BREAKING BREAD

The pendulum has swung back for this nutritious, crusty staple of flour, yeast, water and time – the much-beloved artisanal loaf

ALIX-ROSE COWIE

My mom recently told me that her father, whom I never had the chance to meet, would go back to the kitchen every night after dinner and make himself a sandwich before bed. I’ve never felt more related to someone.

I’d like to live my life having a sandwich as a second supper, but as far back as I can remember, bread has never been something you simply eat without giving it another thought. In my house, growing up – and I suspect in a lot of homes with health-conscious parents – white bread was always in the dog box. But somewhere around the early to mid-2000s, even the browner of breads were considered unhealthy by those in the know, and every last crumb was wiped clean from the collective table.

I read an interview with Jennifer Lopez around this time, who, upon being asked what her guilty pleasure was, replied ‘bread and butter’. It was so scandalous to me that I still think about J.Lo loving bread and butter and not being able to eat it.