Beautiful Bread

I walked Her Highness in the very cool air of a bright sunny morning after tidying up the kitchen following the messy job of making the shredded beef yesterday. I’ll be making that dish again—and often. It is addictively delicious.  I reckon I’ll find some nice Asian vegetable dishes so that I can put a meal together to serve friends.

It was the first morning that had me doing up my hood to keep warm and wearing gloves. It was one mighty crisp morning, but it was beautiful and bright. When we got home, I got busy making the bread that I didn’t make yesterday. I decided to make two loaves and freeze one. 

I’ve fallen in love with bread making. The smell of yeast is the smell of such a rich history of baking all over the world. I love using my hands to shape the balls of dough one it’s been mixed in the mixer, and the need for rising gives me a rest period in which to clean up or to read. I made simple white sandwich loaves. White bread is my favourite, but fun times are ahead making bread with nuts, fruit and/or seeds.

The dough rose perfectly during the first rest, so I divided into two parts and set them out for their second rest in the two bread pans. Again, the rise was perfect and so they went into a hot oven, and I added boiling water to see if I could get a nice crispy crust. I could hardly wait to eat a piece when it was done. Watching them rise and slowly brown on top through the oven window was very exciting.

I took the loaves out of the oven at 13:00, then Her Highness and I went to Drumbeg to walk while the bread cooled. I wanted a warm piece, but it’s best to leave the loaf to cool without breaking the seal of the crust. When we got home, I warmed a piece and had a taste. It was yummy! It tasted of bread whereas commercial sandwich breads have no taste at all. And the smell of baked bread in the house when we came home was divine.

Next up was some reading before dinner. I saved watching the final of The Great Canadian Baking Show until after we’d all eaten. And after that, I got into bed very early to read. It was a lovely way to end the day. I love my book, and I love reading with my pets around me, all of us on the bed. 

We’ll walk with our friends this morning, and then today will be a chill day. I’ll not be baking or taking on a cleaning/tidying project. I’m going to read and be a good boy about eating. I ate too much on My Day because it’s allowed on my weekly special day. I’ll read and do some light housekeeping, and at 13:00 I’m really looking forward to Zooming with Aidan.