“This must be the bread that fuels the Gore racing cars and helps to negotiate those corners,” quips racing enthusiast and Jamaica Observer team member Conroy Walker as he steps into the kitchen of Douglas Gore’s wife Debra.

It’s a non-circuit day, however, and we are headed towards the oven from whence some of the best-tasting breads broken in the West are baked. Indeed there is interest in the 400-odd trophies collected by this region’s Schumacher, but the Gore racing tradition takes second place (at least today).Thursday Food is interested in the bread-baking ability of the lady of the house.

Truth be told, Debra Gore, whose culinary skills had long been influenced by her mother Josephine Meany, took her passion to the Robert Morgan Vocational Technical Institution, where she picked up not only baking skills but quite a few awards, too. Amongst them an award from the Dade County Youth Fair in 1992: The Holsum Bakery Award (1st of the 1st). Not to mention the Kahlua Golden Spoon Award from the University of Miami for her orange-flavoured Kahlua filled cookie. Her most recent award has come on the pages of Elegant Bride 2001.

On her return to Jamaica, Gore rolled most of her dough at the ultra chic Round Hill but found time to sweeten up the film crew during production of the renowned Cool Runnings movie. Today she pops bread in the oven for the ‘discerning set’ in search of bread. less banal breads like her raisin, cheese, nuts, spices, garlic, herbs, onions and sun-dried tomato loaf.

Gore’s passion for bread-making is contagious, and as we travel along her bookshelf we feel tempted to and in fact, pull up a chair to take a closer look at her bread ingredients.It gets better, however, when we find ourselves breaking bread al fresco, framed in a magical setting with a picture-perfect postcard peek at the Caribbean Sea.

Our challenge for you this weekend is to find your own perfect spot, pour a glass of wine and break your favourite bread.

Naturally, we could not leave without a recipe for at least one of those delicious loaves.

Gore’s basic white bread

Ingredients:

31/2lbs baking flour

4 cups water (room temperature)

2oz lard

1oz salt

1oz yeast

2oz sugar

Method:

Pour water in bowl.

Add salt, sugar and yeast.

Stir to dissolve.

Add lard and flour.

Mix well until smooth.

Place on floured table and divide into required sizes (about 611b pieces.)

Allow dough to double in size.

For loaf bread -grease loaf pans and form dough to fit with space to proof.

For French loaves, flour/ grease paper /sheet pan.

Form dough into shape and place on pan.

Allow to proof until loaf pan is “filled” with dough.

Lightly egg-wash top and score.

Bake at 350oF until top is golden.

Remove from oven.

Let sit for 5 minutes.

Remove from pan and place on cooling rack.

“It’s delicious hot,” states Gore “and is definitely too good to wait.”