A Loaf of Bread and Thou

AS THE POLAR VORTEX prepares to clip us as it passes on to even chillier climes, it’s time to follow indoor pursuits. This one, which we wrote about two years ago and still believe in, is the perfectly warm way to pass a couple of hours—with a delicious treat at the end of the oh-so-arduous task of allowing dough to rise on its own.

It’s the Salt-Crusted Currant Pecan Rye Bread from Patrick O’Connell at the Inn at Little Washington, in Washington, Virginia. O’Connell shared the secrets in his 1996 Inn at Little Washington Cookbook: A Consuming Passion. Now, just because the master’s recipe is dead simple to make doesn’t mean you need never go to the Inn (especially in February and March, when O’Connell and crew are offering reduced room rates on select dates).

But for this weekend, consider this perfect party rye a sample of all the fabulous details that make the Inn what it is: one of the best inns and restaurants in the world.

–Nancy McKeon