There Ain't No Devil, It's Just God When He's Drunk

A slightly warm wind with a hint of Northern bite is howling down at a million miles an hour, the trees are quickly losing all their newly changed leaves in the gales, and the sky is a quickly morphing into into a darker shade of grey- it's the perfect day to stay in a bake bread!

For some reason, I've been having a yearning to bake. Back in the day (read:before boyfriend), I used to bake all the time out of loneliness spurred on by boredom and a hint of borderline depression. Something in me just wanted to back- cookies, cakes, brownies. Bake, but not eat. For some reason, I was never in the mood to eat what I made, much to the enjoyment of my flatmates. Nowadays, it's almost like I have a more domestic urge to bake. To fill the house with the smell of deliciousness and to warm it up with the heat of the oven, sharply contrasting to the weather outside.

I am reading this other blog at the moment by a friend from back in Highschool who has themed hers around food. (check it out at here if you're curious). And its good- so many delicious recipes I will never be able to make (esp. grilled fruit due to Scotland's lack of both fruit and proper BBQ grills). The most recent one was how to make bread.

My grandma used to be the bread queen about 15 years back, and I always remember her setting bowls of dough in front of the fire to raise. Her bread was absolutely delicious and filled with delicious ingredients like beer. Then my mom begged Santa for a bread machine, so for a while we had fresh bread in our house (at least until we ran out of the free bread dough packets and my mom was too lazy to buy more). But the bread making process, at either Grandma's or Mom's was always an Autumn/Winter activity and always triggers memories of scarves, wood burning fires, the smell of smoke in the air, and the feeling of rain just moments away.

So I got down to it. Bought me some yeast, flour, and then thought, 'eh, what the hell, I'll use up that Cardamom too and make cookies'. And a Cardamom breakfast bread. I know, I kinda go overkill, but I just spoke to Pappa Bear and he will be stopping by, so I can unload some of this off on him.

So I have my ingredients all laid out in front of me. Suddenly, I hear what sounds like someone throwing pebbles on our window. Nope, justTORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR being hurled by the wind against the glass. Perfect time to start baking. Even though all the recipes are in cup measurements and the UK uses weight measurements (what?!?! Add 500 grams sugar? What that heck is that?) I just make it up- added fun and challenge. Besides, I figure it's all about ratios afterall, so I'll add one tea cup of flour, guestimate 1/2 tea cup, 1/4 tea cup....I'm sure it will be fiiiiiiiiiine.

Now the house is filled with fresh baked deliciousness, I'm about to start in on breakfast bread, and I'm going out clubbing later tonight.

Baking and clubbing....good times!