So, it's possible that yesterday's comments were my very favorite comments ever. I don't know if anyone else got a little verklempt reading them, but I did. What was amazing was how similar a lot of the things were: lots of crackers, usually mushed up. Lots of cheese, yes. Lots of soups. Lots of cinnamon-y stuff. Lots of things made by dads, which is fascinating. And grandmas. Lots of things that actually sound pretty . . . curious . . . but I'm sure are wonderful on the right days (those when you're sick, or sad, or just want to go home). Lots of bread.
Naturally, I now have a project in mind for all of this. Stay tuned. . . .
When I got home from Seattle, a birthday present was waiting for me from Pam, with whom I'd just spent the weekend. She'd sent the prezzie from Chicago before she'd left: among other things, a beautiful pink ceramic loaf pan, a new bamboo cutting board, and a gorgeous Henckels bread knife. DANG that girl knows me. Love love love her. So, yesterday, in honor of comfort foods and family, I baked bread.
"Baked" is the only thing I did to this — the bread was frozen white bread dough that we use to make pretzels (a link to Sandra Lee seems appropriate here, no?). You take the loaf out and plop it in a greased loaf pan. Then preheat the (electric) oven to 200 degrees F while boiling about 2 quarts of water in the kettle. When the oven is heated, pour the water into a shallow pan and place it on the bottom rack. Pop the bread pan onto the middle rack, shut the door, and turn off the oven. Allow the dough to thaw and rise for two to four hours, until it's risen about an inch over the top of the pan. I forgot about mine altogether so it was way over the top of the pan (top photo).
Turn the oven up to 350, take the pan of water out, and bake for thirty minutes. Pretty pretty pretty. My new bread pan is awesome.
The knife was fantastic. The nicest one I've ever owned. I could've cut this bread while holding the loaf in mid-air, I swear. Alas, the bread tasted like . . . nothing. Seriously. I wouldn't have known I was eating anything had I not toasted my slice and slathered it with butter and cinnamon-sugar.
Cinnamon toast is never wrong. Ever. Even on Wonder Bread.
Well, YUM! What a fabulous gift package from your friend!
Tis a very beautiful pan :D Mmmmmm cinnamon toast - between that, grilled cheese and mac n cheese, that was my childhood diet.
Looks like WONDER-ful bread to me!
I was using a new bread machine recipe for a tomato/italian herb bread that was going to "taste so amazing that I would crave it at least once a week." Well, it did smell amazing. It did look amazing. It tasted like yeast with a hint of .... butter. Oh, and the herbs you ask -- they apparently were there for the look of it all 'cause you couldn't taste a one! Not so amazing. rrrrrrr.
White bread can be such a good carrier for other yummy stuff. I made veggie spag bol yesterday and was to be found later at the stove dipping white bread into the sauce. Yum!
Love your gorgeous new pink bakeware.
Ahhh, cinnamon toast. How do you make yours? I've only ever had it in tea shops and the like, and can never seem to replicate it at home.
Nothing beats fresh bread, though. Mmmmmm. Warm from the oven with a thick layer of oozing salted butter.
I love the smell of baking bread. Sometimes the smell is better than the actual bread...
Your oven is so clean.(hanging my head in shame)Mabye I should put clean oven on my list of stuff to do.
Well, the photos are FANTASTIC! Looks so inspiring...imagining that freash bread smell! Mmmmm.
I TOTALLY felt verklempt reading the posts yesterday, Alicia. It's like we were all reduced to lil' kids. It was really touching to hear what foods comforted and comfort us. I don't know it felt a little vulnerable...sweet. Hard to find those moments sometime. But you did it!
I will refer back to that post again and again. The post alone is comforting in itself.
(SIGH)
Alicia,
Your photography is phenomenal. Each looks like a layout in a magazine. You definitely have an eye for that. Simply wonderful. Have a splendid weekend.
My recipe for cinnamon toast: 1.spread a big pat of butter on the toast while still hot from the toaster. 2. sprinkle a little cinnamon on 3. sprinkle a lot of sugar on top of that and take a spoon and smoosh it around! YUMMY! I had to laugh when someone asked how to make cinnamon toast :) That has been a favorite comfort food of mine since I was very little!
Wow, I don't think a photo of the inside of my oven would be fit for public consumption...
henckels knives are the best!! we just got a pro-series s santoku knife for Christmas from my in laws...it's amazing!
your oven picture is cool... :)
Yum...cinnamon toast! I didn't get a chance to leave a comment on yesterday's post but had I, cinnamon toast and tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich would have been it. They're both still cravings of mine but they never seem to taste just "right" unless it's my mom that makes them!
BTW - Love your new loaf pan and how that loaf of bread looks in it!
Yum - cinnamon toast is my strongest childhood food memory - just beating brown sugar sandwiches into second place.
Wow, I'm impressed! My bread never looks like that.
Hey at least it looks gorgeous and that's better than a poke in the eye! LOL!
Is that your oven!? It's so immaculate! I can't even imagine posting a photo taken of the interior of my oven... Impressive!
What a beautiful bread you have there and butter make anything taste good. This is the year that I made a promise to myself, well my husband that I would try to make homemade bread. I bought a wonderful book a few years ago “Whole Grain Bread by machine or hand” by Beatrice Ojakangas. I love the way it is written and it gives you the measurements for a sampler, regular or large loaf. So now you have inspired me to try.
Oooh, a pink bread pan! What a lovely gift!
So about 2 hours ago I commented on yesterday's post. I was just sitting with my parents eating lunch and my Dad had purchased custard scrolls and then I remembered a childhood favourite that I had forgotten - one of those once a year treats. Dad would drive about 20 minutes away to Takapuna, to Crusty's Bakery and bring home a still warm custard loaf. A white loaf that when sliced through it was interwoven with custard and a sprinkling of sultanas. YUM. Sunday lunches are the best. We just ate crunchy brown bread with salmon and sour cream and crunchy iceberg lettuce washed down with lemon iced tea. I can't believe coming home from camping and catching up on reading this blog has made me go on and on about food! :P
Aww.. that's too bad that your bread didn't taste...! It did look nice rising above that pink pan, though. And I'm with all the others that commented on how nice and clean your oven is... A friend of mine who is visiting from central Europe was here this week and I happened to be making bread, and when I realized that she was watching every move I made (she commented quite wistfully about the nice, big stoves we have here), I was suddenly horribly self-conscious about the state of my oven! I just have this feeling that everything is kept so much neater over there than I manage to do in my house... I made sure to only crack that oven door to check my loaf and then whip it outta there when she was in the other room! Cleaning my oven is DEFINITELY on my list of things to get done ASAP!
I want warm just baked bread now!
Love the loaf pan!
Mmmmm... bread. Smells delicious!
YUM YUM. That bread looks delicious!! I love that pan too, so cute!
What better to make a bland food suddenly wonderful than a slathering of butter and cinnamon? BRING IT ON.