Reflections and a Bread Pudding

For a long time, I've been trying to create breads (lean and enriched) that should look like society's ideals; dark crackly singing // delicate crust, blooming scores, holey // feathery soft crumb; those are some of the hallmarks of  great loaves achieved with the help of an oven. No matter how hard I tried, it won't be just the same and won't be enough to reach those standards for many. It's like that weeny teen spending hours in the gym to earn his six pack to be considered hot/in/cool/popular. Now, I realized that I can't do that, but I will continue to make bread because I love it.

From now on, I will create breads where my personality and character show through. I will not stereotype them anymore as Lean/Enriched; Asian/European because all of what I will make from now will be just be MY bread blending flours/grains/seeds/techniques and inspirations from all over the world to create a bread that cannot be found anywhere else.

Here's what I've thought so far:

1) Employ an appropriate (unique/quirky) method that will fit my situation.

2) Do not take others' paths and expect same results at this point in time. I have to make my own path because these breads are exclusive to me and are not recreations of "mainstream" breads with set standards so things like high hydration, high temperature are not really my friend here.

3) Aesthetics can be ignored because this is where I always try hard eventually ruining the whole bread; flavors should be the focus.

4) Simply make a bread that will be enjoyed by those who will eat it. 

These 4 things are key for less frustrations and a happier baking life for me. By not trying to be like others, I can make better bread. I hope you can appreciate their rustic beauty and charm too as much as I do. Maybe they will bore/shock/inspire you but as a famous song (it surely fits my breads :P) goes.. "They" are beautiful no matter what they say and words can't bring "them" (me) down...

This bread pudding is a result of a failed loaf. Instead of munching on all of the sorrow and frustration all by myself, I remembered that I can make this failure great for everyone; by making bread pudding! This is the most basic since it was unplanned and it's my first time to make one, just eggs sugar and milk but the magic they've done is awesome that mom and dad asked for more when I served it warm as a late night snack. I just snapped a photo because they can't really wait to taste it. I will definitely make more elaborate puddings in the future. As a home "baker" I'm torn between bread and pastry so I may post some here too in the future. I will treat this from now on as my food diary to document my journey.





Anyhow, some photos from our yard....


The work space of the furniture maker in our yard with different wood species.


Santan flowers still blooming; yellow ones outnumber the red ones.

For me the true measure of success is contentment, if you're contented with what you have done the I can say you have truly succeeded. From the start of my baking adventure, it is only this time that I have learned to be contented with the results of my work not to mention those who eat it so I can say I am already successful in this craft that I'm passionate about.

I'm still a fan those crackly singing crusts and holey interiors with even distribution of irregular large and small holes and I won't fail to appreciate it especially in this excellent site but I have accepted that I can't achieve it at this point in time. In the future, when I already have the proper equipment and enough practice; I will surely achieve my dreams. Like the famous TV series here named Kalyeserye quote "SA TAMANG PANAHON" in the right time.

Thank you very much!