Case 014: Our Gayly Bread

    filed November 21, 2019

  • Conventional wisdom suggests the gayest bread may be no bread at all. At it’s foundation, though, bread is inherently queer. The Spanish call it pan (an identity), the French call it pain (a way of life), and Americans performatively deny themselves the pleasure of eating it (a need for control). Now, with the release of fledgling gay icon Claire Saffitz’s straightforward bread baking guide in The New York Times, and a seemingling endless stream of The Great British Bake Off same-sex shipping rumors, bread’s queer factor has soared. It hasn’t been this high since the infamous all-male dinner party at which Jesus raised a loaf and declared “This is my body. Eat me.” Reports from our trend forecasters here at The InQueery all confirm: Bread, once again, is on the rise.

    For The InQueery’s director of catering, Garin Hayes, the Breadassaince can’t come soon enough. “I’m tired of gluten grinches tossing my buns,” says Hayes. “I wish I could shove them in the proving drawer ‘til their little gay hearts double in size.”

    Every day more queer folks are saying “that’s a wrap” to lettuce as they realize the unleavened life is just not worth living. To help a generation of carb counters refamiliarize themselves with the yeasty treats of yesteryear we have compiled a roll call of gay bread’s upper crust. Bready or not, it’s time to get back on the pain train and delight in a slice!

    Focaccia

  • Focaccia: Much like a sexy vespa owner you met on your study abroad, this bread is charmingly dimpled, perfectly salty and has a name you can almost pronounce. Finished with an oily fingering, this bread is unquestionably queer. Equally fabulous as a sandwich bread, in lieu of pizza crust, or simply dipped in more oil, this bake is also legitimately Vers. Perfectly paired piazza-side with the latest André Aciman novel. (Yes, Elio can say Fagccacia.)

    Ezekiel 4:9 Bread: Made from grains that are sprouted, then ground down, then expected to rise again, this bread comes out of the oven like it’s a closet. Its story is as queer as its recipe is ancient: your biblical roots wither in favor of taking weekend hikes just outside metropolitan areas.

    Pita Bread: The tote bag of breads, made all the more queer from the lack of straps. This bready clutch can be stuffed with any number of gay fillings, but our test kitchen has declared peak pita to be falafel piled high with a chopped salad and cilantro, the queerest food of all.

    Fougasse: Highly decorative, often used as a centerpiece, and impossible to say aloud without blurring the lines of your sexual preference.

    Wonder Bread

  • Wonder Bread: Superlative yet basic. Wonder Bread is chemically stripped of anything natural then supplemented with vitamins and minerals while maintaining a shockingly white and homogenous crumb, making it the instagay of baked goods. Immortalized in pop art, this bread is sliced camp.

    Hero: A softer, stouter, American version of a Baguette (either Gay or European, conflicting studies show). Depending on the region, this bread is referred to as a Sub, Hoagie, Grinder, Blimp, Zeppelin, Torpedo, Spuckie, Bomber or Dagwood. The InQueery’s Hayes said, “I mean, come on!”

    Brioche: Two words: “Enriched Dough.” Two more words: “Yes Zaddy.”

    out of something neglected and some other stuff you happen to have around. It’s also the only bread on our list to use a past-its-prime fruit as a binding agent. Novice gay bakers may be surprised to learn just how simple it is to get a rise out of mushy bananas.

    Sourdough

  • Sourdough: Notably associated with San Francisco, this literally cultured bread is also the most high maintenance. Despite criticism that “being kneady isn’t a personality,” the more tangy this bread gets the more we desire it. A warning to home bakers: the attention demanded by this unforgiving dough could consume your entire weekend and, if you’re not careful, your life.

    Rating: Paul Hollywood in Provincetown – Bread Week’s just Bear Week with an extra “d”.

    Illusgaytion by Ole Tillmann

Case 014: Our Gayly Bread

filed November 21, 2019

  • Conventional wisdom suggests the gayest bread may be no bread at all. At it’s foundation, though, bread is inherently queer. The Spanish call it pan (an identity), the French call it pain (a way of life), and Americans performatively deny themselves the pleasure of eating it (a need for control). Now, with the release of fledgling gay icon Claire Saffitz’s straightforward bread baking guide in The New York Times, and a seemingling endless stream of The Great British Bake Off same-sex shipping rumors, bread’s queer factor has soared. It hasn’t been this high since the infamous all-male dinner party at which Jesus raised a loaf and declared “This is my body. Eat me.” Reports from our trend forecasters here at The InQueery all confirm: Bread, once again, is on the rise.

    For The InQueery’s director of catering, Garin Hayes, the Breadassaince can’t come soon enough. “I’m tired of gluten grinches tossing my buns,” says Hayes. “I wish I could shove them in the proving drawer ‘til their little gay hearts double in size.”

    Every day more queer folks are saying “that’s a wrap” to lettuce as they realize the unleavened life is just not worth living. To help a generation of carb counters refamiliarize themselves with the yeasty treats of yesteryear we have compiled a roll call of gay bread’s upper crust. Bready or not, it’s time to get back on the pain train and delight in a slice!

    Focaccia

  • Focaccia: Much like a sexy vespa owner you met on your study abroad, this bread is charmingly dimpled, perfectly salty and has a name you can almost pronounce. Finished with an oily fingering, this bread is unquestionably queer. Equally fabulous as a sandwich bread, in lieu of pizza crust, or simply dipped in more oil, this bake is also legitimately Vers. Perfectly paired piazza-side with the latest André Aciman novel. (Yes, Elio can say Fagccacia.)

    Ezekiel 4:9 Bread: Made from grains that are sprouted, then ground down, then expected to rise again, this bread comes out of the oven like it’s a closet. Its story is as queer as its recipe is ancient: your biblical roots wither in favor of taking weekend hikes just outside metropolitan areas.

    Pita Bread: The tote bag of breads, made all the more queer from the lack of straps. This bready clutch can be stuffed with any number of gay fillings, but our test kitchen has declared peak pita to be falafel piled high with a chopped salad and cilantro, the queerest food of all.

    Fougasse: Highly decorative, often used as a centerpiece, and impossible to say aloud without blurring the lines of your sexual preference.

    Wonder Bread

  • Wonder Bread: Superlative yet basic. Wonder Bread is chemically stripped of anything natural then supplemented with vitamins and minerals while maintaining a shockingly white and homogenous crumb, making it the instagay of baked goods. Immortalized in pop art, this bread is sliced camp.

    Hero: A softer, stouter, American version of a Baguette (either Gay or European, conflicting studies show). Depending on the region, this bread is referred to as a Sub, Hoagie, Grinder, Blimp, Zeppelin, Torpedo, Spuckie, Bomber or Dagwood. The InQueery’s Hayes said, “I mean, come on!”

    Brioche: Two words: “Enriched Dough.” Two more words: “Yes Zaddy.”

    out of something neglected and some other stuff you happen to have around. It’s also the only bread on our list to use a past-its-prime fruit as a binding agent. Novice gay bakers may be surprised to learn just how simple it is to get a rise out of mushy bananas.

    Sourdough

  • Sourdough: Notably associated with San Francisco, this literally cultured bread is also the most high maintenance. Despite criticism that “being kneady isn’t a personality,” the more tangy this bread gets the more we desire it. A warning to home bakers: the attention demanded by this unforgiving dough could consume your entire weekend and, if you’re not careful, your life.

    Rating: Paul Hollywood in Provincetown – Bread Week’s just Bear Week with an extra “d”.

    Illusgaytion by Ole Tillmann