“People who eat white bread have no dreams.” –Diana Vreeland
If that statement is true, then I must have dreams grand and frequent, because I’m a whole-wheat bread eater. Give me your humble-but-seedy sandwich loaves and your 9-grain pitas. Give me baguettes rustiques, rosemary focaccia and pillowy challah configured to sync with the whole-grain ethos. It’s all dreamy to me.
Just about the dreamiest — not that I’m playing favorites — is this whole-wheat brioche. I bought a brioche pan a couple years ago, committing myself to actually using it from time to time. I make brioche for special occasions, but honestly, when a loaf — any loaf — emerges from the oven it turns any old day into a special occasion for me.
And I just joined the BYOB (Bake Your Own Bread) cause boldly started by Sandy at Bakers Bench, a special occasion of there ever was one. The idea is to make all your own bread — yikes! I know. It’s a bit of a crazy, oddball notion, but I’m on pretty good terms with yeast these days, so I think I can hack it.
We’ll see.
At any rate, consider this brioche my debut BYOB loaf. Or maybe I should reconstruct that sentence in past tense, because this brioche is good and gone already.
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croquecamille said,
May 27, 2009 @ 10:20 am
What a great project! I always feel compelled to bake bread in the summer, but I don’t know why. It can’t be the desire to have the oven on for hours at a time… maybe it’s the longer days. ANyway, good luck to you!
Trisha said,
May 27, 2009 @ 12:29 pm
Camille: I had that same thought: Why am I deciding to leap into this just as the heat is getting really nasty? Ah, well, at least I don’t have to fret over finding a warm spot for all the dough to rise.
fleur said,
May 27, 2009 @ 1:31 pm
Sounds like a seriously ambitious endeavor! But I just paid $7.99 for a loaf at my favorite bakery and am feeling the pain. Good luck!
Elisa said,
May 27, 2009 @ 8:40 pm
That’s fantastic! I’ve always wanted to do that. Bonne chance, and let us know how it goes!
them apples said,
May 31, 2009 @ 10:35 am
I do bake all my own bread already, although I admit to the help of a bread machine most of the time. That said, I used to make it all by hand in huge batches, freezing a few loaves at a time for use during the week. I had/have a versatile basic bread recipe that can be turned in any direction to cover foccaccia, ciabatta, normal loaves, baguettes…Then the kids came along and stopped all of that. No time. At all.
I would take issue with the white bread quote, although I generally agree with the sentiment. Somethings are better with white bread…a bacon sandwich, for example, on wholemeal is just not the same as one made on white.
amy said,
June 2, 2009 @ 7:28 am
I think this looks wonderful, and heat or no heat (that’s what a/c is for) I’m going to try this over the weekend.
amy@maisonbelle
Trisha said,
June 2, 2009 @ 5:25 pm
them apples: Thanks for weighing in. That basic bread recipe that can be used for different kinds of loaves sounds like the way to go! I made a batch of baby baguettes & they’re in my freezer now.
And yes, there are well made white breads out there, quality loaves with quality ingredients, and they have their (occasional) place. I think the quote refers to all the Wonder Breads of the world. We call them “toilet paper bread” around here because they’re all smush and zero flavor, plus they’re stocked with chemicals!
amy: Enjoy! We nibbled the last of our loaf toasted with great swipes of blueberry jam!