February has been an uneventful month when it comes to my photography. It was raining a lot here, I had to work a lot - and taking photos just didn't happen very much except for the one weekend when we had family from Turkey over.
This photo was taken on the same weekend, on Saturday morning when Kaefer and I went to the Farmers Market to buy bread. One of the bakers sells delicious dark bread that is mainly baked with ancient grains like purple barley or khorasan (my personal favorite). As someone who grew up and lived in Germany for 40 years, bread is a daily food for me - not any bread, but dark, rich, whole grain bread. It is still difficult to find here, and any baker who offers wholesome bread that is also delicious gets my support. Unfortunately this baker only sells on farmers markets, and the one closest to my home is the Saturday market - when I usually teach at the German school. But that Saturday was the long Presidents Day weekend with no school on Saturday - I was able to go shop at the market and I bought several loaves that went into the freezer so that we can enjoy them later (now!) one by one. It makes me happy.
I also bake my own bread. There is something very satisfying in kneading and rolling the dough, seeing it rise and shaping it in form, letting it rise one more time. The smell that fills the house when the bread is in the oven is heavenly - and earthy at the same time. It is so basic, so natural. It connects to the essence of life (at least for me), it doesn't need much - flour, yeast, salt and water. The first cut to fresh bread after it has cooled is always exciting, because only then will I know how the bread has turned out. That first slice with a bit of butter, still slightly warm from the oven - it is the most delicious thing!
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As someone who is both German and Italian - I love bread! I don't bake my own, but I adore restaurants that serve freshly baked bread. There is nothing like it.
ReplyDeleteI had to look at the photo for an minute to see what is was of. And then of course I read the post. It is a great picture and I imagine the bread is wonderful. When I was a child my father would occasionally bring home dark rye bread from the kosher delicatessen; it was marvelous. We would eat it with slices of salami...if I try hard I can still taste it.
ReplyDeleteFrom the thumbnail photo I thought the image was of painted stones. I was delighted to find that it's bread! The loaves look perfect for a hunk of farmer's cheese on a shady hillside. So yummy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on this love of bread and these loaves are some of the most gorgeous I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteHope the rain has eased up in your part of the world.
I never knew bread could look so artistic. Wow! Can you guess what I'm craving about now?
ReplyDeleteThis bread is beautiful! I can only imagine that it tastes good, too!
ReplyDeleteI love the way your image takes me to the bread stall of a farmer's market!
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful looking bread. I can imagine why you crave good bread coming from a country where such bread is so important! I agree about the wonderful feeling of baking your own bread. There's nothing like it, especially when you cut a hunk of still warm crust and spread it with a little butter to savour it completely! By the way, that would make a lovely new story, of you baking your own bread!
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, yes! Whenever I hear that quote that "Man cannot live by bread alone," I always think to myself, "but I could!" My favorites are whole-grain and sourdough loaves with crusty, chewy outsides. When I moved from California to the Midwest, I actually cried in the supermarket one day, because the only bread in the store was sliced sandwich bread in plastic bags, nary a decent "real" loaf to be found. I wasn't really homesick for California, just for good bread! Thanks for sharing this wonderful photo and story. That bread looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteYour photo is beautiful. I can almost smell the aroma of those delicious looking rolls. I've never seen bread like the dark ones. There's something about bread that speaks of home and warmth and love. I don't bake my own bread, but I've found a great shop with delicious bread.
ReplyDeleteThe bread looks delicious! The smell of bread baking in the oven is heavenly. I love all bread, but my favorites are sourdough and rye. I am now hungry. :) Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely, warm tones...yum.
ReplyDeleteWow!! chevron printed bread!! awesome..
ReplyDeleteOh, I LOVE bread! Especially homemade bread! Warm, with a little butter! Unfortunately, there is a lot of calories! Darn it! LOL! Big Hugs!
ReplyDeleteLove your shot of the bread and the story behind it. I get bread often at Central market which has amazing bread. You did get a lovely shot!
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