I think baking is one of the most exciting things. When you lose yourself to the moment working your fists into a thick dough or you're struck with inspiration and a new idea turns out really well. Baking is filled with these breathtaking moments: the agonizing ones, when you realize that your expectations didn't align with reality and you're left wondering what to do with an unappetizing tray of cookies; and then the wonderful moments when you open the door of the oven to see, and smell, something more delightful than you could have ever imagined.
Simply taking a bite of a warm, soft, treat, fresh from the oven, can be a magical experience in itself.
For me, a warm, rich croissant is exactly that.
It was a Thursday night, or it might have been a Saturday night, but either way the day didn't matter because I was still off from school, trying to enjoy the final hours of winter break, right down to the very last drop. So I decided I would make croissants - well, pain au chocolat (weez ah french accent.) It seemed fitting, perfect even. When else would I have enough time to complete the long croissant-making process? (I had done my research on the topic.) Just a few nights before, I had been perusing a new cookbook I got for Christmas, and was thrilled to find a recipe for none other than my beloved pain au chocolat. I had a recipe, and plenty of time (not to be confused with thyme): it was fate!
I took out a couple of sticks of butter from the fridge, and scanned my way down the list of ingredients.
Butter
White flour
Salt
Active Dry Yeast
Lard
....lard?!?!
I have nothing against butter, sugar, or any of that other wonderful stuff that makes a pastry a pastry. In fact, I love them all. Eaten sparingly, butter is divine. But there is an extent and, for me, that would be at lard.
And so, the great pain au chocolat plan came to an end.
The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread is one of my favorite cookbooks, and it's the book I always turn to when I am looking for that perfect recipe.
One of the many things I love about this cookbook is the photos; each one seems as effortless as it is enticing. There is never evidence of that food styling with prim and proper tablecloths and without a crumb or drip in sight. With a spatula in the corner and the glaze dripping onto the countertop the photos seem much more authentic, and honest.
