In my house, we call it Mama bread. My daughter started it, her sleepy melodious pitch answering to my morning requests as she ambled down the stairs. “I’ll have some mama bread.” It came into our lexicon without any signal or flourish. It was just there, acting between us, moving in like a trusted member of the family that we could rely on for both strength and happiness. Mama bread. For most of recorded history what we came to know as Mama bread was simply called bread. Flour, water, salt, magic… Magic. Otherwise known as microbes…which is fine by … Read more

Hello fellow bread lovers. Here’s the conundrum. I’m walking through a farmer’s market and I come across the most luxurious stand of pastries and breads. They’re piled high and brimming with ingredients that sing the seasons. A line is wrapped halfway around the block and the gentle baker stands at attention despite having been up since what most of us call middle-of-the-night. I fall in line sucking down a molasses & dark chocolate cold brew that I picked up at the kiosk next door. Then, after a lovely chat with the nice woman standing next to me who spends … Read more