Back to Basics

One of my first memories of baking as a young girl was kneading bread with my mom. There is something homey about the smell of yeast and flour in a warm kitchen, just takes me back. I'd stand on a stool next to my mom, and knead the bread with her, getting my hands covered with flour, and having a great time. Then I'd wait anxiously while the bread went through several rises, always wanting to punch it down, and watch it fill the bowl again. Finally when we would put the bread in the pan, wait for one last rise, then pop it in the oven. My mouth would start watering almost instantly. I kept checking the timer, seeing if the bread was ready yet. Finally we'd take out a warm loaf of bread, cut generous slices, slather it with soft butter, and eat it up! Ahh, the joys of a childhood spent in the kitchen.

Yesterday I finally decided to share making bread with my two boys. They, like myself, love to bake. Every time they see me bring out the bowls, or the mixer, they get excited, running to the kitchen to help mom. In the morning we got out the yeast and flours, got the bowls ready, and of course some stools for the boys so they could help. We put the first batch of ingredients together, yeast, water, molasses and some flour, stirred it, and waited. If you've ever made bread before, you know this is where patience comes in, and if you've ever had two little boys before, you know patience isn't something they've practiced much of! So after an hour of watching the sponge proof, they asked if the bread was ready... not yet boys was all I could say. We added more flour, got to knead the dough - which of course they loved because they got to get their fingers in there and get dirty - and then sat and waited. Is it ready to eat now mom? Not yet boys... Now here is where things got interesting.

I put the bowl on the stove and waited my hour... lifted the damp towel... and nothing had happened! Argh! I always remembered the stove being the warmest spot for the dough to rise, but it didn't seem to hold true in my house. Oh yeah, I keep my home at about 67* during the day, so it isn't warm like the bread needs... and I don't have a pilot light for my gas oven, so it isn't warm either. Dang, now what? Well, this is where ingenuity comes in. I turned the oven on to 170* left the door open, and put the bowl back on top of the stove. Yes, this may be warmer than it needs, but it is the only way for the dough to rise. So, back to the bread lesson.

After the boys had already waited for 3 hours, they finally got to punch down the dough, they loved it! Is it ready now mom? Not yet boys... Thankfully, it was nap time for them, so the interminable waiting wouldn't seem to take so long. After they woke up, we got to shape it into loaves, put them back on the stove and wait again, but not for nearly as long this time. Finally, at 3:30pm, 5.5 hours after having started the process, we got to put the bread in the oven! My youngest sat in front of the oven door, watching the bread cook. As soon as it came out of the oven, I let them each have a slice, with soft butter melting down into all the yummy goodness of fresh bread warm from the oven. That night we made garlic bread with one of the loaves, and today they ate their PB & J sandwiches on homemade bread. Unfortunately it disappeared so quickly there was none left by the time I thought of taking a picture!

Making bread is one of those activities that can bring you back to the center. The natural process of yeast rising, adding just a few ingredients and coming out with a delicious result. The slow nature of it forces you to slow down for a day, not always having to be rushing out the door. Working the dough can relieve any number of stresses in life. Let's not forget the sumptuous result after a day of letting nature take its time, warm homemade bread. Yes, there are ways to speed up the process, bread machines that do everything for you, mixers that take all the fun out of kneading, and even rapid rise yeast that proofs in half the time; but sometimes it is best to slow down, take our time, and let nature work at it's speed instead of ours.