Bread of Life

Growing up Catholic I was surrounded by many metaphors about bread.  I would hear sayings such as, "bread of life," "breaking bread," and "bread from heaven".  That's the tip of the iceberg.  Do an online search for bread in the Bible and you will get hundreds of results.  And it is not just Judeo-Christian faiths that make reference to bread, but Islamic religions as well.  And it makes sense.  Bread has been eaten by humans for thousands of years.  

All you need for unleavened bread is really just water and wheat.  It probably wasn't long for ancient civilizations to figure out that if you leave flour and water by the window, it gets airy and bubbly, and now your bread is rising.  The art of baking bread as been passed from generation to generation for thousands of years to this very day.

I probably love home-baked bread because of my Mother.  She always told me she enjoyed baking.  It was something special that she shared with her mother.  And to this day, my Mom still uses the same vintage yellow Kitchen-Aid blender my Grandmother bought in the 1960's.  As a child, I used to turn up my nose at the color of that Kitchen-Aid.  Now about 50 years later it is back in style!  One of my best memories from my childhood is my mother baking a cinnamon-braid twist.  Oh, it was so delicious, I could barely wait for it to cool so I could start eating it!  

Now as an adult, I want to continue baking my own bread. There is nothing better than that sweet yeasty smell wafting through my house.  Not to mention, the smile on my husband's face when he realizes I am baking some bread.  Also, there is something about doing the exact same motions that my grandmother did that makes me feel a spiritual connection to the earth.

I usually bake Oatmeal-Molasses Bread from William Sonoma's The Essentials of Baking.  I use this recipe because it is sweet, light, and fool-proof.  I have never failed to make it rise and I am sure you all will have a lot of success with it.  It even worked when a goat walked into my kitchen, which can be highly distracting!

Oreo, what are you doing in my kitchen??

Is that fresh bread I smell?

Goats in the kitchen... that would never happen to Martha Stewart!

This post is dedicated to my Mom.  I love you!