Serenity in Bread
One of my very favorite things to do is to bake bread. I don't use a bread machine. I do it by hand, kneading it myself and watching it as it rises. It takes about six hours to bake a batch of bread, which makes four baguettes. It is incredibly delicious, and the SMELL! The smell alone is worth it. But what I love so much about it is the process. The mixing and kneading are enormously therapeutic for me.
As a trauma survivor, repetitive motions are calming and soothing. While I'm kneading the dough, everything else vanishes in the motion and the determination of when the dough is ready to rise. Baking bread is an art form, only perfected with practice. It takes concentration, constant attention, and patience to bake a good loaf of bread. While I am baking bread, not much else creeps in. My attention is always on it, no matter what I may be doing. If the dough is rising, I may be doing something else, such as reading or knitting, but my mind is always attuned to the bread. When the dough is done rising will depend on the temperature and humidity of the room, and can vary widely. Determining this point requires a good eye for detail and a lot of patience.
When my hard work comes out of the oven, the time it takes the bread to cool enough not to burn but warm enough to still melt the butter is an eternity. Eating it is heavenly, and when I serve it with dinner, far more bread is consumed than the dish I've prepared for the meal.
The delight that accompanies the consumption is reward enough, but the time ends so soon. I love baking the bread so much that when it has been eaten and nothing is left but the dishes, I feel a little sad. I don't have the time to bake bread nearly as much as I would like, but when I do it is a delight.
Photo Credit: Katherine Elizabeth
As a trauma survivor, repetitive motions are calming and soothing. While I'm kneading the dough, everything else vanishes in the motion and the determination of when the dough is ready to rise. Baking bread is an art form, only perfected with practice. It takes concentration, constant attention, and patience to bake a good loaf of bread. While I am baking bread, not much else creeps in. My attention is always on it, no matter what I may be doing. If the dough is rising, I may be doing something else, such as reading or knitting, but my mind is always attuned to the bread. When the dough is done rising will depend on the temperature and humidity of the room, and can vary widely. Determining this point requires a good eye for detail and a lot of patience.
When my hard work comes out of the oven, the time it takes the bread to cool enough not to burn but warm enough to still melt the butter is an eternity. Eating it is heavenly, and when I serve it with dinner, far more bread is consumed than the dish I've prepared for the meal.
The delight that accompanies the consumption is reward enough, but the time ends so soon. I love baking the bread so much that when it has been eaten and nothing is left but the dishes, I feel a little sad. I don't have the time to bake bread nearly as much as I would like, but when I do it is a delight.
Photo Credit: Katherine Elizabeth
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