When we lived in Croatia, fresh bread was a must. For Sunday lunches at my in-laws, we always arrived with a loaf of fresh bread from the local bakery. Now that we are back in the States, we have quickly adjusted to the hundreds of choices offered by the grocery stores. Some days I've found myself craving for some of Croatia's pomalo philosophy. You know, where you take it easy, relax, have a cup of coffee. My husband shared an article with me and I extend it to you as well. I think many of you (from Dalmatia) will be nodding in agreement . You can find it here.
So after reading the article, I wanted to make something at home. While I can't make rakija, a grape-fermented Adriatic liquor, I concentrated on something much easier. Bread. Right here in Colorado. Thousands of miles from Croatia. Why didn't I try this before? Maybe because I was intimated? I always thought it was a complicated process, but it's not! Only 4 ingredients are needed. Flour, water, yeast and salt. So if I can do it, so can you. You can find the recipe here. Prep time does involve 18-24 hours so plan ahead.
So what do you think? Super easy right? I will say that when I read the recipe, I didn't have a lid for my cast iron pan so I used a cookie sheet instead. It did the job just fine.
We enjoyed our fresh bread with nutella and a tall glass of milk!
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And I hope you read that article. It's about a lighthouse in Lastovo Island on the Dalmatian coast.
Here is an excerpt, " When my grandfather kept the lighthouse, this place was Italy. When my father was here, it was Yugoslavia. Now I am here, and it is Croatia. We have lived in three different countries, but have not gone anywhere!"
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The bread was a hit with Beli and my husband that I made another batch the following day. This time I made several smaller pieces, some even stuffed with jalapenos and cheese.
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P.S. Good news.
Rejection, after rejection, I finally have a job offer. Yay!
Lighthouse...Okay. Bread...Great. But YAY!!!!! A job offer!! That's really big news! Especially in this day and age!! Congrats! Hope all goes well. :-)
ReplyDeleteI could get used to fresh homemade bread every Sunday... looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteHope you have a wonderful day!
B.
That Girl in Pearls
I made the No knead bread last week and I know what you are talking about. Delicious. I have another recipe coming up that is even easier than this one also without kneading. My mom use to bake bread in the States since my dad could not get accustomed to eating toast for lunch. We love our bread!
ReplyDeleteCroatia is full of lighthouses, and I just adore them!! They are so quiet, like they're in another world, in another time... so in POMALO philosophy :)
ReplyDeleteI love your homemade bread :)
Congrats on the job! I think I'd be enjoying the bread and nutella just like Beli too.
ReplyDeleteGreat news on the job. The bread looks great. I'm going to read the recipe and the story now.
ReplyDeletethat simple word: pomalo (or polako), just great !
ReplyDeletewnt to the miller in Grab last week, with a Dutch friend, and he was just amazed (still so am I).
oof, croatian life, polako, sve polako, as goes for life as well as bread !
took five kilo's of super flour, now have to learn to make a bread out of it.
pomalo, slowly slowly, but I am sure it's gonna taste like hell !!
(worked my nuts of today, preparing so much vegetables to grow for the best, but finished my day at a neighbour, having a small rakya (or two).
life sucks, but only for the suckers !!
pomalo !!
tomorrow I have my slobodan dan !!!!!
great to know you have a job offer !!!
ReplyDeletehowever, never EVER forget a job is not more than a way to make money.
life is so much more than that (and you porve it every time again on your great blog).
go for it, but keep those words in mind, and you'll never be a slave.
@Poetess, we gave a sigh of relief..it's a reassuring feeling knowing we have means to pay the bills. yay!
ReplyDelete@Beatriz, hey that could be a theme around here, Homemade bread every Sunday, i like the idea!
@Jelena, great, because I have a feeling I will be baking more from now on!
@Maja, I'm hoping next time, when we travel back to Croatia, we will visit this or another lighthouses, I love the story behind Lastovo's island. Ps. I passed your recipe for the Hawaiian bread to my older sister. Her family are fans of coconut.
Your bread looks yummy!
ReplyDeleteand...CONGRATS! That's great about the job offer!
Lovely- I make two loaves of bread every other day- so easy-
ReplyDeleteI made a DIY video too- http://ladyofthearts.blogspot.com/2011/02/no-knead-bread.html
I love eating it with nutella or just butter!
Wow..that bread looks delicious and I can only image how yummy it was:) Have a great afternoon, sunshine
ReplyDelete@Tee, nutella is very popular in our kitchen. we have like 2 or 3 jars of it!
ReplyDelete@Ivonne, hope you enjoy the article.
@Pim, glad to hear you are planting your garden. enjoy your day off and I look forward to reading your posts! (you are right, life comes first, work second)
Jen, I can't stop making it! it's so good. glad to hear your yard sale was a success.
ReplyDeleteRen, thank you for the video link. and you are so young!!
ReplyDeleteDiana, hope you try the recipe.
ReplyDeleteThis bread looks fantastic. Fresh,crunchy, bread with nutella is our favorite snack.
ReplyDelete