Two Takes On Bread

Everyone likes bread.However this kitchen and diet necessity can sometimes be boring .Luckily it is versatile whether to use as a cushion for food or remade as exotic street fare.These are two ways to enjoy it, both going from the mundane to the exotic and unusual. Bread was the topic of both Melissa Clark's A Good Appetite and David Tanis"City Kitchen columns in yesterday's New York Dining section.Ms. Clark decided to broil slices of thick, fine crumbed Pullman loaves or pan de mie (translated honey bread) The bread's soft spongy texture makes it perfect for the base of crab toast.This is a nice Summer Sunday supper.This involves buttering and toasting thick slices in the broiler and putting soft shell crabs under it too.Home chefs can get the crustaceans cleaned at your local fishmonger.The sauce over it is pureed Italian parsley spiked with jalapenos.This is smeared on top as a kind of pesto.If you want something simpler you could just make a garlic butter or an Old Bay mix to drizzle over the toast slices. David Tanis has a more exotic spin on the staff of life.He turns to Indian street food, namely dhokla a savory steamed loaf"Instead of traditional flour it is made with semolina.Ginger, green chile and turmeric are added for bite and fire.As for leavening there are two ways home chefs can go.There"s the old style Indian method which calls for soaking dried grains or legumes overnight,grinding them to make a batter and letting that ferment overnight.The result is natural yeast.A quicker and preferred way is mixing baking powder and flour which only takes an hour to rise.The result when baked is a springy almost spongecake bread.This would be good on it's own but then there is the tarka,the fiery topping made from a blend of cumin and curry cooked in vegetable oil.It is served with mint infused yogurt, also spoked with chiles. Bread made be just an ordinary part of one's diet but it can be made extraordinary.Try Melissa Clark's crab toast or David Tanis dhokla.They both will bring flavor and excitement to something so mundane.