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Darling in the FranXX, most people I think can agree, was A SHOW that HAPPENED to a lot of people in a lot of different ways. For me, the most interesting thing Darling had to offer was Futoshi’s bread in like the very last episode, far in the future when they’re all living happily on a replenished Earth.
Overall, the plot thread focusing on Earth’s renewal and attempts to rebuild got a little lost amidst all the space stuff, but I was pleasantly surprised to see this bread pop up at the very end. Up until this, we were sort of left to wonder if the farming stuff really worked (which, by the way, HOW did it work??? It’s not that easy to just plant stuff and watch it grow. They’d have had to do a LOT of work on the soil to get it hospitable for growing plants again.) In the end, though, I wasn’t happy just because I like food, but because bread is a huge indicator of a successful civilization.
Though it’s clear that at the end they are able to have kids and replenish Earth’s supply of non-immortal humans, we don’t know quite the extent of this growth, but the bread provides a vital clue. I mean, think about it: in order to make bread, you have to first grow wheat. After you grow wheat, you need to collect and mill the grain. Then you have to grind the wheat down into flour, and have the wherewithal to practice combining it with water and yeast–yeast, a resource that would not have been as simple to come by as wheat, and even that wasn’t easy–to make a dough, and THEN also have the resources to practice turning the dough into cute little shapes to serve to adorable children.
In our society, it doesn’t seem like much of anything to do, but in a society that is struggling to relearn how to do these things without the aid of the technology they’d grown accustomed to, it would be quite a feat to produce specialty bread products. So then the next question is…. is this bread worth the time and effort?
I mean, yes. Do you like bread? I like bread. You know what makes bread more fun? Eating it in adorable shapes! This recipe is fairly easy to combine together, but it needs a lot of kneading. Like, 15-20 minute’s worth, though the original recipe only called for 10. The most difficult part about it is shaping the bread into your desired shapes, but that’s more fun than hard, and it all tastes good in the end no matter what shape you come up with.
By the way, what are these things? Seriously, are they baby Klaxosaurs? Weird birds? Is it symbolic of 002 and Hiro? I’d be curious to know what you think.
Watch the video below to see the full process.
Ingredients for Futoshi’s Bread
(Adapted slightly from this recipe)
-2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
-1 package Active Dry Yeast
-1 tbsp Sugar
-1 tsp Salt
-3/4 cup Water
-1/3 cup Milk
-1 tbsp Butter
-2 Eggs
-Red candies or berries for eyes
To Make Futoshi’s Bread
1. Whisk the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar together.
2. In a microwave or on the stove, heat milk, water, and butter so that it is warm–not burning–to the touch. (Within 120-130 F).
3. Stir milk mixture into flour until the dough starts to come together. Add in one egg.
4. Turn dough out onto a table and knead, about 15-20 minutes, until dough is soft, smooth, and pliable.
5. Cover with a damp cloth and rest until doubled, about 60 minutes, in a warm place.
6. Punch air out of dough. Split into 6 pieces and form each piece into a ball, and then into a teardrop shape. Cut the tail feathers of the creature into thirds, and shape appropriately. Set on a baking sheet, and add in berries or candies for eyes. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F
7. Mix up final egg with a splash of water. Brush the tops of the buns with the mixture, and bake in the oven at 400 F for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
8. Enjoy with butter and jam!
I hope you enjoyed this post! Check in next week for another recipe, and to check out more anime food recipes, visit my blog. If you have any questions or comments, leave them below! I recently got a Twitter, so you can follow me at @yumpenguinsnack if you would like, and DEFINITELY feel free to send me food requests! My Tumblr is yumpenguinsnacks.tumblr.com. Find me on Youtube for more video tutorials! Enjoy the food, and if you decide to recreate this dish, show me pics! 😀