Notes from Byron Bay

Recreating my post surf ritual: Adding hemp to the wheat germ, flax & durum dough from last week

     

Over the last year of travels, there were lots of notable discoveries, bread and otherwise. Among several inspiring breads, one that continues to haunt me was not made in a bakery, but rather a small whole foods coffee shop cafe. High Life in Byron Bay became our early morning coffee ritual, plus post surf refueling stop on a few visits to this breezy enclave that felt like home. Byron reminded me of the NorCal village of Bolinas, where I sold my first backyard loaf of wood fired bread at the People’s Store back in the mid 90s. Perhaps equally sharky as Bolinas just North of San Francisco, Byron generally has more good waves on tap, but the vibes are there: hemispheres aligned in spirit.

The High Life bread is referenced on the cafe menu as ‘sprouted hemp seed bread’. I’ve had much experience with sprouting grains and seeds over the years, many of those adventures detailed in Tartine Book 3. But I’ve never worked with hemp seed or hearts, which is the plant matter contained within the seed. The flavor is nutty, as they say - and the description that rings truest to my taste is ‘like sunflower and pine nut, with a hint of peanut’. While culinary hemp hearts are not psychoactive in any way, they are super nutrient dense and high in protein with that pleasant flavor. High Life served slices of this bread perfectly toasted with the most amazing and dynamic selection of accompaniments: fermented pickles, sauces, chutneys, ripe avocado, soft egg, sardines, and whatever else made sense from the market or larder that day.