recipe source: Honest Fare
During my senior year of college, I lived off campus with two other women from school. They were Mennonite, like most of my classmates, and at the time, I so wanted to be like them. Particularly their proficiency in the kitchen with making tasty dinners out of inexpensive food items. I thought that if I made my own bread, I would be that much closer to being culturally Mennonite with a combination of frugality and healthy food preparation.
After a few long afternoons kneeding dough and waiting for it to rise, I gave up. It was too much work! And frankly, my bread wasn’t all that much better tasting that something from the store.
A few years later, I bought a bread machine, figuring that fresh bread does taste a little better, and it wouldn’t be as much work to make bread with the machine than by hand. This is true, if you don’t factor in the hassle of cleaning the machine. And that weird hole made by the paddle. I think I ditched the bread machine in a later move.
Until last week, I had not made bread in many years. A colleague shared some samples and a recipe for a Guiness Irish soda bread that was quite tasty, so I decided to make some of my own, after gathering all of the ingredients not found in my house already, such as buttermilk, bread flour, and sesame seeds. The bread turned out well, and I’ve been munching on it for breakfast most days.
As I was making it, I was reminded of the tasty and light beer breads that occasionally appeared at potlucks and other communal events. Everyone would exclaim over the bread and it never lasted long. Seemed like a special bread, and I assumed it would be hard to make. Then I ran across a recipe this week which floored me with its simplicity.
So, I made it. And it is easy. And very, very tasty.
Excuse me while I go cut and butter another slice.
