Hello from Canada . I do not know how I began subscribing to your blog but I have stayed with it just because the writings are interesting and well written.
Funny bread is the topic of the week. I am from the generation that existed before McDDonalds replaced the parents in the kitchen, and home economics were taught in schools, and I still have a keen interest in food and cooking. And, since this week the Eastern Canadian residents have been home bound due to two blizzards and a third immently on the way, I personally have spent my time in-house thinking about my grandparents, as a direct result of watching Canada Masterchef which premiered last Sunday after the Super bowl. And this blog got me on that train of thought again.
The bread connection? Well, first, my mum’s parents lived an amazing life. Gramp was in WWII, was part of the liberation of Holland, came home, married and fathered 9 kids. Overcame debilitating alcoholism used to cope with war memories. Grew vegetables, cut hay, kept dairy cattle and chickens and a hog, felled trees, then split and hauled the timber with a horse drawn sleigh, drove the public school bus. Hunted with his 3 sons and Beagle dog afterwards. Hauled the family to the little Baptist Church every Sunday. Always worked with a song and telling jokes.
His wife learned to cook age 14 from her husband to be’s family. Kept the house of course, including cleaning the chamber pots(no plumbing for the 1950s Canadian family), making bed quilts from flour sacks, knit slippers and gloves for her children’s families(about 30 grandkids) every Christmas, did laundry for 11 persons, endured 9 pregnancies! (and weighed a mere 145 lbs. at 5′ 8″ AFTER giving birth to all kids). Did laundry on the old wringer, fed all of them, and often a few neighbourhood kids included, three times a day. This included making two loaves of exquisitely made fresh bread every day on the old wood cook-stove of the early 1900s. The family always raved about her bread.
I have the recipe, it is an 8 hour process, done correctly it comes out milk-sweet, delicate, slightly saltine(5 tsp. Per 8-10c. flour), with a thin crisp exterior crust, and rises A MILE HIGH! (No exaggeration LOL) The crumb, I do not know if there is a French equivalent. It is not the small, pumice-stone style holes, nor the same smaller holes interspersed with larger holes found in an excellent baguette, nor does it have the beautiful chewiness of a baguette. Made in a loaf pan, it leavens forming an elongated “muffin top” that is 1.5x the volume of its base; when fully cooked, it is so soft and spongy you can squeeze it, release it, it will spring back into shape; the crumb finally, if torn apart rather than sliced, results in what is like the long tendrils of cotton candy. I have seen many homemade dinner rolls result in this, but never bread sold in any store bakery. Though they sell exquisite artisan bread(French, Italian, baguettes, Kaiser rolls etc…)
So, homemade bread always makes me miss these dear people, and, with watching Masterchef Canada, in particular the story of the lady contestant who became widowed 5 years ago had to learn to hunt to feed her family(she served a beautifully presented elk dish), how over and over people in this country I love so dearly rise up to some pretty extreme challenges and come up compassionate. Including my grade 6 educated grandparents and others in that generation who came back from the war, got on with living, with renewed gratitude, building families and this country, what we enjoy in the present.
It was a long time long ago when most everyone knew how to cook :)
Anyhow, I once heard Canada supplies France with wheat for its bread. For its high gluten content I believe(12% hard wheat). I was curious, do you personally know anything of this, either in past or present?
I watch Masterchef as it interests me what youth today know about food prep. And from Australia, I find it more educational with respect to their culture, and culinary- wise. They do 5 eps. per week after all. But, Canada’s looks good this year, not so much over the top drama. (Which was a bit tamer that way anyhow compared to the American version) And with stories of interest to different regions of the country, it should be a nice way to spend a Canadian winter. At least judging from the premiere :)
Thanks for your diligently cheery blogs!
