Friday, March 5, 2021

Take This Worth a Grain…

How certain food stuffs advanced human civilization never ceases to amaze me, especially salt, a biological necessity often taken for granted these days. To be honest I never give it much thought unless monitoring my dietary intake or perusing the grocer’s ever increasing variety. Just last weekend I spent quite some time locating a plain, relatively inexpensive sea salt.

My Find

Today’s quick online search taught me that an existing Bronze Age road reaches an ancient sodium chloride deposit. Historically difficult to procure and refine, its well-known preservative qualities resulted in wars over ready resources like salt lakes. Hilighting the impact, ancient adages remain such as ‘salt of the earth’ (Gospel of Mathew 5:13) and, sad to note, a male slave being ‘worth his salt’.

Enough on the abundant facts, though. A humorous incident brought the mineral’s importance to mind after my husband and I, working as a team, made a loaf of bread. I mixed our preferment the night before and he continued with the various steps throughout the following day.

Saying nothing at first, thinking my tastes buds were off, I couldn’t detect any flavor. When he tried a slice without Kerry brand salted butter my husband all but gagged, saying I must have omitted salt.

He was half right. My guy dropped the ball on this one. The preferment doesn’t call for salt.

Deserved apology accepted. ~smug grin~ But I won’t rub salt in the poor fellows wound.

Heh…

Do you bake bread? Would you use a machine or prefer Alton Brown’s hands-on technique?

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18 comments:

  1. Hubby makes his own bread and doesn't use a machine. He likes to work the dough.

    I love your smug grins.

    Have a fabulous day and weekend, Darla. Big hug. ♥

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  2. Funny thing about salt eh! I don't bake bread...it comes out like bricks. At one time I did use a breadmaker, but always used premixed flour. Kudo to those who do bake their own! I admire you! Have a marvellously happy day!

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  3. I have never tried to bake bread. Maybe someday. I like many of Alton Brown's recipes. For a time I was making ice cream via his recipe.

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    1. Ooh! I don't think we've ever tried making his ice cream. :)

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  4. Interesting salt information. I do make bread, with a bread machine because I am lazy. :) XO

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    1. You say 'lazy', I counter with 'work smart, not hard'. ~nods~ Hugs, my dear.

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  5. When I have made bread I followed a while wheat recipe I was given a long time ago. I used to make 2 loaves at a time "by hand". The kids called it "Taste good" and had it thickly sliced with honey and butter. I had to go to a tough work schedule and all that went out the window so to speak as off days were packed with duties of the household and kids as well. I don;t think I could stand a salt-free anything unless I am starving.

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    1. I'm sorry your work schedule got crazy. :( I'm with you on the salt-free stuff. We might mix one can of veg that is salt-free with one that isn't for various recipes, but that's about it. Heh...

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  6. Food has to have salt....I can usually do with what is in it at the time I cook but when having eggs, and cream taters, I have to add. HAHA....other then that, I really try using herbs and spices in place of salt. Do I bake bread...YES. No on the machine. I prefer to make, add, knead and bake with out the use of one of those. I love a good Rosemary bread. However it is a crusty top but I have also played with making rolls, cornbread and fried cornbread fritters using Rosemary.....YUM

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    1. At what part...the Rosemary bread? I love Rosemary. Last night I made up some fried cornbread with it in there. Just dump you some cornmeal in a bowl, I used yellow. About two cups. Add a couple tablespoons of all purpose flour, I added two eggs and the great thing about fried cornbread, you use hot water and not milk. I never have milk on hand. Dump as much Rosemary as you think you will like, I use a lot cause since it is dried sometimes it takes a bunch to get the taste. Sprinkle salt in....I use a copper skillet. Pour in oil to swish around to coat bottom then I pour it off. Pan is coated but I am not frying in oil. You can added onion if you want. In this batch I also threw in a handful of three diff mixes of cheese. I also love basil and oregano so from time to time I will use one of those instead. This mix also is great to replace the water use milk. I then coat a cast iron skillet with oil, heat in over then pour the oil in my mix. I add my mix to skillet and cook 450 till done. I love that thick!

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    2. Yes. Rosemary is an interesting herb. Thanks for the recipe, my dear!

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  8. I guess you can build a big fire on the beach and boil off sea water to get a tiny bit of salt. I wonder how much salt is in say five gallons of sea water. I better google it. Lewis and Clark's expedition spent time on the beach near what is now Seaside, to get salt this way.

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    1. Thank you for that interesting fact! That's very cool.

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  9. Well, all I know is that dad has a history of using too much salt (I get this from mom, mostly), and to this day I catch him dosing whatever he's eating with lots of it when mom's not looking. Although I have the feeling she's pretty much given up on controlling that. Mom and dad only keep a loaf of multigrain store-bought bread in the freezer for rare sandwich occasions or homemade croutons, but she makes her own whole wheat bread from scratch every other week, leaving one loaf in the fridge for the each days' toast and freezing the other.

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  10. Your mom and dad are awesome! :) And it's obvious they loooove you, Cleo. Be well, beautiful.

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