Novel Bakery

I painted a loaf of bread to match the inside cover of Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, and then created Max’s dinner with bread slices, a glass of milk, and a bowl of soup.

and into the night of his very own room
where he found his supper waiting for him

and it was still hot.

from Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Confession–I don’t recall reading Where the Wild Things Are as a child. I’m sure it was read to me at least once, but it wasn’t something we had in our home library. But I bought it shortly after Darcy was born and I immediately fell in love with it. Some picture books are a classic for a reason. I love its lyrical story, the beautiful illustrations, and the mischievous little boy. It immediately gives you the nostalgia of being a kid and playing imagination.

I had to recreate Max’s dinner that was still hot.

I’ve been working on a sourdough starter for a few weeks, so, of course, made a sourdough loaf.

I followed this recipe from King Arthur Flour for my starter. I’ve since thrown away my starter because I got tired of maintaining it (I kept it for probably 4 months) and I’m the only person in my household who likes sourdough. But I’m glad that I finally gave it a try!

Using my personal starter, I made this sourdough recipe.

If you don’t have a sourdough starter, I like this easy artisan bread recipe.

For shaping the loaves and slicing them with the lame, I used this kit and I’ve been loving it. It’s just $30 and it includes a dough hook for mixing, a lame, a pretty bench knife with a wooden handle, and two different shapes of proofing baskets.

Painting the loaf is super easy! And would probably be even easier if you have any artistic skills, which I do not! Mix gel food coloring–any color you want–with a smidge of flour. My favorite brands of food coloring gels are Americolor and ChefMaster. The ChefMaster colors are a bit more vibrants so it’s my preferred brand, but both are excellent.

I then use my food paint brushes to create my design. Then bake as usual! The colors will fade a bit while baking.

For the soup, I made this Cheddar Cauliflower Chowder from How Sweet Eats. Because if any child needs some sneaky veggies in their dinner, it’s Max.

What’s your favorite classic children’s book?