Edible Traditions

fancy. There's no fabulousart or eye-catching color.The stamp on the bottomsays "USA" and nothingelse. The molded designsaround the rim are worn,the chips on the enamelredolent of dishwashing anda lot of bumping around. Itcomes by its charm andbeauty simply.

I decided to try using it.Down into the bottom ofthat bowl I made my warmsugar water and sprinkledthe yeast. I observed shiftingbubbles expanding in the

murk. I listened to the sounds of air being made.Pushing my electric mixer off to the side, I put my hands

deep into the bowl and mixed the flour into the water untilthey became united. The soft warmth of it felt so good, I gotcarried away, scraping along the sides with my fingers anddoing a really thorough job. When it came time to knead, Ididn't worry about surface coverings or dough hook attach-ments. I sprinkled the flour right on my counter and workedthe dough there until my muscles ached and I had gotten allof my grievances out. I didn't watch the clock, I watched thedough and saw what it was becoming. When it was ready, Islapped it back down into the bowl and I put it away for awhile so we both could rest.

In the end, it was Grandma's bowl that taught me how tomake bread. By understanding the value of the bowl, I learnedthe value of a simple thing. Bread is a simple thing. Making itis easy, but not mindless. It requires work at a pace thatmatches the material. Yeast is living. If it gets cold, it won't risefor you. Put it in water that's too hot, it dies.

But, like all living things, it gives back tenfold what yougive to it, and this is also true of bread. Even if you've alwaysfailed at it before, it's worth giving it another try. You mustbelieve me when I say if! can do it, you can do it. I've learnedthat whatever I put into my food with my two weary handscomes back as nourishment, for both body and soul, becausemaking something yourself just feels good. And you don'tneed all the books or gadgets or machines. Just a few well-cho-sen items, like a well-designed bowl, for instance, and maybea thermometer. You'll discover the great kitchen secret thatour grandmas knew well-all food tastes better when it's beenmade by hands. <>

MY GRANDMOTHER'S BREAD BOWLBy Carol J. Butler

.,

IT SEEMS TO ME mybread didn't begin risingproperly until I inheritedGrandma's bread bowl. Myefforts had begun after wemoved out to the countryand the only bread I couldget within an hour's drivewas the commercial kind,filled with preservatives. Ieagerly set about baking,and I made a lot of giant flatcrackers and underdonebuns. Then I read too manybooks, fretted and poked atmy dough, and bought a lotof ingredients I didn't need. , ~I guess I was caught up in the "an" of it, filled with expertopinions and expectations that did nothing for myconfidence. You should know that I have an old gas range, andmy oven door requires a bungee cord to close, and mychildren have thoroughly broken all my kitchen timers.

Yet still I persevered, because people have been bakingbread for centuries and I believed it must be possible, even forme. My bread didn't need to be fancy. All I needed was avehicle food-something to put the peanut butter on. Evenmy worst loaves were still better for my family than supermar-ket fare, but that didn't mean they wanted to eat it.

Then it came time to distribute Grandma Helen's prizedpossessions, and her bowl fell to me. I was apprehensive aboutaccepting such an antique, but my mother-in-law was firm."You will use it the most," she said. "And Grandma wouldwant that."

This says a lot about the kind of woman Helen was andthe era she lived in. Her bowl wasn't something precious keptbehind glass. It was used every week to make the bread, alongwith the cakes and the rolls and the pies, not because shethought it was the better way, but because it was the only way.She lived out in farm country, in the small town of Souris,North Dakota, near the Canadian border. From her kitchenwindow she saw wheat fields and swaying sunflowers, and shepurchased her flour like everybody else did back then, insacks so large that when the flour was gone, she made clothesfrom them.

I had never before seen a bread bowl and Helen's wasenormous. Made out of beige pottery, thick and satisfYinglyheavy. It is deep and well-made. A design so well-considered,I don't know how you'd ever improve upon it. But it's not

'"'"'":I:'"~~>-.0

~c;

edible TWIN CITIES WINTER 2010-2011 7

Test the water: To "wake up" your yeast, you want thesugar water to be between 120-130 "F, Use your pinkyfinger to test the water. You don't want there to be muchof a difference between the temperature of your fingerand the liquid in the bowl. If it feels nice and warm, that'susually good. If it's too hot, wait. Too cool, warm it up onthe stove. On cold days, warm your bowl first with hotwater, rinsing it out and then drying. If you're using ametal bowl, or if you have cold hands or an especiallydrafty kitchen, consider investing in a good thermometer.

MIGHTY GOOD BREAD or WHOLE WHEAT ROSEMARY BREAD.; Makes 2 loaves

Inspired by Grandma's bowl, this simplified recipe uses ingredients easily found on hand. The sponge method allows you to start as lateas 2:30 and still have warm bread on your table by 6 p.m. Suggestions for tasty add-ins are written in the body of the recipe. Plan onspending 20-35 minutes of actual kitchen time, and know that it may take longer the first time you do it.

2 tablespoons brown sugar3 cups warm water2% teaspoons active dry yeast (or one package Hodgson Mill yeast)8-10 cups flour (2-3 of them can be whole wheat)2 tablespoons salt (You can use less,or omit if desired. It will not affect the rising.)Vegetable or olive oil (for oiling bowl)

A note on yeastIf buying in bulk, store yeast in a jar in the refrigerator and bring to roomtemperature before using. If purchasing packets from a store, buy onlywhat you will use soon. I've had the most consistent results from the brownHodgson Mill packets, designed for rising whole grain. If your yeast doesn't"bubble" in the first feeding stage, try again, checking your water temp. Ifyou still see no activity, get new yeast. Better to know you've got bum yeastnow rather than after you've invested all that good flour.

FEED: In a clean, warm bowl, put inyour brown sugar and add the warmwater. Test to make sure it is warmenough. (Hot tap water can work finehere, and the sugar will cool it down alittle bit.) Once you have tested thebath, sprinkle in your yeast, stir, andcover with a towel for about 5 minutes.This is called "proofing;' but I think of itas"feedinq.The yeast is having a snackbefore getting down to the business ofrising your bread. You can tell the yeast is "eating" because bubbles will erupt on the surface of the liquid.

SPONGE:Add 3-4 cups of flour, stirring between cups. The consistency you want here is something like oatmeal, sticky butstirrable. Cover with a towel and let your yeast have a picnic. Giving it a head start like this will ensure your bread has a betterchance of rising, and once you get comfortable with this process, it will cut your rising times down by half. You can start the nextstep in half an hour, or wait as long as two hours.

SPICE:When you uncover your bowl, you should see something akin to a sloppy marshmallow as the sponge will have risen,either a little or a lot, depending on the percentage of whole grain flours used. Add your 2 tablespoons of salt and whatever herbsyou'd like to try. Rosemary gives an aromatic flavor, but crush it first in your palms. It's great with chopped walnuts, about ),3 cup.Basil and oregano tend to get lost but do add flavor. Dill works nicely with a tablespoon of onion powder. For sweet bread, trycinnamon and nutmeg with a quarter cup more of brown sugar and an optional 1'3 cup raisins, (and still do add the salt).

8 WINTER 2010-2011 edible TWIN CITIES

BASIC BREAD TIPS

Start out white: In the early days, praise for my bread directly corresponded to the amount of white flour I used.Because it rises the easiest, it makes for a good place to start, and you can find wonderful fresh, unbleached versionsat the co-op or specialty stores. When you're ready to ramp up the whole grain, any recipe calling for flour canusually handle a % replacement with whole wheat. Whole Wheat Pastry flour, with its extra fine grind, will give yourbread even more of an advantage.

Find a cozy spot: If your kitchen is cozy, you can let your bread rise right there on the counter where you didthe kneading, under a kitchen towel. If you've got a wood stove or fireplace, try sliding the bread bowl down next toit, also covered with the towel. I've placed my dough inside cupboards alongside water heaters or appliances run bya pilot light, relying on that warmth. If your entire house is drafty, turn the oven on warm, preheat to 200 of and thenturn it off and slide your bread in there for the rising.

KNEAD:Add 3-4 cups of flour right on top of your salt, and with your hands in the bowl, begin working in the flour. Use yourfingers and scrape the dough off the sides, use your palms to press out the air. Stretch and fold the dough over, and incorporatea~ that nice flour. Once you have a workable but sticky ball, cover your countertop with about a half cup of flour and put yourdough out onto that. Work in that flour, adding more as needed, half a cup at a time, until yourball feels smooth. Now, this can be tricky to detect at first if you're not used to seeing it, becauseyour hands are covered in dough. Take a minute to lightly run a relatively dough-free fingeralong your ball. It should feel soft and have something of a satiny surface, almost like the skinof a balloon. If it still grabs, add more flour and keep working until you get the desired effect.Don't be awimp. Reallywork at the dough. There's no right or wrong way, just find a rhythm youcan really put your muscles into. From start to finish, this will take about 10-15 minutes. This isthe most work that you will have to do.

RISE& REST:Wash your hands and the bowl. Put a tablespoon of oil into your bowl and coat thesides and bottom. Put in your smooth ball of dough and flip it over, so that the top is coated withoil. Then cover with your kitchen towel and put it someplace warm to rest-one hour at least,two to three hours at most. If you want to bake it the next day, put it in the refrigerator andcontinue tomorrow. If you are crunched for time and using white flour, half an hour of rising cansuffice. You want the dough to roughly double its size.

PREPAREPANS:For rustic loaves, use a cookie sheet coated with cornmeal or oats. I like to addcourse salt or herbs to this when making savory bread as it makes for a fine bottom crust. Ifusing loaf pans, grease the entire pan with butter.

>-

E.l!!

~Q

-5'0

E8o<;-<=Q..

SHAPE:After the rising, punch down your dough and rip it into two equal halves. If making elongated loaves, squeeze into theshape you desire, then roll the dough-not on the counter but with your hands. You want to grab at the surface of the doughwith your thumbs and "roll" or tuck the edges under. There's no wrong way or wrong shape here, you can even braid the dough.Just find what pleasesyou. Place it on your prepared baking sheet or tuck it into your loaf pan. If you'd like to make round loaves,apply the same technique of tucking the dough underneath a ball shape. If you are baking both loaves side-by-side on thebaking sheet, give them room. They will puff up to double their size.Cover with your dishtowel, and put back to rise and rest.

BAKE:After 30 to 60 minutes, uncover your loaves and generously rub the tops with flour. This is to prevent over-browning. Slashyour loaves shallowly across the top and put them in the oven. I let them finish rising in here while the oven is preheating. Setyour oven for 450°, and once it reaches this temp, allow loaves to bake for ten minutes before turning down to 350°. Bake loavesfor another 20-25 minutes, checking for brownness. Loavesare done when they sound hollow if thumped on the bottom. Allowto cool slightly before slicing, or hold them with a dishtowel if you just can't wait.

edible TWIN ClTI ES WINTER 2010-2011 9