I know bread gets a bad rep as a bad carb, or at the very least something high in carbohydrates and not apparently much else depending on the diet guru pontificating on its ill-effects. And white bread has become a symbol of ‘non-culture’ and blandness. But really, does anything compare to the smell of baking bread? There is a warmth coming from the aroma that seems more than just physical – a reminder of home (even if your family never baked bread) and comfort and acceptance. Why isn’t there a candle that replicates that?
What a variety there is of bread – white, wheat, pumpernickel, banana bread, challah – I could go on. There are yeast breads that take hours (or longer if it’s something like sourdough) to mix and knead and rise. There are quick breads you can just mix and bake. Simple and elaborate breads, sweet and savory. Bread can satisfy at a basic level.
I wonder sometimes about how bread originally came to be. To us it seems simple – take flour and mix with water and leavening agents and other possibilities, and bake. But really – what about grain made someone first think, hey, I’ll bet if I pick this and grind it up into a fine powder, I can mix it with stuff and cook it for food? How did that idea come about? I mean, meat you can imagine coming from watching other animals eat other animals, and picking fruits or vegetables and eating them seems natural, but how did the first baker get the idea to grind and mix and cook? So even though it’s simple, bread still carries a sense of wonder.
