Baking bread is not for everyone all the time, but it is something we can all do some of the time. The fact that micro bakery businesses have been booming during the pandemic is proof that there is something about real bread. What has been even more striking, however, is that so many people have bought flour and yeast, or have bought flour and have made a sourdough starter, and have started baking their own bread. This shines a light on so many things about real bread: We want to eat the good stuff and, at times of crisis, many of us want to bake it ourselves.
The act of mixing ingredients is soothing. The repetitive action of kneading is meditative. You can process your thoughts but don’t have to think if you don’t want to. You can listen to the radio, talk to someone, or have a good cry. What you cannot do is write, type, post in social media, or surf the net. You also cannot iron, scrub, do laundry, stack shelves, or answer the phone. The opportunities for multi-tasking while you knead are limited. You can surrender to it, immerse yourself in it, and just be.
Absolutely everybody in the world is going through the extraordinary crisis that is COVID. Everyone’s mental health is suffering and although we want to support each other, the truth is that we all need more support too. The support well is running dry and, as a result, we have had to learn, or re-learn, how to self-sooth and it is not always easy.
Reaching for the mixing bowl and kneading for 10 minutes really does provide us with valuable mental “space”, a renewed sense of purpose, and the ability to engage with ourselves to begin the process of self soothing. It does not require a significant investment in time or money, it’s something to do while you are stuck at home, and you will get a great loaf of hand made bread at the end of the process.
Then, by all means, take a photo and put it out there on social media!
We have a whole list of great recipes if you are ready to give it a go. If you are not so confident you can take a class with us either in-person or by Zoom, or you can sign up for one of our e-learning classes.
We are pretty sure you will enjoy baking bread and find that it makes you happier, calmer, and more confident. We know for a fact that baking bread is good for mental health. We genuinely care about you and want to help. Bread is what we we do and we offer it to you.