“It’s all in the kneading!”

PS. Circumstances also meant that the photo app on my laptop decided to foreclose on me last night and none of my photos would open or download. I felt that I needed them for this particular slice, but I was feeling too tired to do anything about it after several failed attempts, so went to bed.

Thankfully I’m on a different timeline from the US, so knew I’d have another opportunity early today (which is still yesterday for the majority of slicers!)

(ASIDE) This morning I googled a solution and it worked…! I have to say time and again I have thanked Google for solutions, even though people say not to make it your go to…. but in times like this, its ability to throw out possibilities, factual or not, never ceases to amaze me….!

Slice of Life Challenge #Day25

Circumstances mean we can’t get into the capital which is where we buy our bread every three weeks or so. The local bread is very soft and quite sweet and doesn’t taste like bread should. And who even knows, if it’s being baked anyway for the next 21 days?

I have some packet yeast and a few weeks back (nothing to do with the current situation) I decided to make a loaf. I have to say my attempts were a bit minimal even though the bread still tasted pretty good.

So yesterday (today when I originally wrote this) I got my husband to help with the kneading part. His hands are much stronger and more practically efficient than mine, so I thought it would help the end product!

Oh my goodness, it made all the difference! That ball of dough just rose and rose the first time around and then when it was shaped into a loaf it again doubled in size.

After the second rising and ready for the oven!

Kneading is an incredibly therapeutic process, just the methodical pushing down, folding out and quarter turns, as the dough starts to elasticise and fill with air, thanks to you and the yeast, it’s truly thrilling! I know most commercial baking can’t do it like this any more, but I wonder if small business bakers still feel the delight and are more relaxed than most? I hope it never becomes mechanical to them…!

Fresh out of the oven, it’s a winner (probably more than double my own pathetic attempts!)

It’s not only therapeutic but tastes delicious…Now we just have to ration it unless I can source some more yeast in the next few weeks!

{Thanks to our daughter for the title quote which she made in her response to my WhatsApp photo of the loaf on our family WhatsApp group} Family is so precious right now!