By now most of you are familiar with my friend Kim Moss (see previous posts The Very Best Ever Mincemeat Pie Recipe and Lee Hynes’ Boeuf Stroganoff). He’s here in Truchas living in and tending Hand Artes Gallery while Bill and Margaret Franke are away. Since his arrival he’s been a great supporter of the blog. In fact, so far, only one of your recipes has been tried without him. He invited me over to the gallery kitchen the other day to watch him make bread.
In addition to being an accomplished painter and writer, Kim is also an outstanding baker and cook. He makes the best country loaf of bread I have ever had, hands down. It is light and tender inside, with a perfect crunch to the crust. Offering surprising sustenance from simple ingredients: water, flour, yeast and salt, it is a meal in itself. I had some for breakfast the day after and was astounded at how filling it was (not to mention delicious—that was the other surprise—this bread is full of flavor, very rich). No wonder bread is known as the staff of life.
Kim used to frequently write food pieces for the Santa Fe New Mexican, one of the local papers. And he wrote about his bread-making process, offering his recipe. I give it to you now:
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Food/Adventures_in_the_art_of_bread_making
When this wonderful loaf was out of the oven, cooled and ready to cut, Kim gave me a special treat: bread and warm chocolate. Divine. Exquisite. Words aren’t adequate.
Suffice it to say that it is one of those moments I will always remember with great fondness and precision—like the scent of ancient juniper in fresh snow, the first flooded fields of spring, my mother’s doughnuts, fresh from the frier, dusted in sugar. Bread and chocolate. It just doesn’t get any better than that.
Love to you all,
Jeane
This article was useful when looking for:
- country loaf bread (11)
So much fun to see our kitchen put to good use by such good people!!
Your kitchen has certainly been lovingly used all winter.
Oh. My. Goodness. Melted dark chocolate on home-baked bread. I do believe I am blushing.
You made me laugh out loud. Thanks for a fun way to start my weekend.
I’ve never made bread. I’m gonna try it.
Oh, that really pleases me! Please write and tell me about the experience.
What a visual gift this beautiful loaf of bread…and I can just imagine the luxury of a bite warm with melted chocolate:) Oh you are an abundant woman 🙂 Some how all this imaging has brought me to believe I can build such a glorious perfectly risen and crusted dome…I will not elaborate on past bread experiences…but I bake a mean Biscotti lol.
I have had your Biscotti and they are divine! You CAN make just such a loaf. Please let me know how it turns out.
Kim, it’s been a while since we saw each other. Many , many years. I don’t know what I would have expected from you but it is good to see you cooking . I used to make the best bread ever in a small cabin in a wood stove .The smell alone still remains firmly , in memory .
Good to see you .
Tim