So often in this foodie world I operate in (and trust me, I do love it) I hear about and see and eat plate after plate after plate of dainty little dishes packed full of spices and drizzled in sauces and drowned in ladle upon ladle of creativity and flair and originality. We oo and coo and woo over the dish (or let’s be honest - the image of the dish) as we make it's sheer, perfect little beauty the star of our instagram stories.
Then we eat as we keep an eye on the likes which (hopefully) come running in and we oo and coo and woo some more, though perhaps sometimes more because we’d like to prove our good taste than else.
But I love bread. I love gluten.
Bread goes with coffee and wine, can be dressed up or dressed down, depending on the mood or the occasion. It’s simple and generous at the same time. At home, I either make my own or head over to Bluebird’s into town. I'm sure there must be some sort of saying somewhere (probably in France) going along the lines of a home without bread being like a home without heart... Seriously though.
So for today’s foodie crush, rather than talking of crazy flavours and awesome plates, I’m going right back to the basics and talking about gluten and flour. Plus a Windmill right here, in the very heart of York.
The flour at Holgate Windmill is quite coarse compared to the one you would find in supermarkets (exactly what you want from stoneground stuff), much nuttier and higher in gluten. (YASSS!) Bread is basically nothing but water, salt, yeast and flour so if you want good bread you need good flour, there’s no question about that.
I visited Holgate Windmill sometime back on a certain rainy Monday morning and as I was taken around by the group of volunteers through the mill’s different levels and stages of flour production, I decided I would have to come back and learn how to mill the flour myself (leave a big YES in the comments below if you’d like to join). While the milling process does look relatively simple, there is a lot of fine skills involved and it once took years of apprenticeship before being able to call yourself a miller.
Make a loaf from their flour.
Then, try not to become a total addict when the smell of warm bread fills your house.
Or when you bite into a still-warm butter + jam slathered slice.
Or one topped with roasted veg.
Or accompanying cheese.
Or with melted chocolate.
With coffee.
With Wine.
… And you know what? Bread totally is instagram-friendly!
