I have recently gotten into making things with yeast. Nothing dramatic, like those enviable sourdough loaves that graced our feeds in 2020. Just simple bread and some sweet buns. While I still haven’t cracked the sourdough code, I begin to understand why making bread was such a thing through peak pandemic: it can be so restorative.
What’s with Maddie and ‘restorative’ cooking?
I feel a bit unsettled this year. I think that’s mainly due to The House Question. It’s hard to feel rooted and settled when you’re not sure where you’re headed. I crave a sense of home. Being in a rental and on a budget, I can’t achieve that through house improvements. But I can cook.
Baking bread takes three to four hours. Making yogurt takes at least 24. Things like my peach shrub (AKA drinking vinegar) and other fermented things take weeks. There’s something very grounding about these slow processes. You also get the benefit of yummy things to eat afterwards. So that’s why I’m on a bit of a slow cooking kick.
Kneading is therapeutic as all get out
Gluten-based breads need kneading. There is at least 10 minutes where you get your hands into the soft, warm dough and work it to get a good ‘crumb’. If you’re feeling frustrated, beating up a piece of dough is a great way to let that all out. Anxious? Nothing will keep you more present than the working with your hands. Making Swedish cardamon rolls over the weekend let me vent a lot of feelings and I can’t recommend it enough.
Bread is delicious so why not make your own?
Who doesn’t love that warm, yeasty smell of freshly cooked bread? Eating still-warm slices of a fresh loaf with butter melting through it is one of life’s great joys. Sweet buns, brioche cakes, braided bread. It’s all delicious and it’s better when you made it. The sense of accomplishment as you nibble that slice is not to be beaten.
While sourdough is more complex, a standard yeast recipe is actually pretty easy. Set aside some time next weekend and dig your hands in some dough. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
