This week is all about bread!

Some of you may know that I work as a bread baker here in Olympia but that does not stop me from making bread at home every chance I get. Even though the 50 pound loaves make my small home made loaves seem a little silly I still find joy in fresh bread made in the comfort of my own home.
France is a country known for its bread, the bread itself is about as popular as, well, as popular as any bread could ever become. In France bread is more than just something that is processed, packaged and sold. It is truly a way of life, a way of indulging and appreciating some of the finer things that life has to offer. Bread is what holds this country together, more than a food it is a tradition. The measurements and temperatures must be exact, the crumb and the crust must hold up to certain standards. Bread making is even guarded by laws that cover everything from the ingredients to the price of a loaf. After all no Frenchmen should have to go a day with out bread. That would just be a nightmare.
Here in America I do not believe that people have the same understanding behind a loaf of bread. Here it is just a vehicle for jam, butter, chili, you name it, and we put it on a slice of bread. However, there is more behind a loaf than just a quick bit to eat and this week I want to introduce all of you to the simplicity and serenity one can find in baking and enjoying a loaf of home made bread or even just good bread. Bread that could be bought on any street corner in France but here in the United States it is a little harder to find. We are not privileged enough to all have a local baker who we know by name and can be expecting us daily to pick up our fresh baked loaf of bread. Here we have to make some small sacrifices to get a similar experience.
I am not saying that we do not have great local bakers in the United States they are just more difficult to come by!
One of the sacrifices we can all kiss good bye to this week is the convenience of a nice loaf of Wonder Bread, because really there is nothing very wonderful about it.
The other is simply time. Giving up a little time to get your hands dirty, your apron floury, and your kitchen messy. To be able to allow time to pass as the bread rises knowing that at the end you will be able to enjoy this bread and the work you put into it and be thankful that this is one delicious thing you made with no help at all from a bread machine.
Now get ready for some bread baking fun, I know I am ready!

This week I will be reading:
Bread of Three Rivers: The Story of a French Loaf by Sara Mansfield Taber
The Village Baker by Joe Ortiz

And as you should know by now my three standbys
The Food of France by Waverly Root
The Food of France by Sarah Woodward
Culinaria FRANCE edited by Andre Domine

Lets hope that there is some good information about bread out there for me to find!