I love bread. I love to bake bread, and although I am not a vendor of bread products at the Market, I do bake bread often. I love the entire process — choosing the recipe to prepare, gathering the ingredients, lining them up in order of need, starting the yeast to proof and then the mixing process: kneading…rising…punching down…shaping… And then the aroma of yeast bread drifting from the oven. I read once that the three greatest food smells are the moment you plunge into a coffee can, getting the first whiff of the essential oils; bacon frying; and the smell of yeast bread baking…the first time you open the oven and get the “blast” of yeast bread smell is almost heavenly. It is a memory of home, heart and hearth…
When my guests ask what the secret to good bread is, expecting an answer regarding the flour, or some odd quirk in mixing to make it wonderful, my answer takes them by surprise: the after-baking treatment of the bread. Most bread is ruined by the wrong slicing knife. Using a standard butcher knife or straight-edged “something” knife that one bludgeons, hacks or presses through the artisan loaf creates chaos, causes an uneven crumb and gums up the bread texture, which oddly changes the taste and the enjoyment of the bread-eating experience. The best bread slicing knife is sturdy, has a serrated edge with a 9-10 inch blade AND is totally dedicated to slicing bread or cake. The serrated edge allows for a clean, effortless cut; make the cut a somewhat sawing or gliding motion; do not try to press through the loaf or make the cut in one second or less, just guide it through gently and take a few extra seconds. Loaf bread is most easily cut, not from top through to the bottom, but by laying it on its side to cut the slices; hearth loaves can be done either top to bottom, or the side method.
In the 1970s I ordered a “bread-crumber” from a catalogue. It is a wooden box with a wooden insert rack. When bread is sliced it catches the bread crumbs, leaving the counter crumb free, plus you can cut completely through the loaf even better than using than a cutting board. As I launched my children out of the home, they wanted one. So, taking my 40-year-old crumber box to various woodworkers to re-create this jewel, I found David Sutton of Port Farms, who took my precious bread-crumber box. Now he produces these. I have purchased at least 10 from him and use them for gifts. I keep my bread knife beside the bread-crumber, and it is off-limits to the rest of kitchen use.
The next thing about good bread is good butter — a thin coating of plain butter for bread or toast. There is nothing more simple, more homey or more comforting; it is easy to eat, is filling, is easy to digest and provides food nourishment as well as comforting nourishment. The recipe for “milk-toast,” often given to the ill, is: buttered toast, then cubed, with a little warm milk poured over it; sometimes with a sprinkle of sugar or cinnamon. How easy, how much love. I usually use the wooden craft knives to spread the butter on bread. The little wooden utensils have an earthy feel, and are sturdy and wonderful to spread softened cheeses, like pimento cheese, or soft goat cheese (plain or with herbs).
There is no need for a bread recipe here. The Farmers Market is stocked with wonderful breads, loaf and artisan, in a huge array of styles and flavors. There is butter, cheeses — soft and hard, plain and some flavored — along with the wooden craft-work to set the table scene. Do not avoid bread; it has been part of celebrated food culture since time began. Only in the last few years has it gotten a bad name for the carbohydrates… So eat wholesome breads; get rid of store-bought processed snack items instead.
Penelope Ferguson RD
Nutrition of the Shenandoah ©_2011
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