Baking Bread with a Zen Buddhist

I make bread once a week. It takes all day. It's a combination of gathering ingredients, mixing some up, letting the dough come alive, kneading, rising, sending the dough down, more rising, shaping, baking and eating.

Talus makes his own rice flour dough creations on the floor, digs through the cupboards, rearranges the pots and pans, helps stir the initial ingredients and shape the rolls as we make trips to and from the kitchen.

Water-Yeast-Spelt Flour Bubbling

I discovered the Tassajara Bread Book at our local library. Read it over, tried it out and then bought my now weathered copy. There really is a beauty and awe in your first dough coming alive and the subsequent loaf to savor.

Dough Swallowing Oil and Salt

I've tried making bread in the past-with no success. Ed's technique, if given the right amount of commitment, will evolve into yummy loafs, rolls, danishes and even cinnamon rolls. The book is not short on sweet delights.

Anise-Caraway Rolls and Loaf

Bread making satisfies my desire to work with my hands during the day and has the added benefit of something I can actually eat. Some of the changes I've made to the instructions include covering with an inverted bowl or plate instead of using a wet cloth. The dough is near impossible to remove from the cloth. Occasionally I leave the dough uncovered. This allows more time to play outside, run errands, go for a walk, you know the routine of getting lost in some other activity. The slow rising is ideal unless you want dough overflowing onto the counter, which has happened to me on a warm summer day. Instead of the quick 45 minute rise I push it 2 hours depending.

Rising Uncovered

I also use combinations of spelt, ground sunflower and ground oats to make up the required "wheat" flour. I have yet to invest in a food mill, although I hear the hand grinders preserve the most nutritional content. Until, I acquire one I grind the oats and sunflowers in a coffee grinder.

I really like the Kalaches-Anise Breads and Swedish Rye as of Late. Loafs bake for about an hour but if you want less time in the oven rolls are a quick 15 minutes. It amounts to nearly the same overall oven time as you rotate baking sheets to and from the oven.

Montana Cheese Bread Loaf