Breadmaking and Home

After two happy weeks spent with family in Texas, we returned home this weekend. Most of it was spent unpacking and rediscovering the wonders of our house. Today we dug in and enjoyed. We played, we knitted, we slept, and, perhaps most homey of all, we made bread. Generally we bake bread on Fridays--a day when everyone is home from school and we have nothing planned. We made the bread today instead so that we could enjoy the fruits of our labor our first week back.

We mixed, we kneaded, we rolled, and we shaped. There is something so therapeutic about kneading bread, so truly relaxing. There are many times throughout my days that I struggle to be in the moment. I have to remind myself to stay present, to stay awake to my environment. Not when I am kneading bread. In fact, it is almost impossible for me to think about anything other than the feeling of the dough between my fingers, the warmly yeasty smell that it is releasing all around. I would make bread for this experience alone.

I use the basic bread recipe from the Tassajara Bread Book. The sweeteners that I add vary--today we added blueberry honey, the last time brown sugar. Tomorrow morning we will enjoy...