When it doesn't go as planned, rename it

For many people when they think of bread baking, they conjure up images of master chefs using fancy equipment in state of the art kitchens whipping up delectable treats using magical concoctions. Ok, well maybe that's just me. That is certainly how I envisioned bread making all those years before giving it a try. A big part of what made it seem so scary for me was that many breads are yeast based and yeast has always seemed like an ultra delicate ingredient that requires a surgeon's precision to use it effectively. As precision is not one of my better qualities, I simply stayed away for many years and was content with purchasing the uninspired hard dough bread sold in supermarkets with the occasional burger bun being bought and only enjoying "fancy bread" when I went out to eat.

Then one day this all changed. More accurately knowing me, it probably happened gradually over a period of time. The length of time that transpired between me mentally deciding that I was going to make a yeast based bread to the moment that I measured that first cup of flour may have ranged from a few days to several months. I know, I know. It seems excessive but that is my process.

So once I had firmly decided in my mind to do it, next came actually acquiring the ingredients. Now most bread recipes are pretty basic, some flour, some salt some water and of course, the yeast. Now, none of these ingredients are hard to source in Jamaica, you can pick them up at almost any supermarket so all I had to do was leave the house (oh the dread) and go and get them.

Now as I mentioned earlier, the scariest part of bread making is using the not entirely un-magical yeast. So I did my research (i.e.consulted my mother, very grown up, I know) and learned a few things. Firstly, proper storage required an airtight container that would limit exposure to light, heat and moisture. I got creative (using that word loosely) and found some glass jars and covered them with black plastic and tied it with a ribbon, because why not try to keep it fancy. I also learned with horror that the temperature of the water in which you put the yeast could very literally kill it and so ruin your bread. 😱. Despite finding out all of this potentially discouraging information, I went ahead, bought some yeast and made some bread. 

Best decision ever!!!

Ok, so maybe not the best but it is definitely in the top fifty choices I have made in life.

And now bread making is a common occurrence for me. I will admit that I am a bit lazy and so I have never been a fan of all that kneading (though it does help with building those guns) and so I have tended to stick with no knead breads . My absolute favourite is English Muffin Bread which I can easily whip up when I feel the need for some freshly baked, home made bread.

I also rarely have the patience to wait hours for my bread to rise and the above mentioned muffin bread respects that, needing a little over an hour of prep time.

But there are times when I feel rather ambitious, and think, hey I think I shall try something new, one of those fancy breads that require lots of kneading and punching and waiting. Oh to be young and so very ambitious!

One of these times recently occurred and I thought why not try to make pita bread. They are actually not that time consuming and most of the arm work (rolling and cutting) would be done by a kind volunteer, so why not.

Well, because it did not go as planned. 😲

Instead of lovely pita pockets that could be filled with even lovelier veggies, what I got was flat bread. 😐. Lovely, brown and flat circular shaped bread. So of course I did what any smart person would do in this situation, I renamed them. 😃. I simply cut them up and deemed them to be flatbread. 

And they were absolutely delicious. I just added some home made black bean burger, some home grown spinach, with some tomatoes and purple onions and some Walkerswood One Stop Savoury Sauce on the side. 

Very delicious!!!😋