Warm, Crusty Bread...A Little Slice Of Home

  Warm, crusty breads have always been a favorite of mine.  Their texture and taste remind me of the homemade loaves warm from the oven back on the farm.  Then, the thick slices were used to sop up gravy or syrup depending on the meal.  This is a far cry from the fancy-smancy "herbed oils"  (and I am teasing there.  I love the herbed oils!) used for dipping and, guess what...our way tasted better.  What is the point in eating more oils?  Nope...slather a bit of home-churned butter on the slab of bread and dunk it in some fresh made sugarcane syrup and things are right with the world.  Maybe that is what is wrong nowadays, folks have forgotten the down home goodness of things.

  Today was a rainy, rainy day.  There was not much use in trying to escape the confines of the Little Bayou House so my thoughts turned to baking.  Since it had been a while since I made sourdough bread, I figured today would be a good day to experiment.  A crusty seeded bread sounded right nice but nary a recipe could be recalled at the moment.  When that happens, I just start tossing things in the mixing bowl and hope for the best.  

  The sourdough starter was at its prime this morning so things were easy.  A little of this, a little of that and a good bit of resting time and the dough was ready for the oven.  I am pleased to say that it turned out really well.  My expectations were met.  I sat, ate a slice of warm bread and reminisced about times back on the farm.  The only thing lacking was that cane syrup and I think I have a smidgen of that left from a jar my cousin gave to me.  The second slice will definitely taste like home.

  In a few days, I will try to repeat the bread-making process and, this time, write down the recipe.  I have a tendency to plop things in a bowl with no measurements so I cannot pass this recipe on to you just yet.  Hopefully in a few days, I can tweak it to perfection because this is just too good not to share.  Crunchy, crusty on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside.  Plus!  It is full of flavor!  Perfect for down home style dipping....or, if it is to your liking...herbed oil dipping.  Whatever suits your taste.