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Friday, February 18, 2011

fresh baked bread

i just paid over $13 for a small loaf pan. an empty metal pan about 2/3 the size of a standard loaf pan. textured metal. no teflon or silicone or heat proof glass. plain sheet metal with some bumps stamped into it.

i can't believe the price. but i paid it.

my dad, now living alone, is lonely and unhappy. so last week i baked him cinnamon buns in an attempt to cheer him up and remind him that he's not all alone. i spend the day with him in his home, and bake and visit and putter. this week i thought fresh whole wheat bread might be nice. he likes whole wheat. a full-sized loaf would be stale before he could eat the whole thing alone, and i'm gluten intolerant, so there's no sharing. a smaller loaf was required. i pounded the pavement from one shop to the next. big box stores don't carry small loaf pans; they're not common, so there's no profiting from economies of scale in selling them. the only place i could find one was a 'gourmet' cooking store. $12.99 plus tax.

good grief.

16 comments:

Cicero Sings said...

I'm always on the look out for small baking pans ... they are a rare commodity. I pare everything down in size married and now, for sure as a single again.

Another pet peeve ... often one has to pay more for unbleached flour and unsalted butter ... less processing, higher price. But I suppose the shelf life isn't as long.

gfid said...

cicero - a bit weird how less seems to always cost more, hmmm? smaller baking pan for big $; more cost for food with less additives.... economically, i guess it's all about economies of scale.... fewer people buy the good stuff or the smaller stuff. it costs us more to use less.

Spadoman said...

I buy all my kitchen wares at one of two places. Used stuff at thrift stores, and a good restaurant supply store. If the tool or equipment allows me to accomplish waht I want in the way of creating a dish, then I either pay the piper or change the menu.
(By the way, I make wheat bread in a round Boula loaf or an oblong hand-shaped loaf like a Vienna bread, no pan needed)
I want to tell you how honored I am that you came to my blog and paid me a visis with a comment. Completely honored.Thank you.

Peace

susan said...

I've had similar problems finding smaller pans that are just right for making cassaroles for two people who don't eat a lot. Paying extra money to get just the right thing is irritating and often takes some invention (like Spado's baking tricks - cooking is one of his talents). In the long run, though, a little extra spent for the right pan or utensil will save money.

Nice going spending time with your dad. I'm sure he appreciates it and I'm certain you will enjoy having time to talk without interruption.

L'Adelaide said...

i always want the smaller pans, why are they so hard to find and usually i DON'T find them except online! that's very sweet of you, what you are doing for dad and that's what important anyway--i am sure he'll love the bread... i would ;) xxx

gfid said...

spadoman - back in the days before my body started refusing to process gluten i used to bake those lovely round loaves too, but my dad is a stubborn, fussy old guy who expects his bread to be a certain shape... it was a big adjustment for him to accept in smaller slices.

thanks for your kind words. the feeling mutual.

su - agreed. i'm sure i'll get many, many loaves of bread from this pricey pan. the time spent w dad is an adjustment for both of us. roles are reshaping themselves. conversation difficult, as he's quite deaf, even with his hearing aid.

linda - i didn't even think to look online.... ! daft! what he REALLY liked were the cinnamon buns. made the way grandma (his mum) taught me to make them.

clairesgarden said...

I am very impressed. its been a very long time since I had any inclination to bake. I was very much put off after changing ovens and had so many disasters.
how frustrating that things are not readly available in a reange of sizes and then to have them cost more....

Gary said...

Fortunate dad. Fortunate pan. Lovely woman.

lindsaylobe said...

Hi Granny F
I am sure your dad really appreciates all your attention and the fresh whole wheat bread. I’ll bet it brings memories to him of freshly baked bread baked as a child. That aroma seems to stay ensconced in our memories.
Best wishes

gfid said...

claire - most of my bread baking was done on a wood fired cookstove, living deep in the wilderness.... that was my back - to-the-land hippie phase. learning to bake in an electric oven took some adjustment.... perhaps the thermostat on your new oven isn't right?

gary - i look forward to Fridays with Dad. we're getting to know each other in new ways.

lindsay - we both enjoy our fridays together. i hadn't thought of the strong memory triggers that are linked to smells.... i'm sure you're right about that. just one more reason fridays are a high point of our week. i haven't had anyone to bake for in a long time.

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Seraphine said...

i love baking bread. since it is as easy to bake three loaves as it is one, i usually bake three loaves at once. i keep only what we can eat in a couple of days-- the rest i freeze.
the first piece of a freshly baked bread should always be served with peanut butter. a lot of people don't understand this. you have to trust me.

susan said...

One of my old friends had a mother who was deaf in one ear who often sat at the kitchen table reading late at night. When my friend came home late she'd peek in the window waiting for her mom to turn her head so she wouldn't hear the door opening. Then she'd pretend she'd just come downstairs for some milk.

susan said...

We baked our first loaf of bread last week. I'm so proud :-)

gfid said...

sera - fresh bread and ANYTHING is delicious.... sadly, i can't eat it.... gluten intolerance.... so i just bake it and drool.....

su - i love the anecdote about the deaf mother... and congrats on the first loaf.... now you're hooked!

Seraphine said...

the nice thing about bread is you don't really need a pan. shape your loaves by hand and bake them like you normally do. take them out of the oven when they turn a lovely golden brown.