Spring Bread Festival
With the academy on spring break, my older brothers were at the estate.
And that means—it’s time for the Spring Bread Festival!!
Bang! “Excuse meee!!”
““““Whoa.””””
“Joan, be gentle with the door!”
Ken scolded me.
“Yes sir.”
“You totally think saying that’s enough to get you off the hook, don’t you?”
“Wha!? N-no I don’t! B-Ben, don’t be mean.”
“Joan, your eyes are darting around.”
“W-well, anyway, let’s do the bread festival!”
“… You’re just moving on from that?”
Arthur looked exasperated.
“So, what exactly is a bread festival?”
“Well, we make all kinds of savory breads.”
““““Savory breads?””””
I explained to the four who had never heard of such a thing.
“Wow, even just thinking about it sounds delicious.”
“Right? Like curry bread, sweet bean bread, custard cream bread, sausage rolls, corn-mayo, bacon cheese… and lots more.”
“Ohh, I can’t decide!”
“Anyway, let’s start by making the base dough for all of them.”
““““Okay!””””
The five of us made a huge batch of dough.
While the dough rested, I explained the preparation methods. Since I wasn’t confident in explaining well, I sketched illustrations as I talked.
“First, curry bread. You roll out the dough into a circle and place curry in the center. The curry should have some of its moisture cooked out—just simmer it down a bit. I’ll use my dried curry today to save time. Fold the dough over and seal it tightly. Then brush it with beaten egg, coat it with breadcrumbs, and deep-fry it.”
“Fried?”
“Yeah. Baked curry bread is good too, but I prefer fried—it’s more fragrant. Oh, and adding cheese makes it even better.”
“Ohh, that definitely sounds good!”
“We could make one of them super spicy too. Like a punishment game.”
“Ahaha, that sounds fun! But I definitely don’t want to get that one…”
Everyone nodded emphatically.
“Next, for sweet bean bread, just stuff it with the sweet bean paste we made the other day and bake. Same for cream bread, but with custard cream.”
“Me!”
Anny raised her hand.
“Yes, Anny?”
“What’s custard cream? Is it different from the usual cream?”
“Huh? You don’t know it? It’s made from eggs and milk.”
“I’ve never had it. Do you guys know?”
Anny looked at the others, but they all shook their heads.
“Alright, then we’ll make some custard. But first, for the sausage rolls, corn-mayo, and bacon cheese breads—you just put the toppings on pre-baked buns and bake them again.”
“Like pizza toast?”
“Ahh, exactly.”
After explaining the basics, we made custard cream.
“The ingredients are egg yolks, milk, sugar, and cake flour. First, whisk the yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale. Then add the flour and lightly mix—it’s okay if a little flour remains; overmixing makes it gummy. Next, slowly add milk that’s been heated just to boiling. Then strain the mixture into a pot.
Put the pot over medium heat. At first, it’ll be runny, so stir slowly. When it thickens and your spatula feels heavier, stir faster. It’ll become smooth and creamy. Once it’s thick enough, cool the pot over ice to stop the cooking, then chill it in the fridge.”
“So once it’s on the heat, you can’t take your eyes off it.”
“Exactly. You have to stir constantly. Okay, I’ll go ahead and make it.”
“Alright, then Anny and I will watch you. Ben and I can shape and bake the other breads.”
“Thanks, Arthur. I’ll store the dough for curry, bean paste, and custard fillings in my storage.”
“Got it.”
By the time the bread started smelling great, the custard had chilled.
Which meant—it was taste test time!
““So good.””
“Wow, this is delicious.”
“Mmm~ I like this more than the usual cream.”
“Stuff that in bread and it’s custard bread. And you can use custard for lots of desserts too.”
“Ohh, I’m interested in that. I bet it’d be amazing on pancakes.”
“Ahh, Head Chef, that sounds way too good~!”
After that, we all shaped the curry, sweet bean, and custard breads. We made sure to top the sweet bean ones with sesame seeds.
For the sausage rolls, corn-mayo, and bacon cheese, we sliced the cooled pre-baked buns, added the toppings, and toasted them until golden. I topped the sausage rolls with the ketchup I’d been secretly perfecting.
“That tomato sauce—isn’t that the one you were fussing over the other day?”
“Yup. It’s called ketchup. …Here.”
I pulled freshly fried potatoes from my storage and added some ketchup.
“Joan’s storage is always filled with food, huh?”
“H-how rude. There’s other stuff too, you know? Like towels, blankets, futons, pillows. Oh, and a washbasin.”
“… Why would you carry that?”
“Eh? So I’m ready to camp at any time.”
“Then wouldn’t you need a tent too?”
“Oh! Right! I’ll add one next time.”
“Ben, you idiot, don’t give her weird ideas.”
“Sorry, my bad…”
“Alright, once we fry the curry bread, we’re done.”
“What about soup?”
“Hmm, let’s do minestrone.”
“Got it. …Wait, what’s that?”
“Huh? Haven’t I made it before? It’s a tomato-based soup full of stuff. Dice up onions, carrots, potatoes, and bacon, then simmer them with skinned and crushed tomatoes and chicken broth, season to taste, and done.”
“I see. Let’s get started!”
“With all of us working, it’ll be done in no time.”
If I had some solid or powdered consommé, I could make other soups easily too. I remember seeing someone post a recipe online a long time ago—blend veggies and bacon, cook it down to remove moisture… Maybe I’ll try that next time. I think they said herbs were essential too, so I’ll have to visit Old Tom later.
What do you think about this chapter?
