Hester se Brood

Hester se Brood is gesetel in ’n dorpie in die Klein Karoo, waar Hester van der Walt brood in ’n houtbakoond vir die plaaslike mark bak. Soos twee groot geeste van weleer, C. Louis Leipoldt en Martin Versveld, het sy ’n diepgewortelde, intuïtiewe aanvoeling vir die konneksie tussen siel en kos; veral kos wat met sorg, volgens tradisionele beginsels en metodes, voorberei word. Saam met gulhartige porsies sielskos, verskaf hierdie eerlike (en heerlike) plat-op-die-aarde boek ook resepte wat jou gaan wys hoe om klasieke Europese brode, soos ciabatta, focaccia, kitke en baguettes te bak, asook plaaslike gustelinge, soos outydse soetsuurdeegbrood. ’n Fyn sin vir humor, en ’n groot waardering vir die magiese spel tussen vuur en hout, graan en sout, water en gis en tyd – die basiese elemente wat nodig is om goeie brood te bak – maak hierdie boek net so onweerstaanbaar soos die reuk van brood, kraakvars uit die oond.

Hester se Brood is set in a small town in the Little Karoo, where Hester van der Walt bakes bread in a woodfired oven for the local market in MacGregor. The book is inhabited by the spirit of the poets C. Louis Leipoldt and Martin Versfeld, as Hester van der Walt has the same deep rooted, intuitive connection between food and soul, especially food that is prepared with traditional ingredients and methods. Along with generous portions of soul food comes a down to earth delicious recipes that show you how to bake classic European breads, like ciabatta, focaccia, kitke and baguettes as well as good old-fashioned sourdough breads. Van der Walt's fine sense of humour, and her valuing of the magic interplay between fire and wood, grain and salt, water and yeast and time - the basics elements necessary for baking real bread, makes this book as irresistible as the savour of freshly baked bread, as it comes out of the oven.