WHAT a coincidence: just as the flour-makers tell us that the price of bread is about to go up by 8p a loaf because the hot weather has reduced the wheat harvest, The Grocer comes along and tells us that British men are turning from breadwinning to breadmaking.
Sales of home bread-makers have risen 13-fold from 33,700 in 1997 to 445,000 in 2001 and apparently more than a quarter of all home bakers are men.
Is this a social trend — a further stage in the evolution of the husband from mere breadwinner to all-round helpmate — a reflection of the male love of gadgets or a question of simple economics? Pages have been filled and earnest leaders already written discussing the phenomenon. And the answer? From my viewpoint as a keen home-baker — none of the above. It’s the smell that really counts.
My wife gave me a Morphy Richards Twin-loaf 48270 Rapide breadmaker for the Christmas before last, not because she thinks it’s time I did more in the kitchen (sometimes I think she’d rather I did less); not because I like messing around with new gadgets (I do) and not because the household budget is bust (it always is) — but simply because we both think that one of life’s great pleasures is to have the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the house.
It’s a bit like that old ploy recommended by estate agents: if you want to sell your house quickly, always brew fresh coffee just before someone comes to view, because people love the smell. But if there is one smell that is more enticing, more welcoming and relaxing than freshly perked coffee, it has to be baking bread. The great thing about a bread-maker is that it removes the risk and the waiting from an activity that used to be shrouded in mystery and patience, neither of which qualities appeal greatly to the male psyche at the best of times. Now there’s no need to worry about all that kneading and rising and waiting for the yeast to work — you just follow a few simple instructions, pour in your water, oil, flour, salt and yeast, ping your way to the correct programme and let the machine do the rest. Then, of course, there’s the chance to experiment with herbs, raisins, banana, chocolate or cheese. You can look really busy while you hang around savouring the smell and waiting for the timer to ping so you can throw in a handful of ingredients at exactly the right time.
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And the joy of having a twin-loaf machine, apart from the sheer cool gadgetry of it all, is that you can make a really wholesome brown loaf for the grown-ups at the same time as making a white loaf for the kids — who naturally can’t bear to eat that healthy brown stuff.
According to the Flour Advisory Bureau (FAB), we British consume 8,000 tonnes of bread a day, enough to make 40 million sandwiches. Sadly, most of it still seems to be that cotton-wool fluff that comes in slices from the supermarket and has long been the butt of jokes for anyone who likes good food. But things are changing fast. In an attempt to make us appreciate the variety of the fresh stuff out there, October has been designated British Bread Month. On its website at www.fabflour.co.uk the FAB offers a guide to home breadmaking and a number of recipes.
It’s the best thing since sliced bread — the whole loaf that you make yourself.