Thursday, August 04, 2011

Of The Importance Of Bread...

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"What we need is an appropriate bread bag." said Monsieur Pardon Me one morning during our vacation in the Auvergne. "One that is long enough to hold a bagette and wide enough so I can buy five at a time when we have guests."
I had to agree. The old plastic bag that he took along to the bakery every morning looked rather shabby. It was time to take out my sewing machine, find a bit of fabric in the armoire, measure a loaf of bread and make something more appropriate for our daily bread runs.

The result, I dare say, is rather nice looking. Mr. Pardon Me proudly carried it down to the bakery in the village. More importantly, it passed the ultimate test when the pain de campagne (country bread) we bought fit in it beautifully. Even Madame La Boulangère approved.

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And surely, you will agree, dear Reader, that such a fine bread as this deserves its very own stylish bag. Just look at that crust.

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I will have to make another one for Brooklyn and for our daily runs to Caputo Bakery on Court.


12 comments:

Anonymous said...

How lovely! Katia, you may have just stumbled upon a new little business venture for yourself!

Katia said...

That's what the baker's wife said. She chuckled and suggested that a little side business making bread bags would allow me to stay in the village longer next year. I am thinking about it.
Anyone want to buy a bread bag?

Anonymous said...

8:18 am here...I agree with the baker's wife! I'm a knowledgeable beginner in sewing, and your beautiful bread bag is not a difficult project at all. You could certainly make dozens of them in just a weekend!

fred said...

an AEG sewing machine! :)

Katia said...

Let the production begin...
Wish I had my AEG sewing machine in the States. It works like a charm, though this time around, it gave me some trouble until I figured out that the sewing needle was bent.

Anonymous said...

Aah...it's important to change your needle often! If you don't have a machine at home, you can easily purchase a good basic Singer machine from Sears.com. That's how I got started without knowing a thing about sewing machines. After about four years, I upgraded to a Bernina for piecework/quilting, home dec projects, and general type sewing. It cost me two paychecks, but it is SOOO worth it!

Mrs. G said...

Greetings Katia,

"Mr. Pardon Me...." I LOVE IT!
Love the bag. The bread and jam shots - ohh, just beautiful. This entry from the Auvergne is just what I needed to put a smile on my face this morning. "What we need is an appropriate bread bag." said Monsieur Pardon Me.
TOO CUTE !!!

Trudy said...

Where would you get bread like that in Brooklyn? That glistening crust - is this what you are eating every day? Paradise! And that bread bag is a great biz idea - really!

Katia said...

Hi Ms. G,
Glad I made you smile. We have put that bag to good use already.

And to answer your question, Trudy, yes, this is our daily bread here. And I have the extra pounds to prove it when I come back to Brooklyn.

Anonymous said...

The bread bag is a great idea--you should go for it! Make it in several sizes for those of us who don't need 5 loaves, but still don't like our bread hanging out of those plastic bags. When you're ready to hire an assistant, I'm very close by.

Anonymous said...

Thankfully, there are great bakers in Brooklyn and Manhattan that make great bread. Tom Cat, Sullivan Street and our own Provence et Boite, Balthazar etc. But Katia has just made me long for the real thing. Looks lovely and that bag is a scream. What a great idea instead of squishing it all the way home. Yum Yum. What a summer, Katia!

Anonymous said...

Yes Trudy, there are many bakeries that make good bread.