Home made bread

Simplicity Coimbatore , Bread making during lockdown/a

“The smell of good bread baking,like the sound of lightly flowing water,is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight.” This quote by Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher (MFK fisher) beautifully articulates the joy that one finds in baking bread.

What is it exactly about baking bread that gives so much pleasure one may wonder. The whole process is one which cannot be hurried even with the recipes which promise shortcuts to making a loaf of bread.

Pizza dough
Pic credits : Sonia Mathew

The aroma which wafts out of the oven is pure magic.How else does one explain basic ingredients like wheat flour, water, salt , sugar ,yeast or soda coming together to create something so wonderful that it can bring a smile to the sternest of faces ?!

The Huffington post in an article by Sarah Medina talks about the smell of bread putting people in a more agreeable state of mind which makes them behave in a more kinder fashion to those around them. From helping strangers cross the roads or assisting a helping hand, the study found that those who passed by a bakery which carried the rich aromas of baked goods,really did make people happier.

So people aren’t joking when they say making bread puts them in a happy state of mind.

This is something which has struck me with certainty this past few weeks because there have been so many instances of friends sharing pictures of their bread making skills. Sometimes it has also stemmed out of a necessity of not finding bread in the local supermarket.

As much as we are a rice and lentil eating community,the lock down has brought to light that bread too is an important fixture in our diet. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy.The simple habit of bread popping up in the toaster after turning crunchy, waiting to be slathered with golden butter or a sweet jam is something we all know and love. The regularity of eating bread may differ from one home to the next but the moment the product becomes scarce in supply is when one actually realises the dependency on it.

While people began helping one another by ordering in bulk directly from bakers to be delivered to one neighbourhood and taking care to make use of it frugally,the other thought process also involved making bread ,at home, from scratch.

When we talk about bread it goes beyond just your regular loaf of white bread…we have pau buns which resemble small, square  pouffe cushions ,multi grain bread topped with antioxidant laden nuts and seeds and of course everyone’s favourite, the pizza bases. These are essentially the more common buys from a regular supermarket.

Home made sandwich bread
Pic credits: Madhuri Bhandari

It was unexpected ,to say the least, when images began popping up on social media and on Whatsapp groups, of dough rising , bread baking,loaves set out to cool on a wire rack; some flavoured with cheese & herbs, others left plain ,it was incredible. Most of these were not made in a bread maker either but by simply following a recipe of kneading the dough and making bread by hand.

The few times that we have made bread at home was always using baking soda as a rising ingredient. It was a Rachel Allen recipe and it has always given me much joy . Yeast is an ingredient we almost never use .(that’s another story) .When I began hearing about bakers talk of natural culture and drawing yeast from the atmosphere (quite fascinating) it gave me one more reason to not stock up on yeast.

Using over-ripe bananas and turning them into a delicious banana bread breakfast is something which always brings out the happy-frugal-home maker trait in me. This one is topped with some pecan nuts which were found in my freezer ,otherwise it’s usually walnuts.

After looking at yet another post of dough left in a bowl to rise ,from a friend in Bangalore who turns out sumptuous treats for her kids everyday, I found myself wanting to make a thin crust pizza base…with no yeast !

Whatsapp groups are now the new go to place for all things food, or so it seems…and that’s just what I did. Within a few minutes of asking I was given not just any recipe for a yeast free pizza base but my kind of recipe which could incorporate whole wheat flour , curd, natural sugar, salt and soda. It was perfect. The time needed for the dough to rise was 6-7 hours she said. The she in question was a college buddy of mine who now lives in Mangalore and uses this same recipe to turn out everything from pizza bases to tandoori roti to even a bhature. Like I said, perfect !!!

The dough did all the things it was supposed to and we sat down to a most satisfactory dinner of home made pizza which featured our in house margherita sauce, basil leaves from the garden , mozzarella cheese which we rummaged and discovered tucked away in a corner of the refrigerator and of course the star of the evening , the yeast free whole wheat crust. This is the kind of recipe which gets better with practice.

As the images of bread continued to make the rounds ,the unspoken thought was that we are all surviving this together and deeply grateful to be safe inside our homes. One particular loaf of bread which my friend from Indore said she tried after watching the recipe on you tube looked like it was made by a pro. As we waited for her to send pictures after it was cut in slices, we oohed and aah-ed over the crusty exterior and soft inside.

Herb and Cheese loaf
Pic credits : Aishwarya Rao

It gets better. The next one was from an educationalist who also dabbles a great deal in articulating her thoughts both in poetry and prose ; she too posted an image of an incredible looking herb and cheese bread which she shared with her Dad and referred to themselves as “loafers”…….there it is right there, that’s just what it’s all about  ; the family bonding , trying to make light of the situation despite having a myriad different worries about loved ones all around the world and feeling helpless about being unable to help those who are hungry, to the fullest extent.

So, while the ovens are working overtime , prayers are being said, virtual hugs and kisses are being delivered by the thousands and we force ourselves to not panic.

Once all of this is over, the bread making skills will stay as a reminder for what we have overcome…together !

Bread made at home
Pic credits : Madhuri Bhandari

Recipe for a soda bread (Rachel Allen)

• 1  & 3/4 cups whole wheat (wholemeal) flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

• 1 &  3/4 cups  maida
• 1egg
• 1  & 2/3 cups  buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons seeds, such as sesame (optional)

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C.
• Sift together the flours, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl and mix in the sesame (if using).
• Add the butter , rub into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles damp sand. Make a well in the center.
• In another bowl, whisk the egg with the buttermilk and pour most of the liquid into the flour mixture. Stretch out the fingers and palm like making a clamping action and mix in circles, bring the flour and liquid together, add some more of the buttermilk mixture, if necessary. The dough should be  soft not too sticky.
• Turn onto a floured work surface and gently bring the dough together into a round about 1 & 1/2 inches thick. Press a sharp knife down gently and make a deep cross on top of the round and place on a baking sheet.
• Bake for 15 minutes at first. Turn down the heat to 200 degrees C and bake for 30 minutes more.  When it is baked , tap the loaf at the bottom , it will sound a bit hollow .Lift off carefully from the baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool.
• It can be eaten with butter or with a bowl of soup or as cheese toast or just tear chunks off and enjoy eating it dunked into a good extra virgin olive oil with a fresh cracking of black pepper.