Italian bread
Bread-making is magical. There’s something about the entire process which forces me to slow down, plan ahead, do things step-by-step without rushing ahead and see something transform right in front of my eyes.
I love the almost yen-like practice of kneading bread and feeling it change in minutes from a gluey blob stuck to my rings to a silky smooth stretchy ball.
I haven’t always been a bread-maker. For years, we made use of our bread machine – a wedding gift which is still working fine 15 years later. It did the trick but the crust was on the thick side and it only made one shape.