Snow day bread baking

Looking at the online weather report Thursday night (April 3), it was certain that the snow would continue, and looking out the window, the storm seemed to be living up to the predicted 8-10” of snow. Waking up Friday morning, the snowpocalypse was still continuing outside. I woke up early in anticipation of having to catch the bus and go to work, but a call from my supervisor allowed me to keep the PJs on, and head on into the kitchen.

My ideal snow day activity? Baking. More specifically today it was baking Julia Child’s White Sandwich Bread with a recipe from the “Dinner with Julie” blog.

1/2 cup warm water, 1 Tbsp. yeast, 1 Tbsp. sugar = a foaming success! 

The dough getting ready to rise

 Some 2 hours later…

 

After punching the dough down, I split it into two and flattened the pieces into sheets, folded them into thirds, and laid them seam down in the buttered bread tins.  Time to rise once more!

    Before  & After 

The smells involved with baking bread take me back to my Grandmother's kitchen. I remember readying the yeast in the glass measuring cup, balancing the cup on the edge of the red counter next to the sink, where there wasn't quite enough space but that's where my Grandma put it, so, balance. I remember licking the sticky dough off my hands before washing them, just after kneading the dough for the first time. I also remember the time we shaped the dough into a teddy bear. And of course, the smell when the bread comes out of the oven… a time machine to the past.

By the time the bread was finished and a slice of bread (or two) with butter was had, the sun was shining, the wind slowed, and the resulting 9.4"of snow was waiting outside to be shoveled. Happy Spring!