BASIC BREAD
Week one. Day three. A loaf on the counter; my apartment warm with the smell of rich rye and wheat. And not just that but a light smell of apples and beer leftover from the starter.
The loaf itself is crusty on the outside but rich and soft on the inside. The crust tastes like early mornings in Europe when I was 18 sorting out who I wanted to be and again at 33 quite sure the path had changed.
The new tools that have joined the kitchen are beautiful. They will take work to sort out and find their nuance but we'll work together and make it great. That LODGE cast iron dutch oven is a thing of true beauty and we will create some other delicious dishes as well.
This step... the fermentation - requires the most patience. I am not always patient but it's worth it. I am not always sure patience is worth it but I think it's why this is such a valuable exercise for me. I need to be ok with things taking the time they take. Fermentation, grief, love, healing. All of it takes the time it takes.
So it's not perfect. Not as dark as Golper suggests in the recipe and I could have given it the 5 extra minutes. I also need to work on my shaping and scoring and skills with the plastic bowl scraper.
It eats well. Hearty and good alone, with jam and with salmon. I know... I tried it.
Next time I will write about my first loaf ever!
I look forward to the next one.