I returned from Anchorage and the first thing I did when I walked through the door at home was to go tend my starter.
I fed that little levain with fervor, for I’d missed having my hands in dough so badly.
Alas, it would still be a few days until I could bake bread since it takes a some time to get the yeasties active again. Hence, I went on a quick-bread and/or snacking loaf kick. It started with this grapefruit snacking cake that I spotted in the April issue of Bon Apetit on the plane ride home. This was a simple recipe to throw together and was a big hit with the lemon-poppy seed set, let me tell you. It’s definitely more cake than bread, but made a fresh addition to our weekend breakfast routine. There were people in and out all weekend and it was eaten up in no time.
I’ve also been working on a Pain D’Epices recipe, and decided to test a loaf of that this weekend, too. It stood in sharp contrast with the grapefruit cake, in all its rustic and spicy glory. I tested it this time with freshly ground wheat from Camas Country Mill and decided to add a little rye. This fragrant loaf hits a far-flung memory that sits somewhere between history and travel. It’s sweetened with honey and full to the brim with every sweet spice imaginable (except cinnamon, which apparently the French don’t like…) We posted the recipe this week on Communal Table, so check it out if you want to make a loaf.
The thing about quick-breads is that they show off the pure flavor of each grain. As much as I adore a long, slow fermented bread, often in those loaves you are tasting the fermentation process as much as the grain itself. I’m not complaining in the least. That beautiful, controlled rot is what gets me out of bed most mornings. All the complexity of life is contained in this interaction that humans have with the slow process of decay. I’d even go so far as to say that the divine rests somewhere in the relationship of slowing this molder while we hold the key to sensual desire in its wake. But I digress. Quick breads. These are the breads that come into our lives for a quick chat, stay fresh for a warm conversation, then fritter away. You can’t keep them around for a week to slowly stale and become useful in other ways, but they have their good points. For one, you can have something on the table—from mix to bake—in about an hour. For another, they often make a good palate for sweeter flavors. Lastly, you can use lower protein grains because they rely less on gluten for structure.
By Sunday, I had a loaf of what my daughter calls “Mama Bread” fresh out of the oven. This is my family’s daily bread, the stuff we slice off multiple times a day to quell hunger or top with delights. I grind whole grains in my KoMo Classic and use all of what I grind. All of it. For this daily loaf, I mill whatever grain most peaks my interest at the moment, then I immediately mix it. Four simple ingredients and a good amount of time. Freshly ground wheat, levain starter, water, and salt. And yes, I know putting all the bran into my loaf might disallow for all those lusty irregular holes in the finished crumb, but I don’t care.
My daily loaf, my “mama bread” as my daughter sweetly rings out for in the morning, gives me so much more substance than reaching for a half-misplaced platonic ideal. Annie Moss, a wonderful lady-baker at Seastar helped me see it this way, helped me see the truth of this. If we really want to eat whole foods (and most bread, sadly, is not a whole food), we must consider many loaves out there as a once-in-a-while treat, a good night on the town, let’s say, but not the one you bring home for the long haul.
I know mama bread is nourishing my daughter as she nips off bite after bite before school in the morning. It’s not merely filling her with calories, but nourishing her as an inclusive part of a community that starts with seed and farmer, but lands square in the belly and at the apex of her pleasurable morning ritual. It wakes her to herself and the world and that, my friends, is what I want to feed those I love. That is why I put myself in this cycle time and again.
I’m headed to Los Angeles today for some exciting bread happenings. I’ll report back from the field. In the meantime, enjoy the cycles of your day and have a good week. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any burning questions.
Savor the world with delight and gratitude,
