I decided to make bread this morning. It has been a while since I have been a little on the crazy side lately--you know--dealing with my obsessive behavior. Today, I am very happy to say that all is in order, working properly, and looking pretty good, if I may say so myself. Because the temperature has plummeted, I am content to stay inside--consequently the bread.
I make what my mom called Depression bread. I use oil, water, sugar, salt, yeast and flour. I never measure anything except the salt and yeast and am completely surprised when the bread begins to rise, bakes well, and tastes good too. It is like choosing a chocolate and finding the center to be one of my favorites--a total delight! I have this wooden bread bowl that was my great grandmother's. It is scorched on the bottom from where it would sit on the wood cook stove for the bread to rise. I feel a connection to my heritage every time I use the bowl. Of course, my great grandmother was somewhat of a character. She was a tiny women with a wizened face, floppy hat, and smoked a corncob pipe. I have one picture of her and wouldn't take a farm in Texas for it. Unfortunately, she was not a very nice lady. My dad said that she had to be the meanest woman that God ever put on this earth. Of course, when he was aggravated with mom, he would tell me the same about her--our secret. Perhaps great grandma's meanness rubbed off on mom since she stayed with her so much when she was little.
Back to the bread--I'm rambling. There is nothing better than getting my hands in the dough and kneading it. I have a bread machine but never use it. I want to feel the texture of the dough. After working it, I oil my glass bowl, put in the dough, turning it so that it will stay moist, cover the bowl and impatiently wait and watch to see whether or not the dough will rise. After it has doubled or tripled in size, I punch it down, work it again, then shape a loaf or rolls. Today, I made four big rolls.
They are rising now.
Making bread is one small thing that I can do to show my family that I love them and that they are important to me.
16 comments on Making Bread
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tastes better than out-of-the-oven bread !
Granny sounds like a character. My great-grandma was also a pipe smoker.
Lived into her 90's too........[SMILE][HEART]
I forgot to mention......sourdough makes excellent pastry dough ! The sour taste
with sweet is electrifying ! Sourdough sticky buns should be illegal !