IF A BOOKSTORE AND A BAKERY HAD A BABY…

I find it interesting to learn what other folks are doing to stay sane in these crazy times. Netflix? Scrabble? Knitting? Zoom? Everyone has a favorite “escape hatch.” The two things that saved me from losing my sh&%$#t while I was in lockdown both start with a “B.” Books and Bread.

When I was growing up, if I’d had to choose one thing to rescue from a burning building, it probably would’ve been my library card. From the time I learned to read, I could usually be found curled in a corner with a book. On Saturdays, my sister Laura and I would ride our bikes to the public library in our town. I’d return with my bike basket laden with books. My alternate reality then was the fictional worlds of Oz, The Little House on the Prairie, and Nancy Drew, to name a few.

My second-favorite pastime was baking. It all started with my mom, who was a wonderful baker. Many days I’d come home from school to see her elbow-deep in bread dough or smell the aroma of bread baking in the oven. Mom would always give me a lump of dough to knead and shape. On weekends my sisters and I loved to play “Bakery;” we’d spend an entire day in the kitchen testing cookie recipes. We still laugh over some of our epic fails. Like the time sis Karen mistook the powdery substance used in our swimming pool filter for all-purpose flour—both were stored in unmarked barrels in our garage—when making cookies that were literally hard as rocks.

Through the years since then, I never stopped baking desserts: cakes, cookies, and pies, you name it. I even published a cookbook, SOMETHING WARM FROM THE OVEN. But I got out of the habit of baking bread after I became a busy writer. Frankly, living in New York City, which is chockablock with bakeries, I didn’t see the point. It wasn’t until I became a COVID shut-in, looking at shuttered shopfronts whenever I ventured outside, that I got the itch again. I yearned to sink my hands into bread dough again. To fill my home with the fragrance of fresh-baked bread. To retreat to my happy memories of childhood while living in a world that felt unsafe.

So a few months ago, I put on my apron and went to work. My first batch of loaves was like coming home. It was so satisfying, and the results so tasty, I was inspired to make bread baking a weekly tradition. Many of my recipes are tried and true, handed down from my mom. Others are new favorites, like the Vermont Maple-Oat bread recipe from the King Arthur Flour cookbook. An old favorite is my Alabama Light Bread. Light and airy and tasty, it’s the perfect sandwich bread or toasted with butter and jam. See the recipe below.

What’s your favorite “escape hatch”? Post a comment. I’d love to know!

ALABAMA LIGHT BREAD

This recipe is an homage to my Southern grandmother. She grew up in Nebraska but her Massey ancestors came from Mobile, Alabama. The Massey family women were renowned for their baked goods. No Thanksgiving at our house was complete without my grandmother’s cornbread stuffing and pecan pie. This bread is light as a feather, with a touch of sweetness. Perfect for sandwiches or toast.

½ cup sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup whole milk, heated in a pan until small bubbles form at the edges of the pan.
2 large eggs, beaten
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
6 to 6 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 9” x 5” loaf pans.

Place the sugar, butter, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the heated milk and stir to soften the butter. Let cool to lukewarm. Beat in the eggs. In a small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of warm water(110 degrees Fahrenheit) and let sit until bubbly. Stir into the butter mixture. Add 4 cups of flour and beat with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer until smooth. Stir in the remaining flour a cup at a time until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, 8 to 10 minutes (or knead for 4-5 minutes in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.) Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the surface. Cover and let rise in warm place till double, about 1 ¼ hours.

Punch down. Let rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough in half. Shape into loaves. Let rise, covered, until doubled in size. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top and it sounds hollow when tapped with a knife handle.