Pleasure
I made two loaves of bread yesterday, and sometimes I'll get comments from people saying why make it when it's so cheap to buy. Well, cost isn't the point. Baking bread is all about the sensuality of the moment. Kneading the dough...noticing the texture and warmth. It's about the scent permeating every corner of your home. Debra Ollivier says it well in Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl.
"Pleasure in ordinary moments. Pleasure in extraordinary moments. She does not confuse commerce with culture and the narrative in her life does not come from what she buys or sees on TV; rather, it comes from getting sensual satisfaction in the moment, from feeling an almost tactile pleasure and evocative power in the seemingly mundane...Sensuality is so pervasive in her life that it is almost transparent. It is in the general texture of life, the patina of age that comes with time. It is the baking of bread by hand, the aging of wine. It is the color of inkwells or damask drapes, in the uproarious flamboyance of architecture. And it is fundamentally in the perfection of imperfections--the complexity and realness that create character, depth, and charm."
"Pleasure in ordinary moments. Pleasure in extraordinary moments. She does not confuse commerce with culture and the narrative in her life does not come from what she buys or sees on TV; rather, it comes from getting sensual satisfaction in the moment, from feeling an almost tactile pleasure and evocative power in the seemingly mundane...Sensuality is so pervasive in her life that it is almost transparent. It is in the general texture of life, the patina of age that comes with time. It is the baking of bread by hand, the aging of wine. It is the color of inkwells or damask drapes, in the uproarious flamboyance of architecture. And it is fundamentally in the perfection of imperfections--the complexity and realness that create character, depth, and charm."
posted by woof nanny at 7:36 PM
3 Comments:
I love home made bread - the aroma, the taste, everything. But I've never done it myself - I hate the kneading because it makes my hands ache (arthritis), and it isn't worth all that work for just two of us!
I love baking bread. People have asked me why I don't have a bread maker. I would only do that if I was on a cattle station in the outback and had to have it on the breakfast table at 6am every morning. The kneading of it is the most important thing. I do confess to using my Kenwood Chef to mix the ingredients - but that is all.
My wife freqently bakes her own bread. I'm sure she'd agree with you. Personally, I don't get involved in the process, I just appreciate the results. And the stuff my wife makes is usually way more filling than anything one buys at the store.
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