Bread essentials
Bread is considered one of the essentials of life. In just about every culture on earth, you will find some type of flour based bread. There is something quite comforting about bread. The warm, yeasty smell that permeates the air when baking, the crusty outer edges and the soft pillowy insides , that, when warm, are so delicious to eat just on it’s own!
As a child, we would go to the shop early so that we could get one of the the first loaves still warm out the oven. I remember the baker would put it, whole, into a brown paper bag and within seconds, the bag would be wet with the steam still coming off the bread. We had to play hot potato with the bag, passing it back and forth between us on the back seat of the car. However, on a cold day, it was often a fight to see who could hold the hot bread like a water bottle on their laps all the way home!
I can’t say I was every crazy about bread. Sure, growing up, I ate it and liked it but it wasn’t something I HAD to have everyday. Years later, when I began to be aware of a possible wheat intolerance in my twenties, bread became something of a treat more than an everyday occurrence.
However, you know what they say :
You always miss something after it’s gone
-they say
It was only when I went off gluten completely, that I missed the soft pillowy bread of my youth. Not the pre packaged bread you get today, but real bread! Since I don’t react too well to yeast, I stay off yeast breads for the most part and I make my own seed/nut bread which is yeast free and it is a bread I love and I am happy to eat. But sometimes I just want a yeasty, soft bread.
Tasting this bread was a real treat and if you miss gluten breads, you will really enjoy this homemade loaf.
Why this bread?
In the past I have offered bread in my bakery. Although it was good bread, it was a fussy, complicated bread to make that ended up being more of a hassle than it was worth. I have been working on trying new recipes and finally have adjusted and tweaked it and come up with this bread that is an absolute pleasure to make as well as eat.
The bread needs tender loving care and requires two hours of proofing and one kneading, knocking back session, but it is relatively quick to prepare apart from that.
This bread is shaped as a round loaf and is very similar to sourdough bread. In fact, I plan to start my own sourdough from organic brown rice flour culture soon and once that is on the go, I will be also be making a sourdough bread. The bread has a crispy crust and a light, airy, chewy crumb.
Since it has no preservatives or additives, it has a short shelf life. I’ve tested that it lasts three days. It also needs to be wrapped in a clean, dry cloth and then placed in an air tight container. (not in the fridge) Yes, the bread needs tender loving care, give it that and you will enjoy it for three days. On the third day it is better as toast. You can slice this bread and wrap each piece in cling film and freeze and take out as you need but it is better enjoyed fresh!
I must admit I sat staring at it for ages before I sliced it!
available now for order
I’d like to make a few of these at at time since they take a few hours, so at the moment, I’m limiting the order to a Friday or a Tuesday with the order cut off being the day before you want it. You can order it via my order page.