Now that big buffet season is over, baking season kicks off.
It starts with a little bit of yeast, a whole lot of flour and some warm water or milk; and after a month of fasting and dehydration, pleasant thoughts push you to believe that you can now knead your dough using all of your arm power without dreading the thirst, the hunger or the sharp drop in blood pressure.
Of course, there are also those, unlike me, that are not running around like headless chickens for their sister’s wedding and will be jumping from iftar buffet spreads to taking full advantage of their holiday hotel breakfast buffets without an additional thought about their eating patterns or how they would never pair fruit with a side of sausages on normal days, if such a thing exists anymore. We’ve been doing it throughout the whole month of Ramadan, disregarding what we eat and gorging on the sweet and salty, at times together; so why should we stop now, right?
Please don’t agree with me. I didn’t mean it.
This year, take a good look at your empty plate and imagine a pretty breakfast — one that your adult self living in a real-life version of “Eat, Pray, Love” would put together, far away from the greedy little eight-year-old in you living like the Lost Boys in Peter Pan’s Never Never Land, dismissing the expansion of your derrière.
This year, scout out that much-awaited breakfast buffet before you go running to the station of your choice. Play a little game of “what looks best” instead of “all I can eat” and try hard to kick the habit of “a little bit of everything.”
On the way to breakfast, ask yourself some questions. Will the pastries be freshly baked? Are the eggs pre-cooked or made to order? Is the fruit compote canned or stewed overnight and should you opt for fresh fruit instead? Do you really want to casually sip on watered down coffee or is the hotel offering beverage options, maybe a sweet guava smoothie, that you overlooked when your friends were filling you in on their newly-attained scandalous bit of gossip?
Carefully consider the options laid out in front of you so that you don’t begin your day with a bloated, upset stomach that will have you desperately sucking it in by the beach or running for the water to conceal it.
Begin by putting together a savory plate, one that is either continental or locally-inspired, one that you dream of being served in bed with the salty breeze carried by the sea cooling your morning face. As the tradition of buffets go, you can always go back for more so let’s avoid mixing danish pastries with the customary fool, just this once. I repeat, you can always go back for more.
Get a little fancy with your thinking too. You’re on vacation and you deserve to live like you’ve never lived before. Where are the chopped nuts? Could you add them to some creamy cheese? Could you maybe drizzle some honey on it too? Or maybe pour the honey onto some yogurt, add some slivered almonds and use it as dip for your fruit?
My last piece of advice would be to use as many plates as you see fit, not all at once, but through the time it takes to elegantly eat all that your body craves. You’re not doing the dishes so find it in yourself to indulge instead of going back to get some last-minute pastries on a plate of leftover egg and fruit liquid.
If I’m right, spread the word. Derrière space and prettier plating is needed for the world to continue to move in the right direction. And if you’re like me, scampering to find accessories for your sister’s wedding or lounging at home and enjoying the relative quiet that Cairo can present at times, make your own pretty breakfast or even better, bake some dipping bread to show off your killer baking skills away from the Eid cookies and infestation of sugar. May you all have a happy and prosperous Eid filled with exquisite eating options and sunny revelry.
Rosemary Dipping Bread
You’ll need
3/4 cup of warm water
1/2 cup of warm milk
2 teaspoons of yeast
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of salt, plus extra for sprinkling
3 cups of flour
A spray bottle full of water
Combine water, milk, sugar and yeast and let it bubble for around 5 minutes. Add your olive oil, rosemary, garlic powder and salt and stir to combine. Add the flour half a cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Your dough should be relatively sticky. Turn your sticky-ish dough onto a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. Put your dough in a greased bowl and cover it with cling wrap. Let the dough rise for an hour or until it’s doubled in size. Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Form each half into a ball and place them on a pizza stone or cookie sheet. Slash the top of the dough ball. You can slash an X into it or diagonal slits. You decide. It’s your bread. Cover and allow to rise for another half an hour. Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Spritz inside the oven every 3-4 minutes with the water spray bottle. Allow to cool then slice and serve with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Pretend it has a fancy name. It’s more fun that way.
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