Simple pleasures wrapped up in bread

Strolling through an open-air market in Alsace last summer, my friend and I decided to make a picnic lunch from some of the locally made products we found. He bought an assortment of dry-cured sausages from one of the stands, and I stopped at a nearby bakery for a crusty baguette and an oversized pretzel topped with a variety of seeds.

Down the road, we passed a small park that sat in the shadow of a clock tower. We spied a picnic table not far from a tranquil pond and an ancient linden tree, and decided we had found the perfect location. The sun shone brightly and rose bushes nearby perfumed the air. It was one of those moments that remains frozen in my memory.

Back home, I wondered if I could ever recapture the simple pleasure of that al fresco afternoon. Even better, could I combine the rich flavors of those cured meats in picnic-friendly breads to create a portable, light meal -- an edible souvenir of the trip, if you will?

I came up with a soft, chewy pretzel studded with bacon and Gouda cheese. And to salute Minnesota's favorite native crop, I added wild rice to a favorite quick bread recipe and made it even more filling with chunks of chicken-apple sausage and sliced almonds. Both of the breads can be loaded into a backpack, picnic basket, or lunch bag for a satisfying meal on the go.

Andrew David Baker is an Edina writer.