Bread and butter

 Though I worked as a cook for many years in various restaurants around the country, studying and preparing and eating a number of different cuisines, no other food is as satisfying to me as a piece of sourdough bread, still warm from the oven, topped with freshly-made, cultured butter and a sprinkle of crunchy finishing salt. First there's the experience of the aroma, yeasty and malty, which reminds me of the bread my mother and grandmother made for our family when I was a child. Whether I cut a thick slice or tear off a chunk with my hands, I listen to the crackle of the caramelized crust. I spread the cultured butter, which is fuller in flavor, and more acidic, than the usual store-bought American butter. I sprinkle Maldon salt over the top, breaking up the large salt crystals slightly as I do so, but not so much that I won't feel every crunch as I eat. Then I get to taste the sourness and savoriness that only comes with slowly-fermented dough, the sweetness of the melting butter, the crust as it shatters, the moist and warm interior, and the salt bringing forward every flavor and making me salivate even more. Since I have some training as a baker, as I eat I'm also able to appreciate how much skill and labor is required to make a great loaf of bread. I've cooked thousands of different dishes, some of them quite complicated. But none are as satisfying to me as a simple piece of warm sourdough with butter and salt.