My Brother is Baking Every Bread in the Book
He's annoyingly awesome that way.
I end up feeling like a slug whenever my brother Joe calls and starts telling me what he’s been up to lately. It’s hard for him not to enthusiastically burrow into something new. An idea strays into his head, takes form, and he sort of begins to think it through. Not always completely, though, which is fine because we can then make fun of him if things go a little screwy as they sometimes do. But that does not stop him and no matter how difficult or strenuous this idea is, he can personally never come up with a good reason not to do it and we never stop him from trying. Off he goes, my little brother, the Renaissance man.
A few examples of his recent endeavors:
etching intricate designs in slaps of marble baking pies, lots and lots of pies making cases of red and white wine after years of brewing beer growing his own hops crop for his beer fashioning a bamboo trellis for his hops that reaches the second story of his tall old house collecting big rocks from demolished buildings around his neighborhood using the rocks to create a stone compass in his backyard collecting rocks for his new-found interest in geology hiking the legendary rock-filled Pennsylvania section of the Appalachian trail and various legendary steep mountains around Italy and Ireland creating a podcast covering Philadelphia's past and present politics creating and writing a Substack newsletter about issues relating to homeless children and their families causing his two older sisters to lie down every time they talk to him.
He called last weekend and, without much of a greeting, said, “I’m baking bread.”
“Wow!” I said (of course he was!).
“I picked up the book you wrote about. You seen it? The photographs are worth it alone. I’m going to bake them all.”
“I didn’t tell you about the book.”
“Yes you did.”
No, I didn’t. Instead, in a piece that honored Shane MacGowan, I directed readers to Jolene Handy’s newsletter Time Travel Kitchen in which she reviewed The Irish Bakery by Cherie Denham. I can’t imagine anyone in the world not wanting the book after they read what Handy’s thoughts on it.
Everything about this book sweeps you up in it. The recipes are superb and the photographs by Andrew Montgomery, mostly taken in winter, set up this beautiful, “let’s get stuck in and bake” mood — and while you’re at it, put the kettle on. —Jolene Handy, Time Travel Kitchen.
So Joe bought the book—actually he somehow bought two. He can’t figure out how he did it but it’s a book you’re happy to have two copies of.
The breads he made last week while working full-time at his homeless children and family advocates job include:
date and walnut bread (his favorite) whole wheat scones tea brack bread porridge bread bram brack bread (twice, because he forgot the yeast and sugar in the first batch)
This morning he told me that he went over to H Mart last night and bought seaweed, an important ingredient in The Irish Bakery’s dulse bread.
A few hours later he texted that he just pulled the loaf out of the oven and he’ll get back to me with how it tastes as soon as it cools. He and his son also brewed the week’s kombucha tea which leads me to fear that my nephew may be following in his father’s footsteps.
And this is why, slug that I am, I’m going to lie down.
Just in from Joe: the dulse bread tasting results:
“It tastes either spinach or fishy, and salty. Will pair well with a peppery olive oil or cheese.”
That sounds pretty addictive. I imagine he and his family sitting at their kitchen table, dipping slices of the bread into a peppery olive oil then placing a thin slice of parmesan cheese on top before devouring it.
You can start your own bread making inspiration by following The Irish Bakery on Instagram which may cause you to immediately buy your own copy. There should be a label on the cover warning that you’ll end up like my brother, diving deep into all kinds of dough.
And while you’re at it, head over to Time Travel Kitchen’s Instagram where you’ll find so many reasons to subscribe to Jolene’s newsletter.
Omigosh! This is like reading a foreign language - bram brach bread? Does it come gluten-free?
No? Why not? I need GF, no dairy, no sugar. That's right. Use olive oil and stevia, oat or rice flour. THEN I'll try baking. Love this column!
I've always found baking yeast bread intimidating, but this makes me want to buy book and start the intriguing ,wonderful aroma journey!