Hidden Treat David Erdos
My grandfather always said, “life is what you bake of it,” although I never fully comprehended the depth of this quote until I embarked on my culinary journey. My efforts in the kitchen began when I was seven, chopping vegetables or stirring soup. By twelve, I was experimenting with baking, inspired by my mom’s airy breads and velvety cakes. Soon, not only was I able to produce the same cakes as my family, I was expanding into more complicated endeavors. At that point, it wasn’t uncommon to stay up all night, attending to the countless cycles of kneading-and-rising required to make fresh baguettes or sourdough. I learned early on that baking connects me to my living family, but did not realize that it also connects me to the past. One afternoon, while visiting my grandmother, I began leafing through an old cookbook. I noticed that one page was folded over, and when I asked her about it she explained that this recipe was my grandfather’s favorite bread to bake. He hadn’t made it, and she hadn’t even thought about it, in over a decade. I immediately asked if we could bake it – the bread looked interesting, but more significantly, I sensed my grandmother’s excitement at the thought of bringing Pa’s favorite bread back into existence. As the fluffy dough rested in our palms, I watched my grandmother travel back in time. Not only did the mouthwatering aroma of fresh bread waft throughout the kitchen, but in baking with me, her grandson, my grandmother gained a sense of connection and satisfaction that my grandfather’s spirit was somehow alive again.
60 ~ Rain
