For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt of baking bread. Warm, beautiful, delicious crusty bread.
But I always assumed it was too complicated to make at home, that it required a special stove and a deep, old world understanding of the dough making process.
Then one day my mother sent me a simple recipe. I spent thirty bucks on a dutch oven. And on my first try I baked an unbelievably tasty loaf that blew my mind. Coming fresh out of the oven it was honestly the best bread I’d ever had. Maybe the fact that I baked it myself made it taste that much better, but does that even matter? It was heavenly. It was a dream come true.
It turns out that what I thought was so complex and difficult is actually incredibly easy to do. This dream of mine that seemed so out of reach was right there in front of me the whole time.
Now we have freshly baked bread at home almost every weekend.
When friends come over, I time it so that a loaf comes out of the oven just after they arrive. It cools on the cutting board as its scent fills the air. We stand around the loaf in anticipation. Then I cut it into slices that we eat with butter or jam.
There’s something so elemental about crusty bread. When I bake it and share it I feel like I’m tapping into millennia of human history.
But I don’t really understand it. I don’t understand how this awe-inspiring alchemy takes place. How if you mix flour, salt, yeast and water and then put it in the oven it transforms into a glorious loaf. It becomes bread that will nourish you and your family. Bread that comforts and excites.
What I do know is that baking bread is a true pleasure that doesn’t cost a lot of money or take a lot of effort. It’s primal, too. Something about a fresh loaf seems to satisfy some deep spiritual need that I have as a human being.
The ritual of baking bread centers me and makes me feel more connected to the world. It has brought me much joy and delighted my family and friends. I encourage everyone to give it a try.
That’s really the point of this post. Baking bread is so inspiring and so easy to do. I also believe that this simple act makes the world a happier and better place.
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Here’s the link to the bread recipe my mother sent me. It works every time.
And here are a few photos I took when I baked a loaf last weekend. As you’ll see, there are just a few simple steps in the whole process.
This is all you need to bake bread. The only ingredients are flour, salt, yeast and water. You’ll also need a dutch oven, and I highly recommend an inexpensive kitchen thermometer to get the water temperature right.
You start by mixing the ingredients in a bowl. This takes less than five minutes and a small amount of counter space. Then let the dough sit for a few hours.
Then you fold the dough several times with a little bit of added flour. This takes just a few minutes and is not hard to do, although it did take me a few tries before I really got the feel for it. Let the dough sit for another half hour after folding.
After forty minutes baking in the oven, here’s the reward. A perfect loaf to enjoy (and devour) with your loved ones.