It's true. You don't realize how much you love something until it's no longer at your fingertips. This week, I've been baking bread products like crazy. Yes, I love bread.


Don't get me wrong, I can still get bread in SE Asia....but it's no Mrs. Baird's Bread (staying true to my Texan roots). Also, restaurants in our particular city don't bring you a big, bottomless basket of rolls.  It's probably best. I always filled up on those anyway. There is a bread guy that comes through our neighborhood every day, but his bread is stuffed with chocolate or strawberry or some other kind of fruity filling.

You see, rice is the common carb of this region of the world. I actually serve rice for almost every meal now, even when it's just our little American family. Rice is my go-to item when I need to stretch a meal and make it last longer. It's a common joke I have with most of my local friends, the fact that I love bread so much and they eat rice with everything. We jest all in good fun. They understand why I want bread with every meal just like I understand why they want rice. At the end of the day, they both serve the same purpose, to satisfy your hunger and fill up your belly, on the cheap.

Small side story alert. When the Mr. lived over here before we were married, he told me a common question people in the village would ask him was "Have you eaten yet?" He would usually respond, "Yes, I've already eaten," to which they would follow up with the question, "What did you have with your rice?" (Because obviously rice was a part of his meal, or so they thought.) For a little while, the Mr. was confused by that question and would answer with, "But, I didn't eat rice." The local, looking perplexed would say, "But I thought you said you had already eaten..." This would go back and forth until the Mr. finally realized it's just another way of asking "What did you eat?" ...even if it didn't actually include rice ;-)

Needless to say, I've learned how to make a variety of bread items since living here-- pull-apart rolls, cheese crackers, and calzones, just to name a few. The other day, I was in one of those moods to bake. So I invited Little Man to join in on the fun and we baked this delicious bread inspired by My Small Potatoes.

If, like me, you are making and baking this bread with a little helper (or 2..or 3), I suggest you go ahead and have all your ingredients close by. Or, have them pre-measured so you don't get distracted and end up with a little too much salt or egg shell in your bread ;-)