On the Allure of Homemade Bread

 

There is usually no greater allure to any type of forbidden object or item than to tell someone they cannot use a certain thing or eat a specific food. That is the foundation of my belief; that it's a sure thing when it comes to the hypnotic effect of smelling homemade bread.

Most people love the scent of freshly baked bread.  That smell can attract people and animals for miles as it wafts through the air. In my city, there was a bread factory that was known from miles away as you drove by on the highway and suddenly got a deep sniff of the fresh homemade bread.

And for those who are on a celiac and gluten-free diet, there is even greater attraction to the forbidden scent of homemade bread. And it’s why there is a never-forgotten memory I will retain forever surrounding that lovely smell

It happened when I was on a cruise some years ago. The table was set and we were ready to give our orders, when the waiter appeared with a clean cloth over a small, homemade loaf of freshly baked, “Gluten-Free” bread! I remember carefully wrapping it and taking it to the depths of my small room in the ship, where I would lovingly savor some portion of the bread each morning thereafter.

And when I have been at home, there has been no greater treasure during the holidays than the one where I could actually make a loaf of homemade bread. Of course, I cheated. I used a bread maker! But the gluten free bread still held the smell that tantalizes and tempts all who were near.

There is nothing quite like the smell of homemade bread. But when the bread is something that is often so rare that it becomes a treat only a few times a year, then the homemade bread event takes on a legendary appeal.