a passion for me.  To create that perfect loaf. Crisp golden brown crust and soft fluffy crumb on the inside or the tunnels and bubbles of the perfect sourdough, that is the goal.

For my next few blog posts I am going to do a series on how to make the perfect loaf.  From instant yeast to sourdough you will learn what this quirky urbanite has learned.  I hope that you find it helpful.