For something that, at its most basic, has only four ingredients, bread can be surprisingly difficult to make. There is a lot to know before you can make a great loaf. And no matter how many books you read or how many classes you take, when it comes to bread there are some things you just have to learn yourself. The feel of shaping a boule or scoring dough can be described and explained, but until you feel it for yourself and practice it over and over and over again, you won’t really get good at it. I’ve been practicing a lot these days while also trying to do as much writing as possible. I never realized how well the two activities go together, but they really do. Turns out, author Samuel Fromartz totally understands where I’m coming from. In his book In Search of the Perfect Loaf, one of the first things he says is this:
“…baking was the antithesis of writing, my version of chopping wood, crucial to maintaining my sanity amid the daily pressure of work. Cordoned off from writing, baking offered a brief reprieve…”
I think I’m going to like this book.
What are you reading?