What's Your Favorite Bread?
I get this question a lot at the farmer’s market. I get it. It comes from well-meaning people who just want to know the answer. The real truth is that I am terrible at favorites.
I'm 37 years old and only just have answers for my favorite food (whipped cream) and favorite movie (Stranger than Fiction, tied with My Girl. Good Will Hunting is up there too.)
I guess I don't actually have one favorite movie, and my husband would tell you that I don’t like movies at all. This is one of those things that has come from having children. My free time has been diminished extravagantly. As childless newlyweds, my husband and I used to have so much free time that we would watch movies often. Now, I don’t usually want to use my quiet minutes watching a television. We also always have to start movies after the kids are in bed, and I don’t usually want to stay up late enough to finish a whole movie. Currently, we’re just working our way through the TV show “Succession.”
I suppose my true favorite bread is the Overnight Country. It’s chewy with a thick crust and a deep sourdough flavor that comes from an overnight cold fermentation and Lindley Mills Malted X flour. These little breads are also baked at a higher temperature which helps with the crusty, dark exterior. I love to eat them warm with salted butter. I love to dip slices in hummus or herbed olive oil. I also love to lightly toast a slice and slather it with strawberry jam.
The long, cold fermentation of the Overnight Country doesn’t only deepen the flavor, but increases digestibility, too. While all sourdough gets a fermentation that helps to break down gluten, a longer fermentation only furthers this process. My Country Sandwich loaves are made all in one day, being fermented completely on the counter, at around 78 degrees. They have a sour flavor, but I would call it a lighter sour flavor.
If you’ve had these breads, how would you describe them? It’s always fascinating to me to try to describe the way something tastes. I understand that different people might have different ways of doing this. I would love to hear from you!
I'd love to also know what your favorite bread is!
Bonus points if you also list your favorite food and favorite movie! Like this: “Overnight Country. Whipped Cream. Stranger than Fiction.” (Maybe we could make this into a small poetry game where we scramble up the words. “Overnight Whipped Fiction. Country than Stranger Cream.” This is fun.)
Photo by Gohar Avdalyan on Unsplash
