day fifty-seven

bread for the journey.

2.26.2010

from biscuits with my grandmother, cornbread from my grandfather to graduating on to pie crusts, tarts, dressings, and desserts, i've been a bread maker since a girl. the bread making in our home has been good. my son launched out of my lap for the morning biscuits, declaring "this is my soul food" and his interest in solid foods. i've always cooked for my family, myself, and friends from high school until now. over the years i've enjoyed challenges through recipes and the long, lengthy process involved in making recipes that take a half of a day, a whole day to really create. this dough isn't so. it's simple, good, and well, quick. the new year's bread made from the same really was fast and good. wait! i like slow food. i like food you can savor in the preparation & presentation. though this bread is created quickly, there's a slowness to the dough that you haven't much to do with. you watch. you wait. you participate in the witness of good yeast + good flour working together. sometimes we can think about relationships that way: at times, we make them fast & they're good. you know you're pals and you sit back and savor the times together & the growth you each experience. oh, i could liken this to ministry, community, and how we impact our children. i learn from life as i create, and bread making is no exception. this bread is so counter to what i'm accustomed to making & baking that i am reflecting in new ways. i listen to myself & the spirit and the space i occupy is sacred. this new dough, found in at Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day uses our flour, teaches me lessons, and gives a new "daily" practice of making bread rather than my weekly practice. i'll still make the other recipes i love and enjoy soaking oats & pulling together various grains, kneading for 10-15 minutes. i like that work, too, which i have told you takes my hands back to throwing clay...but today i'll rest as the dough rests between baking. and i'll soon share a loaf with a neighbor after i've baked a few more to get it "just right". there are so many lessons here, that i'm sure i'll share again. create. eat. savor.