An ode to weird bread

Profile picture for user JMonkey
A Really Crappy Poem

By JMonkey

Hungry? Famished? Almost dead?
Jonesing for a hunk of bread?
Never fear, walk down the hall
To the machine that vends it all.
You'll find there bread in a can,
So long as you live in Japan.



Here's a link to the article.

Toast

How funny!  You know Japan has a good reputation regarding bread--apparently the french taught their methods to Japan a long time ago, and even Calvel mentions in his book that they understood how to make truly french bread.  I've also seen Japanese stamps with baguettes on them, which I thought was strange until I looked into it.

 

But this?  I don't think Calvel would approve :) 

As I browse and search for bread so lean
I come across this bread machine
The cans are gleaming and look so tasty
I wonder if I'll become a pastry!

Next!

Eric

Now I'm wondering who will be the first to post a picture of bread baking in a soup can.  I think if you cut of the top of the can off with one of those side cutting can openers you replace the lid, let a little piece of dough rise, then throw it in the oven with something on top of the can to hold down the lid.  Kind of a single serving pullman pan.

demegrad

http://www.demegrad.blogspot.com

I believe I saw a recipe on the foodtv network of a single serving cake baked in a soup can.  I like the novelty of cooking in cans but always wonder what happens to the soldering components as they heat up in the oven or campfire..

 SD Baker

LOL! I showed this to DH, who reports that he remembers seeing a full loaf of Mrs. Baird's bread sold in a can, probably in the 50's.

They said today it could be done

a can of bread for thoughts of one.

In soup can hidden and tucked away

a thousand years later to make a say.

The archeologists thought it strange

that bread from a can had never changed.

(bow and hand gesture for the next please....) 

Mini O

Would I could retaliate,

but I'm sleepy and sedate.

When I first learned bakin',

the right book was Clayt'n.

Bread Became Art,

graduation to Peter Reinhart.

A tenacious, persistent teaser,

made me look at Maggie Glezer.

When finally I'm dead,

just bury me in bread.

A dough arose in Tokyo,

And stretched and yawned

--it was near dawn--

A yen to take a shower, sushi

Stepped into the flour;

When she was done

The morning sun

Was rising in the yeast;

A nut was tucked behind each ear,

A berry in her hair--

"Well, this should tame the beast", she thought,

And sat, not in a chair, but

In a can--not soup, or beer, or Spam--uh,

This was Japanadama.

 

A man from Singapore
Loved bread to the core
He baked bread by the dozen
Starting in a cold oven
This one's for you, Al Gore

Mini O, did you end up baking that dough in the can?  I just baked some of the Light Wheat from BBA, and threw about 175 grams of dough in a can.  It is by far some of the weirdest bread I've ever come across, might be a decent way to bake bread while camping though, there always seems to be enough soup cans around.  It literally has NO crust, the bread it self was good though.  I put a rock onto of the lid of the can but the bread seemed to creep out a little while expanding in the oven.

litewheatbreadinovenlitewheatbreadinoven

canbreadcanbread

 

 

demegrad

http://www.demegrad.blogspot.com

and it stuck so bad, I didn't get it out whole! (Congratulations!) I smeared it with garlic butter and ate it with butter running down my wrists. It never had a chance to cool, poor thing. I had cut both ends out of the can and laid it on the side to bake with the dough expanding out both ends. (I was temped to add a metal drawer grip to the can, "the ultimate bread carry case") Many years ago, one could buy forms for round loaves that worked on the same principal, I believe they were glass so they would brown better. Sandwiches for the "bridge club." Anyone remember those? Not too practical I guess....

Mini O

I still see those round pans online, including some in shapes - hearts, card suits, etc.  But I've only seen metal ones. 

I had a step mother once upon a time who made her whole wheat bread in coffee cans. It was terrible and flavorless, but that was not the fault of the cans I am certain. It was actually one of those formative moments that started me on a life long bread baking "thing". Thinking I can certainly make better bread than that can stuff =)