Bread Reflections -- TOAST

As long as I can remember I have had a thing for toast. There's something about its crunchy texture and the browning from the Maillard reaction (a term that I learned in graduate school that I can finally use somewhere) that makes it so much better than just bread. I knew that my son inherited the toast gene from me when he was little and one of his favorite foods was toast, except he liked his very dark.

Yesterday the bread fairy entered my life again at Community Market in Santa Rosa. I saw Mario of Grindstone Bakery http://www.grindstonebakery.com and he handed me two loaves of bread. I must say that in my effort to give as well as receive I handed one to a friend, Page, who was one of 4 people that I encountered there at the store. But the Sprouted Seed Spelt made it to my toaster today. And I am still swooning. I had to stop myself from eatng a third piece (at least right now) since it tasted so delicious. This hearty, naturally leavened bread is one of my favorite types to eat versus something light and airy. But I must admit that I am not able to resist other delicious bread and my bread box (yes, I do have one) often has a few different loaves lurking inside waiting to become toast.

Each year I go to camp in Mendocino at the Mendocino Woodlands in Jackson State Forest and my biggest complaint until last year was that I couldn't have toast. Last year there was a toaster there and my life felt very full and complete. A life in the woods with great food that includes toast. Ahh, just a small slice of heaven.