With the many stresses in everyday life today, baking bread can be a way to slow down, be creative, and help your mental health. Is there anything as soothing and uplifting as the smell of freshly baked bread? Even if you don’t eat it, just the aroma can brighten your spirits. Knead away your aggravations and frustrations and create something that nourishes you. Try out various combinations of ingredients and find a new favorite bread. Part cookbook, part mindfulness manual, part self-help guide - Bread Therapy combines all three into the process of baking bread.
Pauline Beaumont elaborates on various topics and then gives a recipe for a specific type of bread. Lifelong Learning is accompanied by a detailed recipe for Sourdough Bread. The process of creating the starter using flour and water may take from 4 days to 2 weeks. Apple Brown Betty is the recipe for Accepting Imperfection. The topic of Truth (Soda Bread recipe) discusses self-knowledge and identifying personal values. Step by step directions, with special tips and variations, are given for each recipe.
I really liked the Dill and Beet Bread (the recipe for Being Creative). It is a round loaf using raw beets, which gives a pinkish-red tint to the dough; but when baked, the bread is speckled with pink dots. (Be sure to use gloves when grating the beets to avoid staining your hands.) Besides tasting wonderful, it is very pretty – and different! The loaf has to cool before cutting and serving – which can be difficult since it smells so good. Variations to the recipe include adding potatoes, carrots or onions. Herb variations include basil, chives and rosemary. If you don’t have a lot of time, the Soda Bread can be made in under an hour - and you can eat it while warm. It is delicious!
Explore your bread-making skills in creating something wonderful to eat with this insightful and thought-provoking book!
Availability: Book
Rating: **** Stars Reviewer: Kathy, Cataloging