Pão caseiro integral

I realize that nobody in their right mind would dare turn on their oven in hot, humid, 80F weather. "The norm" never affected us at The Piccolo Gourmet. When we want to bake,  darn it, we are going to bake. What better way to celebrate America's birthday than to cook something from another country? Seriously. The United States is comprised of children from countless generations of immigrants. I find nothing wrong with baking Portuguese bread on the 4th of July; it is (perhaps) just as patriotic as baking a southern Pecan Pie. In addition, at this time last year, I was roaming the streets of Lisboa... and probably with a slice of pão integral in my bag.

Was it scary attempting this without the help of Charlie? Absolutely. He is the chemist of the family, and knows the science of baking quite well. Our friend Jenny (a professional baker) was also not at my side, which made me sweat even more. However, the trial went well, and the secret that I had found (as with all ethnic cooking) was "time". Oh, and add "patience" to the list as well.

I went for a run while my bread was proofing for the second time (my curiosity had to stop checking on the rising of the dough every 5 miliseconds).  While jogging I thought of my Dad's mom,  mi abuela Chilena. She mothered sixteen children and baked fresh bread every single day. Her kitchen was about the size of ours, and in the summer months, the temperature outside today was not that far off from the campo of Santiago de Chile. How, I wonder, did my grandma do it? Where did she learn how to bake? From her mom--my great-grandmother? These are questions that I am sure others ask of their families and man, I wish I knew the answer!

There are a slough of recipes (receitas) for baking breads from Portugal. This is a culture that is infamous for their mastery of baking. I will refrain from adding the recipe that I used, as it is one of several versions. Simply choose which works best for you. My favorite Portuguese breads (Broa de Milho and Pão da Avó) I will have to try making later when I have the proper flours (and when it is not the middle of summer). For now, pão integral (or whole wheat bread) will do, and trust me, it did. A slice of warm, freshly baked bread topped with olive oil and salt? There is not much else that can get better than that. Happy Independence Day, America. And to all the "Silva"s that I met a year ago, obrigado por essas ótimas lembranças!