“Red current jelly was served with the cold mutton, and potato salad and pickled cabbage, afterwards there was a deep apple pie with lots of Devonshire cream. In the centre of the dinner-table, just below the cruet stand, stood an enormous loaf of bread. Mr. Harding, the baker, cooked one for Father every Saturday. It was four loaves baked in one so that it did not get as stale as four small loaves would have. It was made cottage-loaf-shape–two storeys high with a dimple in the top.” The Book of Small by Emily Carr.
Cottage loaves are a traditional British shaped loaf, perhaps going back to Roman times. One small ball of dough is placed on top of a larger one and it’s supposed to resemble a cottage. Traditionally they are made with a plain white or whole wheat dough. I’ve made mine with my everyday sourdough, with just a few changes. It’s really just a fun way to shape the dough as it will taste the same as when made in the loaf pan.
I’ve always liked to experiment with different shapes with bread. There is something so fun about taking the same dough and shaping it into different forms. As a busy mother, I haven’t had as much time to do so the last few years, but the above quote from Emily Carr’s biographical work, The Book of Small, inspired me to give it a try. Besides letting it over rise, I think it was a success! I think it would be a fun shaped bread to serve when company is over or with a big pot of stew. And I always love trying “traditional” things, even bread loaf shapes.
The book is very interesting. I hadn’t heard of it before, but my mother owned it and I started reading it one day and got hooked. Emily Carr is best known for her art, but this little book of sketches from her childhood is absolutely fascinating. Her childhood took place in a very interesting time frame ( Victorian) in a very interesting place (Victoria, B.C.) when it was still a wild and untamed land. My husband and I have visited Victoria, and it’s absolutely beautiful, so I especially thought it interested to read what it was like in her childhood.
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