Bread, Pg. 193

I chose to make Mrs. John Andrew Hamilton's (a.k.a. Elizabeth Verner's) receipt for bread this week before I had a chance to check the calendar.

Oops. It's less than two week's until my sister-in-law's wedding. In true Lauren fashion, that, of course, means no carbs. Or, to be precise, minimal carbs. Lots of eggs. Lots of cheese. Handfuls of cashews. No bread.

Add cheese and this makes Christine's favorite meal.

The receipt - which unusually calls for the dough to rise in the icebox (a.k.a. fridge) - was tasty (Okay, yes, I tasted it) but too labor intensive.

It called for two eggs - is that normal? I didn't know bread had eggs. Anyway, I made the dough - which never really rose "like mad" - into two loaves. (One is tucked away in the freezer, to be enjoyed post-wedding.) Mrs. Hamilton also provides instructions on how to make the dough into rolls or coffee cake.

To be honest, though, I probably won't try either.

I can buy a baguette for $2 dollars at the grocery store - and canned cinnamon rolls and biscuits for not much more. Does this make me a lazy cook? Probably.

My favorite part about this receipt was this particular line: "the smell of it makes your family feel home is really the place it's cracked up to be." I think there's a typo in there somewhere, but no matter. I got Mrs. Hamilton's point.

I'll admit it did make our apartment smell great - and just smelling it costs me no carbs at all.

-Lauren