Baking Archives — Thousand Bites of Bread

Let’s Start with Starter

November 24, 2015November 10, 2015 by Adrian J.S. Hale

I’ve been trying to decide where to start. What part of my bread story do I want to tell right from the get go? I could start in 1920’s Krakow, Poland with my grandmother. A lot of stories start with grandmothers. I’ve always been enchanted when my Grandma Doda talks about bread. Back in the 20’s, she and her twin brother trampled home from long days at school to a determined maid who fed them nubs of bread floating in broth. Later each day, their mother would come in and sit with them for a bedtime snack before heading … Read more

Bread is Life. Bread is Alive.

November 24, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adrian J.S. Hale

Bread is life. As cliché as it sounds, it’s true. History tells us that bread has kept societies alive and functioning. Yes, and sometimes bread has failed us. We’ll get to all that. For now, I want to stop and peer into the bowl of dough rising on my counter. There’s life in there. It’s moving, breathing, pulsing with valiant communities of yeast and bacteria. Bread isn’t just life…Bread is alive. Anyone who works with the modest mixture of flour, water, salt, and yeast knows this to be true. Every loaf of bread is an appreciable ecosystem in and … Read more