Is bread and butter the ultimate comfort food?
January 16, 2024 by DarcieWriting for Salon, Mary Elizabeth Williams makes a bold statement, saying there is no better comfort food than bread and butter. After describing a perfect French breakfast of a crusty baguette, still warm from the oven paired with luxurious butter from Brittany. “What is it about bread and butter that hits the spot like nothing else in the world?” Williams ponders, attempting to answer that query and its follow-up, “Why is that specific combination just so damn good?”
Some people contend it’s the bread that makes or breaks this combo, positing that the allure lies in the tactile experiences you get from a loaf with a crackly crust contrasting with a chewy, fluffy interior. Others think that ‘the butter betters the bread’ (which is a paraphrase of the motto on my local creamery’s butter wrapper). There’s no denying that fat contributes heavily to the flavor experience, and clocking in with at least 80% fat, butter is definitely bringing the goods. A third camp say it’s a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. As chef Rosie Elliott says, the pairing is “the quintessential comfort food combo.”
I believe the scale is tipped somewhat to the bread side of the equation. Even a fantastic butter can’t save a flavorless commercial loaf that’s filled with cadre of chemical additives. Eating butter on its own isn’t likely to satisfy (although if you ask my kitten, she will disagree – and the tooth marks on the stick of butter I foolishly left on the counter yesterday are the evidence). However, a great bread can stand on its own, needing nothing to be delicious. Combining the two, of course, and it’s magical.
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