Weekly Breadcrumb is a weekly series where I look back on what baking has taught me, shown me, or reminded me over the previous week. A lesson, or gift, I have received from baking.
Lately, I seem to be in a mode of streamlining and corner-cutting. Life has felt tiring and sometimes overwhelming. So, I’ve applied minimal effort towards baking, choosing loaves that are straightforward and efficient to make.
But we’ve been able to slow down over the holidays more recently, and I was pretty thrilled to bake a new recipe, something that required extra time and steps. My sister gave me “The Perfect Loaf,” a book about sourdough, for Christmas, and it is one of my favorite presents. I think it will be extremely useful! In this book, there’s a recipe for spelt bread. It actually isn’t too fussy of a recipe, but it does require making a levain (kind of like a small pre-mix of starter and dough) about 12 hours before you start making your bread.
Making this bread felt special, and I didn’t rush it. In fact, the recipe made two loaves, and one of the loaves I kept in the fridge for an even longer proof overnight. The bread turned out really, really nice, and we have been enjoying it so much!
So my lesson for this week is to not shy away from the things that are more complicated or time-consuming. Take the extra steps! Some of those things are really worth the extra effort and time.
When life gets busy again (which it will in about two days for us,) I know that I’ll need to be strategic with how I use my free time. But I can (and will!) keep trying new recipes, even the ones that take longer to make. I’ll cut corners elsewhere! 🙂
Is there something in your life that isn’t an efficient use of your time, but the extra time and effort it requires really pays off?