I grew up in Brazil where we have this bread called Pão Caseiro. I can clearly remember the smell of this bread being baked by my grandmother. It was around the time I was 8-9 years old. Every day me and my sisters would go to my grandmother’s house after school and we’d help her make this traditional bread. She had an old-fashioned hand crank-type device she used to make the dough flat and smooth - kind of like the one you use to make pasta. We’d help her make the dough from scratch, then she’d leave it outside in the sun to rise under a mango tree she had in the backyard. I don’t remember the dough smelling like anything, but I do remember the smell of the wet yeast she used. It’s hard to describe, but it doesn’t smell so nice.

The strong memory though is triggered from the amazing smell coming from the oven when the bread was baking. The smell filled the whole house. It made me feel warm and happy. My grandmother was so loving. Every day around 2pm she would feed us this afternoon snack of a slice of fresh baked Pão Caseiro bread with butter melting on top and a glass of warm chocolate milk. It was such a feeling of being taken care of and feeling carefree with no worries.

Now when I, on occasion, make my own bread and I get that same smell coming from the oven, it immediately takes me back to my grandmother’s house and those carefree days.

How would I describe the scent? It’s hard to describe really. It’s definitely warm, has a toasty aspect.

If the scent had a sound, what would it be? Continuous, uniform sound; smooth sound. Not too loud, not too soft.

If the scent had a color, what would it be? Off-white, eggshell white.

If the scent had a texture, what would it be? Fluffy, sponge-like.