what would life be without home baked bread

“In life, most valuable things demand time and cannot be rushed. This is the case notably with inspiration, love, relationships, raising children, taming animals, learning, growing plants and cooking.” — Rosa Jeanne Mayland.

Few things are as tasty, satisfying and simple, as home baked bread. People used to bake their own bread and make other wholesome food at home,  so it’s sad that so many of us have opted for prepared and processed foods over things that can be made simply at home. Nearly every civilization in history made some form of bread in its culture – the story of flour, water, and salt is not far from being as old as time itself.

When I was a full-time working mom, Saturdays were bread making days. Cartoons would be playing on TV, the furnace would kick in and out, and I’d get my hands into the dough. During the rises, a hearty breakfast would be consumed, the dog walked, and other household chores wrapped up. And then, the intoxicating aroma of homemade bread baking in, or fresh from the oven — sublime.

I believe everyone needs to slow down once again. Regain composure. Take in life’s simple pleasures. Baking with yeast can not be hurried, especially if working with sourdough, which eats up time like a tortoise with nowhere to go. Silliness aside, it’s that slow pace that really makes the whole process meditative. It is a satisfying way of achieving a sense of calm or practicing mindfulness (there’s a buzz word for the current times). Yet the whole purpose is that resulting loaf of beautiful crusty bread.

“The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water is indescribable in its evocations of innocence and delight.” — M.F.K. Fisher

So I’ve been baking bread, off and on, for a very long time. I’ve grown and learned a few tricks along the way. But the one thing that remains constant is the combined pleasures of the crunchy crust, the moist yet substantial interior of that yeasty magic together with moments when your taste buds experience bite-after-bite of that home made goodness — you will never go back to eating pale, additive-induced processed bread.

Despite the fact that I’m no longer eating starches, sugars, or high carbohydrate foods (other than days/evenings we have guests over or are invited out to dinner) I do still incorporate my baking skills to satisfy my husband and for sharing as gifts to friends and neighbours. I’m giving away a lot of baking these days since I’m not eating these treats on a daily basis anymore. I made an exception last week because I had to take a sample tasting of my sourdough bread made from my very own sourdough starter. Oh boy.

The first loaf of sourdough sandwich bread made from the fresh batch of sourdough starter

The first ‘real’ batch of sourdough artisan bread: one pan bread and one boule

“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.” –– Robert Browning

Here’s what you do. Prepare to take time. Gather some flour, water, salt and yeast (or starter if making sourdough). Put it all together. Let rise. Gently de-gas it, fold and let rise again. Bake. Inhale that yeasty aroma. Remove from oven. Cool slightly. Now slice into that baby. Slather with butter, take it as is, dip in olive oil & balsamic, or use it to sop up some homemade soup or stew. Tell me if that doesn’t beat commercial bread any day of the week!

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” –– Mahatma Gandhi

As Rosa says, “In life, most valuable things demand time and cannot be rushed.”