Gifts of Bread

Semolina loaf.

I know it is customary to bring a bottle of wine or frilly cookies when invited for dinner, but I like bringing bread. Bread feels good to hold. It sounds sonorous when tapped on its flat bottom. Its aroma somehow arouses a primordial reaction. This week is holiday season so I've been baking gift and potluck breads.

Fig and Fennel.

Onion Rye (left) and Rye Pumpernickel (right).

These last four loaves were made with rye grown in the college garden just outside my office. It took a handful of students three months to hand winnow and thresh, but there is really nothing quite like bread baked from recently harvested and freshly milled flour. The taste is both sweeter and deeper, resonating like a large brass bell.