Flaxseed Bread — The Recipe That Holds the Story

Summer in full heat. The restaurant's AC works better than the apartment's AC (commercial HVAC vs. window units — the upgrade is not subtle). The kids come to the restaurant after camp/school and do homework at the counter while I clean up. The counter is now a homework surface, a dining surface, and a food photography studio. The counter is the most versatile piece of furniture in Nashville.

The Nashville Scene called. Not Taste Nashville — the actual NASHVILLE SCENE. The alternative weekly that has been the voice of Nashville culture since before I was born. They want to write about Sarah's Table. A feature. Not a review — a FEATURE. About me. About the story. About the Waffle House to the dental office to the restaurant. About Earline and the recipe box and Chloe and the Bites. They want the whole story. The whole story. I've been writing the whole story for seven and a half years in weekly chapters at a kitchen table and now a journalist wants to publish it in an actual publication.

The interview happened Thursday. A writer named Dana came to the restaurant. She sat at the counter. She ate the cornbread (closed her eyes — even journalists close their eyes). She asked questions. I answered them. I told her about Earline. About the recipe box. About the step stool and the Hamburger Helper. About the dental hygiene school. About Terrence and the leaving. About the pandemic and Elijah's birth. About the sunflower tattoo. About the napkin. About Mama saying "it's about time." I told her everything because the story is the food and the food is the story and you can't separate them because they were never separate. The story has always been the recipe. The recipe has always been the story.

Dana asked: "What's the one thing you want people to know about Sarah's Table?" I said: "That the food isn't mine. The food is Earline's. The food is Lorraine's. The food is Chloe's. The food belongs to every woman who ever stood at a stove and decided that feeding people is an act of love. I just gave it an address." I just gave it an address. That's the quote. That's the one that'll be in the article. That's the one that's true.

I made the after-interview meal: cornbread. Just cornbread. Because after telling the whole story to a journalist, the only appropriate response is to make the food that started the story. The cornbread was perfect. It's always perfect. The perfection is not mine. The perfection is Earline's. I just gave it an address.

Dana left, the restaurant went quiet, and I didn’t want anything complicated — I wanted bread. The kind of bread that asks nothing of you except that you show up and pay attention, which is exactly what I’d been doing for three hours straight at that counter. Flaxseed bread is Earline’s logic made modern: whole, honest ingredients, no shortcuts, nothing hiding. If the story I told Dana is true — that the food belongs to every woman who ever stood at a stove and decided feeding people is an act of love — then this is the bread that proves it.

Flaxseed Bread

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup warm water (105—110°F)
• 1/4 cup warm whole milk
• 2 tablespoons whole flaxseeds, for topping

Instructions

1. Activate the yeast. Combine warm water, warm milk, and honey in a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the top and let sit 5—10 minutes until foamy.
2. Mix the dough. Add olive oil to the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, ground flaxseed, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until a shaggy dough forms.
3. Knead. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8—10 minutes until smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky. Add flour one tablespoon at a time only if the dough is unworkably wet.
4. First rise. Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
5. Shape and second rise. Punch dough down gently. Shape into a loaf and place in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Scatter whole flaxseeds over the top and press lightly so they adhere. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
6. Bake. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake 35—40 minutes until the top is deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. An internal thermometer should read 190°F.
7. Cool. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool at least 20 minutes before slicing. This is not optional — the crumb needs to set.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 155 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 23g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 200mg