A thin white stream of milk falls from a jug into an earthenware bowl. The woman pouring it doesn't hurry. Bread lies broken on the table in front of her, and the light from the window touches every crust.
What the Milkmaid is making
According to the Rijksmuseum, which has cared for Vermeer's The Milkmaid since 1908, she is probably making bread pudding, a thrifty way to use up stale bread. A kitchen task, painted with the attention most painters gave to queens.
Johannes Vermeer, The Milkmaid, about 1658. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
That's the spirit of this recipe. Nothing complicated. Just a simple oat bread, made as if each step mattered.
Ingredients (one loaf)
- 260 g oat flour (about 2¾ cups)
- 240 ml milk (1 cup)
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
Method, slowly
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a loaf tin with baking paper. Listen to the oven as it starts to warm.
- Gather everything on the table before you begin, the way a still life is arranged. Notice the colours: pale flour, golden honey, white milk.
- In a large bowl, whisk the milk, eggs and honey together. Pay attention to the rhythm of your wrist and the sound of the whisk against the bowl.
- Add the oat flour, salt and baking powder, and stir until just combined. Watch the batter thicken and change colour.
- Pour it into the tin, as slowly as the Milkmaid pours, and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden and a skewer comes out clean. While it bakes, notice the smell slowly filling the kitchen.
- Let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then on a rack. Waiting is part of the recipe.
Mindfulness doesn't need a cushion
Any task can become a meditation when you give it your full attention: whisking, pouring, waiting for something to bake. You don't need a quiet hour, only one thing done at a time. Here's more on the art of doing one thing at a time.
Slice, and enjoy it slowly.
Recipes, music, places
"(letters) On Art" brings each issue of "(meditating) On Art", with a letter and a postcard every month in between: books, music, places, and sometimes a recipe like this one.
Remember to take as much time as you need, and meet me at the next one.
Love, Evi