I enjoy Bake off, but it's far too long, and it's also becoming too 'jokey'; with very poor jokes. I watch the repeat on Saturdays at mid-day.
This last week's programme was all about 'Bread'. They baked Soda Bread, sickly-looking multi coloured Bagels, and personalised Harvest Loaves; most of which were dreadful.
Being the age I am, I am used to the more traditional Harvest Loaf (above). In the UK at Harvest Festival, every baker had a very beautiful Wheatsheaf loaf in their front window, to demonstrate their skills.
I expect they're still made, but probably nowadays stamped out of a mould. I can't imagine that many bakers would go to the extent of making them by hand these days. I may be wrong.
I have always wanted to buy one, not to eat, but to allow it to dry out completely, then varnish to preserve it. I would hang it on my wall somewhere. For a few pounds one would have a magnificent 'sculpture' to admire all year round.
The one above would be perfect.
26 comments:
Our village has a typical French feast every year.... called LACO... "Laboureurs, Artisans, Comercants, Ouvriers".
Pride of place on the stage at the end of the hall is a salt-bread bass relief... not a harvest loaf as such because it is in the first week of February.
But it is a proper, sculpted loaf depicting the trades/theme.... as we are very rural, there is almost always sheafs of corn, but cattle, sheep and other livestock are often there, too.
We've had three boulangers since buying... all have done the loaves...
so that's at least three who can still do the business!!
Could you buy one and keep it? They sound wonderful. I would be at the door of the baker to secure the purchase. We have no such feast day here, although the bakers did used to make a decorative bread for the local antiques fair.
In a small country church, last year, I saw a beautiful plaited bread that my cousin's daughter had made for their Harvest Festival. That would have been worth varnishing!
Your post today Cro made me think back to Harvest Festivals when I was a child - that has given me a post for today so thank you for that. With all the Covid restrictions here I am not going anywhere to write about.
I thought I was the only person in the world who wasn't keen on bagels. A crusty baguette is a thing to behold, and best made here by Vietnamese bakers who some how still have the knowledge of what pleased their former French masters.
When well made, they are such beautiful things; well worth preserving.
When I was small, Harvest Festival and Christmas were by far my two favourite festivals.
I have nothing to say except that bread is important here and the wheat harvest yield was 38% down this year due to bad Autumn weather the previous year and is now likely to be down again next harvest because we have just had the highest September rainfall for 20 years, and the new crops are water-logged even worse than last year in East Anglia. Eventually flour prices will go up and it won't be Brexit or Covid to blame but those who want to will blame them and Trump and Johnson and Putin and any political leader they don't like who isn't a leftie and Guardian reader. Real people will know it is bad harvests and wheat prices rising. Harvests and working farmers matter to everybody.
I actually find Bagels quite unpleasant.
Why not ask Lady Magnon to bake a harvest sheaf for your birthday - if indeed you still have birthdays! It may be a challenge for her but with research and patience she will surely be able to do it.
I'm giving Bake-off a miss this year, it's become a bit tedious.
I was once in a Wheat/Barley futures syndicate, and prices certainly fluctuated. Percentage-wise it was one of my best ever investments; unfortunately my investment was very small.
I think she might give that infamous two word answer. She doesn't bake bread.
I don't really know why I'm watching it. It goes on far too long, the two 'comics' are boring, and I'm not struck by any of the contestants.
Some funny stories used to abound about commodity futures and people who forgot to close off a trade and ended up with a 40 tonne lorry outside asking "where do you want it tipped gov?".
That looks really amazing, Cro Magnon. I bet it took a long time.
Down in Crete they make a similar decorated loaf ring and I'm sure theirs are varnished. They are sold in the market in chania and are made to be displayed
I do not bake but I know the good bakeries and can purchase excellent baked goods. Varnishing bread that looks like the one in your post, now that I would like.
I'm sure it did; time and patience.
Something as beautiful should be preserved; not eaten.
Everlasting bread.... Can't be bad.
No, never for sale... they are a gift to the feast from the boulanger.... originally they probably were not salt dough, and broken up and eaten.... but now they are varnished to death and gifted to the couple who act as hosts... probably ending their life decaying in someone's barn!
There was a baker in Dorking who used to make miniature ones, tho'....
I did a lot of baking when my girls were young, and out biggest novelty loaves were braided sorts like challah, Christmas breads, fruit breads. Good days.
Maybe this Winter I'll have a go. Something very simple, of course!
Try it! See https://www.google.nl/search?q=Baking+a+harvest+bread&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiw8uXBka_sAhVSDOwKHdC_DaEQ_AUoAXoECBYQAQ&biw=686&bih=1098#imgrc=8h4m3YtFc3At9M
For many years I wanted to try my hand at making one of these. Of course, I never did, but I love to see them all the same. One, varnished, would make a lovely addition to my kitchen here.
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