Our daily bread

Bread must be the oldest prepared food in the world. In literature and art one can find early references to bread. Like a wall painting of an ancient Egyptian making batter for bread in the 5th Dynasty (2500-2350 BC).

Pot Bread

Nothing beats homemade bread. It has become an art to make wood fired breads, floor breads and traditional sourdough breads. In Cape Town, one can find artisanal bread (the new buzzword) in bakeries walking distance from each other.

I like baking bread because it gives the kitchen at Towerwater an authentic aroma and feel.  Home baked bread is a very personal offering to serve with a meal. It is an indication to one’s guests that you put effort into the meal and that their company is appreciated.

The bread ready to be baked

Taking time to make the most basic ingredient of a meal ‘bread’, is for me a sign of love and care. After all, bread and company are synonymous.  The word ‘company’ has its origins in combining two Latin words it seems, ‘com’ being ‘with’ and the word ‘panis’ being ‘bread’.

I have to admit I tend to make things that I am confident in making, like white bread. It is light and rises beautifully without effort. I also have to admit that I have a weakness for traditionally prepared food and ingredients.

When I encountered   stone-ground unbleached brown bread flour from a Southern Cape mill at the local Supermarket, I was immediately tempted to try it after reading their description of how the flour is produced on the package label.

Homemade bread

The wheat is grown biologically and the grain stone-milled in the traditional way without additives, preservatives or bleaches. I bought the 2.5kg bag of flour right there and then.

My enthusiasm waned after my first attempt at making bread with the flour. It did not rise the way that I am used to and the breads looked a bit flat. But to me anyway, the taste was amazing. I discovered that I needed to add some white bread flour to increase the gluten content of the dough which assists proofing.

After I introduced the white flour to the mix, my dough rose beautifully and I had a nice full loaf. Now to experiment with homemade fresh yeasts, start using the wood-fired oven in the Towerwater kitchen and make the ultimate authentic traditional bread. Something Keith as a bread lover is very keen on trying.