The Smell of Yeast Proofing
One of my favorite Sabbath rest activities is baking bread. About 6 months ago I decided to bake a loaf of yeast bread by hand (no bread machine) just on a whim.
Since that time, I've spent numerous free days and evenings baking up various golden loaves. This past Monday I experimented with Challah (see picture) - a jewish, braided egg-bread. Although I wasn't overly impressed with its taste, it's not so much the final product but the process that's most refreshing and renewing:
Kneading the elastic dough by hand, smelling and seeing the yeast proofing in warm water, punching down the inflated dough that has been rising for 2 hours, catching the most wonderful aroma that is billowing out of the oven and filling the house with tones of fresh baked bread...
It brings a smile, develops mindfulness and is the perfect way to spend a few hours.
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3 comments:
Perfect way to lose yourself and let the 'baker' emerge. Can't say I've ever hand-made bread before but, cooking is a wonderful way to give of yourself. I often lose myself in preparing a meal.
John Lennon used to be big on making bread when he was a home-dad.
Sounds even better than lacto-fermenting your own ginger-ale! :-)
few things in life are as wonderful as fresh, home baked bread. rock on, daddy-o.
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