Chapter 37

Natural Yeast
Leaving the dining room, I headed to the kitchen.

"Excuse me~"

"Good morning, Young lady."

Aww~ Annie is adorable even first thing in the morning~

There were only three people in the kitchen.

"Huh? Where’s Mr. Abe?"

"Oh, the head chef’s off today. He always takes Light Days off."

Apparently, the cooks have fixed days off depending on the week. Ah, so it’s like a regular day off system.

"What brings you here, Young lady?"

"Oh, it’s about the soft bread we were talking about earlier."

"Soft bread? What’s that?"

Annie, who wasn’t here earlier, asked curiously.

"I was thinking we could make bread softer."

"Is that even possible?"

"Yes, but it takes a bit of effort."

That "bit of effort" is actually a week-long process, but to someone like me, that’s nothing. After all, "just the other day" can mean ten years ago in my mind.

Looking around the kitchen, I spotted a bottle of just the right size.

"Mr. Arthur, could you clean this for me again?"

"Sure thing. Clean!"

"Thank you. Now, fill this bottle with chopped ripples (apples) and lukewarm water. And that’s it."

You can also use raisins instead of apples, but making raisins is a hassle, so apples it is.

“”"… Huh?!"””

"Hehe. By day two, the water will change color and produce some bubbles. At that point, shake the bottle well two to three times a day, open the lid to let in some air, and then close it again to let it sit. On day four, transfer it to the refrigerator, and by day six, you’ll have your bread starter ready."

"Wow, it takes a whole week!"

"Yep, but it’s worth it for how delicious the bread turns out."

Now that the natural yeast is set, what should I prepare for afternoon tea today?

Mother’s been into rum grapes lately, so perhaps a pound cake?

And since it’s warm today, maybe milange (orange) iced tea to go with it?

"Today, I want to make a rum brape pound cake. Is that okay?"

"Rum brapes in a cake?"

"Yep, that’s right. Let’s see… Ah, here’s a baking mold. Can I use this?"

I found a rectangular terrine mold.

"Go ahead. A merchant recently dropped it off as a sample for us to try out."

I wonder if that merchant could also source soy sauce or miso for us. And if I find out who made this mold, maybe they could even craft a hand mixer!

"I want to meet that merchant!"

"””Whoa!””"

"No yelling out of nowhere, Young lady! You startled us!"

"Ahaha, sorry, I got a little excited."

"Young lady, I understand your excitement, but if you want to meet the merchant, you’ll need the Master’s permission, and either the head chef or I will have to accompany you."

"Okay~”

I’ll discuss the merchant with Father later. For now, let’s bake that pound cake!

"Mix the eggs, butter, and honey, then fold in the rum brapes. After that, sift in the flour and baking powder and gently combine everything."

"That sounds simple enough. Even I could do it."

Annie said, holding the bowl steady.

"Then, grease the mold lightly, pour in the batter, and bake it. Master, I’m counting on you."

"Got it."

"Anything else you’d like to make?"

Arthur’s eyes were sparkling—no, gleaming eagerly at me.

"Umm… How about milange ice tea?"

"””Milange ice tea?””"

All three of them tilted their heads in unison.

"It’s just milange juice and iced tea. Fill a glass with plenty of ice, pour in the Milange juice first, then slowly add strong tea on top."

"Does milange go well with tea?"

"It’s delicious. Want to try?"

Personally, I also like peach iced tea and mango iced tea, but my absolute favorite is orange iced tea.