lifestyle

Grandma’s homemade bread

January 20, 2018

I was making myself a sandwich and it got me thinking about bread. In particular, the bread Grandma baked when we visited recently- a country style fluffy white loaf. And thinking about that made me think about grandparents, and how special they are. I’m lucky to have such amazing grandparents. There are countless memories since I was young…

Grandpa making me pink milk by adding water to the powder. I’d beg him to draw a tree-house for all my imaginary characters- over and over and over. I’d make him watch Cinderella and Oliver too, over and over and over. I used to sit with him in the car when we visited India. Grandma and mum would do the shopping, and I’d chatter away, staring out of the window at the colourful world outside. Grandpa would watch cricket, some of my earliest memories are hovering nearby, trying to make sense of the game, waiting for the ducks to appear on the screen.

They’d push me on the swings, play ball, read me books. Grandma used to build a den for my stuffed animals, I’d write stories for her and do art projects. She’s saved them all, she’s still got them today. I’d help her cut vegetables, she’d tell me about saving water, not wasting food. We’d play Down by the bay where watermelons grow and sing songs.

We went to KL together, wandered through the science museum. Whilst the rest of us were scared out of our wits in the helicopter ride, grandpa fell asleep. We visited Mysore, explored the Bonsai garden, looked at the parrots. Grandma conquered Uber, we almost lost grandpa in the train station.

They’ve driven me to and from exams in that crazy Bangalore traffic. Bought me anything I asked for, and plenty I didn’t. Visiting them is always like coming home. IPL in the background, dishes clanging in the kitchen. Brand new toiletries in the bathroom, better than any hotel. Fresh cooked food, wifi codes, everything we could possibly need.

Last time we visited, I felt like time was ticking. We all went iPhone hunting, grandma and I went jewellery shopping.  We drove through the manic streets at dusk to watch a Christmas concert, did the groceries at More. I sat on the kitchen counter, and chatted, about teaching, about the future. We would all sit out on the patio, me on the swing, them on the rattan chairs as they day faded. Both on their iPads, I’d listen to the birds and feel content. But in the background, the old clock above the fridge, ticking.

Grandma is an amazingly good cook, and grandpa the (very lucky) chief taster. This recipe is just one of the many things she can make:

Ingredients for two loaves:

  • 2 cups warm water
  • two thirds of a cup white sugar
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • quarter cup of oil
  • 6 cups flour
  • 1.5 tbsp dry yeast

To do:

  • Dissolve the sugar in warm water- let it resemble a creamy foam.
  • Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time.
  • Let the dough sit for an hour or more (until its doubled).
  • Punch the dough down and knead for a few minutes. Divide it into half.
  • Shape it into loaves and place into two well-oiled 9X5 inch loaf pans. Leave it for half an hour or until the dough has risen one inch above the pans.
  • Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees celsius) for half an hour.

Enjoy warm, and to quote a Malaysian bread company, its ‘so good you can even eat on its own’…

Enjoy the rest of the weekend xx

All photos my own and taken with an iPhone 8:)

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  • Subha Kuijper January 21, 2018 at 8:19 am

    What a lovely piece of writing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your memories of your grandparents.

    • Layla January 21, 2018 at 5:19 pm

      thank you, i thought they deserved a post!

  • Bert January 21, 2018 at 9:10 am

    Such a nice and well deserved tribute to grandparents, very well written. The bread looks very good!

    • Layla January 21, 2018 at 5:19 pm

      thank you. yes it was very tasty!

  • Bhama January 21, 2018 at 12:41 pm

    What a tribute to us your grandparents. It brought loads of lovely memories : the time spent together, the places visited together, lucky to be around when you started KG and was around when you finished IB and celebrating Christmas and borthdays endless wonderful memories. Its a well wtitten post. Thank you granddaughter for making us a very proud grandparents. We Love you.

    • Layla January 21, 2018 at 5:18 pm

      im glad you guys liked it… love you both xx

  • K.Ramachandran January 28, 2018 at 5:24 pm

    Hi Layla
    This is your Grand uncle and aunt (Lalitha and Chandru). We have seen you and Mylee when you came to see your great grand parents (my parents) at Chennai.. yes it was way back and you were sweet small kids. Time has flown by and it is amazing to see you now as grown up pretty young girls. Your Bhama patti ( grand ma) would have told you about your cousins Akshaya and Aswath who live in Singapore and Diya lives in New jersey US. We read “About you and your recent adventures” and forwarding your blog to your cousins to let them know about their cousins whom they have not met. Sounds interesting is it not! We enjoyed reading about your times spent with your grandparents very lovingly portrayed by you. Bhama patti is our favorite too! With love and Wishing you and Mylee a glorious future,
    Lalitha and Chandru

    • Layla January 28, 2018 at 7:28 pm

      hi, so happy to hear from you! i am glad you liked reading and thank you.

  • Maya Kuijper July 6, 2018 at 1:28 pm

    this was such a cute post 🙂 nice memories

    • Layla July 8, 2018 at 6:48 am

      those grandparent pets <3