Do you bake your own bread?
I do, and have been since December 2006. Of all the things I cook, and all the kitchen skills I’ve acquired, none are as soul-satisfying as baking bread. Every single loaf of the hundreds I’ve baked has been different, making each one seem just that little bit special and exciting when it’s sliced.
I enjoy baking bread at all times, but never quite so much as early in the morning.
When the weather permits, I’ll leave my sourdough on the bench overnight to prove, then wake up at dawn the following morning to bake it. It’s a remarkably untaxing process – I squelch all the ingredients together before going to bed, then simply leave them in a covered bowl until morning. I don’t bother with kneading or folding – my starter Priscilla is so resilient and reliable that she doesn’t seem to need fussing over to make decent bread.
The following morning, I’ll turn the puffy dough out onto a semolina dusted bench to fold, shape, prove and then bake. The house is quiet, punctuated only by the hum of the oven and the peeping calls of the soldier birds. It’s a gentle way to ease into the day, softly manipulating the airy dough and sipping hot tea while it has its second prove.
As the bread bakes, the house fills with toasty aromas. I used to sit by the oven and watch the bread rise, but now that I bake in a covered pot, that’s no longer an option. However, the thrill of uncovering the pot at the twenty minute mark to find a large well-risen loaf more than makes up for it. The finished loaves crackle and sing as they sit on the rack, catching the morning rays as they come in through the dining room window.
I’m not sure I could do regular bakers’ hours with their 4am starts, but I can completely understand the appeal of working in the quiet of the morning. By the time most people are up and having breakfast, bakers have accomplished a full day’s work producing honest, delicious food.
And what glorious work it is! I’m always so thrilled to be able to see the product of my efforts, to tap the hard crackly crust or lay a palm on a still warm loaf or admire the smiling gringe (split) on the top. Having created something so nourishing so early in the morning will set me in a positive mood for the rest of the day.
Do you bake your own bread? There’s nothing quite like it.
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
I bake bread but not the same way you do. I suspect your bread is 100 times better. I haven’t yet been successful getting a starter going. I’m not sure what I do but when it smells awful, down the drain it goes.
Darling woman, your starter is in the mail! Hope you have fun with it, give me a shout if you need anything.. x
I’ve been slack about baking of late, but to be fair to myself I’ve hardly been home much. Now the weather is warming up and my travel plans are all complete I’ll be getting back into it. Starting with bringing to life a little bit of Priscilla – can’t wait to work with her!
Amanda, you HAVE been all over the world, how wonderful for you! I’ve been following your IG feed with great interest. Hope Pris behaves well for you!
At the present time, I arrive in the lab a little before 7:30am each day, so even sleeping poorly and waking up way too early as I do, it would be hard to get it all done in time to work.
However it is true, the process is very satisfying and as you, I absolutely love removing the lid and staring at a well risen, still pale bread…
the other point to consider in our case is that we don’t eat that much bread – when I bake a sourdough loaf, it goes to the freezer and one loaf might last for more than a month. Since it’s just Phil and I, and we tend not to have bread with our meals, it’s hard to justify baking regularly. I used to go for once very two weeks, but ended up with so much bread in the freezer, I slowed down even further ;-)
You know Sally, I was just thinking that I had to start giving more bread away. I adore the process, but like you, tend to end up with a lot in the freezer. I might need to start an early morning street bread run.. ;-)
You start at the lab at 7.30am? Wow, that’s commitment.. :)
Celia, this is such a delicious post… and I can just see you in your kitchen baking the bread for the day… I can and do bake bread, more so in the cold months… I want to do more of this next winter… it was impossible with a broken foot. (Just as you have difficulties with cheese, my tummy is not so good with bread *sad face*).
Lizzy, I’m sorry to hear that. Interestingly, a lot of the artisan bakers believe the problem is in the bakers’ yeast and they claim that sourdough is far more digestible for most people. I don’t eat a lot of yeasted breads these days, so I can’t really verify…
Bread is next on my ‘makes to master’ list, i’m currently on pastry!!
Mastering pastry is a big job! Hope you’re having fun with it! :)
No, but this post sure makes me want to!
Thank you! :)
i bake bread almost every day. i have a loaf of rye in the oven right now.
Isn’t the routine of it so comforting? It’s hard to explain that to folks who don’t bake their own bread, but I find the rhythm and cadence of the bread baking ritual is very soothing. I wish I felt the same way about vacuuming. :D
I don’t anymore (not since my starter died) but I love the picture of you sitting by the oven watching it rise! :P
On the floor of the kitchen, peering through the oven door. Yep, exactly like that. :)
Ditto, exactly. I’ve tweaked a few things with my sourdough recently and the results have been amazing, not to mention the smell that wafts through the house. I love just sniffing and sniffing in that aroma over and over. Can’t wait until I get an oven big enough to do 2 loaves at a time in!
Ha! They’re be no stopping you then, Maree! :)
I do, Celia! It is definitely the most satisfying kitchen skill, and you have described it so well here! I make no-kneads, too, but I *love* to knead — it’s so therapeutic.
Jean, I love to mix by hand, but I can give kneading a miss. Isn’t it interesting how different our bread experiences are! I know a lot of folks who mix their dough in a machine – I’d miss the squelching through my fingers.. :)
I do, but not often enough. Stop making me feel bad and unworthy!
My dear Nicholas, I’m not sure anybody could do *that* to you. :D
Beautiful to read Celia. Early morning, always good to wander out and look to the stars for guidance…. It really is the best time of day…..
You are my bread hero, you know that, right? :)
G’day! Great morning loaf Celia! I LOVE baking bread and now with Thermalina (my Thermomix) makes make bread so easy, saving time and money! Bonus for me! Cheers! Joanne
I’m so glad your Thermomix gives you such pleasure Jo! :)
I know I should simply not open your ‘bread blogs’ as I too get the ‘guilts’ about my shortcomings every time. I mean I even ordered my own ‘Priscilla’ a year or so back and have never ever found the time . . . probably because of my other weakness of ‘breakfast in bed’ at about 8 am :) !!. And then it is more than time to begin work!!!!! Oh, but your loaves look yum!!!!
Eha, you should never feel that! We all find a rhythm that suits us and our lifestyles – for me, it involves baking bread, but that’s certainly not for everyone! :)
If I don’t bake bread at least once a week I feel something is missing. I feel really blessed–people want to buy my bread–so I get to indulge in one of my most pleasurable activities. I’ve got an experimental batch of savoury scrolls and filled loaves proofing now. George (the starter) has been bubbling away since 2002.
Liz, that’s a very long time! Good for George! :)
I to love to bake bread and I have found it very satisfying. I also found I can’t stand store bought bread any more it just has no taste. The only thing left to do now is name my starter. See what you’ve started. Thanks for the post I alway enjoy them. Lury
Ah well. Sue me. :D I do think that a named starter is harder to ignore – it becomes like a pet! :)
I love baking bread. I do it on Sunday afternoons. It is my quiet time.
Wonderful! It is very therapeutic, isn’t it! :)
You got that right! Baking bread has changed my life in so many ways, and you my darling, are always a huge inspiration. You’re rocking out that covered pot too I see! ;) xx
You are wonderful, the pot baking has improved my bread baking no end. They seem to always come out of the pot looking perfectly shaped! xx
I am goinng over to look at this recipe, i need ONE good recipe.. so far i am being a bit of a failure and i have baked bread for years and years.. kefir is great, yeast is great but I am a great big sourdough failure.. no idea why.. c
Ooh I’ll email.. xx
I emailed today too.. c
Can I ask what sort of bread knife you use for slicing? Your slices always looks so smooth, rather than jagged.
Lindsay, I use a Furi bread knife, it is (or was) a local Aussie brand of knives. We have a full set. I think Everten still sell them.
Not only do you bake beautiful bread you wonderfully wax poetically about it :)
Thanks ED! xx
Love all your posts Celia … but this one in particular as i have only recently progressed in the art of making sourdough breads … and you are right, it is so amazing to be able to do this for my family … don’t buy commercial bread any more, and the most wonderful thing is that the family love the bread i make so there is no complaints … thanks so much for your lovely blog … it always inspires me! xo
Gina, how fabulous, isn’t it just the best thing when our families love our breads? :)
I’ve started making a recipe with a covered pot and yes, it’s a nice surprise to remove the lid and see the risen loaf! I made some rolls today with pureed leafy greens in the liquids mix and they’re delicious :)
That’s a good idea! Thanks Faye!
How lovely! Thank you for sharing your beautiful daily routine.
Have a wonderful weekend.
:-) Mandy xo
Thanks Mandy darling, you too! xx
Love your work and your words Celia. Early morning baking is best. Enough said :) Wishing you a lovely weekend x
When I was writing this post, I thought, “yes, Jane will understand..” :)
Yum! How can I make a starter? I’ve only ever used store-bought yeast.
Hi there, I didn’t make a starter, I bought mine from Theresa at Northwest Sourdough. It’s been the best ever – I bought both the San Fran starter and the Northwest starter, but I believe it’s the latter one I’m still using. I can’t see them for sale on Theresa’s site anymore, so you might need to email her – I believe she was selling them on Amazon for a while.
Thanks!!
What a peaceful and pleasant way to start your day Celia, and how nice for the boys to wake to such homey scents as well. I used to wake up about 5am and do my evening meal prep, I guess it was my version of your baking. I felt so serene and happy accomplishing so much as the sun (and kids) woke up :)
Becca, yep, I think it’s the same thing! :)
I would love to bake my own bread. I think it must be so satisfying and such a lovely way to start the day, when you enjoy some freshly baked bread from the oven. I don’t think there’s anything quite like it xx
Charlie, it’s the nicest thing. I find baking in the morning so therapeutic!
Agreed – bread baked first thing in the morning is simply the best :)
Great to know it’s not just me! :)
Baking bread is incredibly satisfying, somehow more so than cake making. Maybe it’s the unpredictablity. I rarely manage early morning baking, mainly because I prove the dough overnight in the fridge and then forget about it. Your loaves look delicious. As always.
Anne, your breads are always fantastic! I have to make huffers again.. :)
I have been making bread about twice a week since I got my starter in August 2013. I love the process – though it is much slower here in the UK as it is so cold. It is always worth the wait – and is perfect with a thick, warming soup! I just wish I could get up early like you Celia :)
Kim, I’m sure your loaves develop so much flavour from the long proving time! Though I can imagine it must take ages in the UK winter! :)
You would be so proud of me I have made 3 loaves of bread and some baguettes! Next stop sourdough… Just need to make a starter :-) here’s hoping soon! Liz x
Liz, if you email me your addy, I’ll send you some.. xx
I bake bread – not as beautiful as you. But I do find it satisfying when we have a fresh loaf – I sometimes do an overnight no knead focaccia but would love to do my loaves that way too. Just curious – do you find yourself baking less bread in summer when it is hot – even today at 32 C it was quite hot for turning on the oven – I made sourdough pizza and felt the oven warmed up the house a bit.
Johanna, I don’t, but then again, I’m a bit of a nutter with baking. You might be interested in trying the pot baking from cold though – my friend Emilie at the Clever Carrot does that, and it saves the preheating, which would warm up an already hot kitchen even further!
we grew up with homemade bread in our house, and it’s a tradition i’ve (happily) carried on since living with my (now) husband. he loves it, i love it….plus, is there any smell better than that of freshly baked bread? :)
Isn’t that just fabulous! I hope my boys can do the same!
I do love baking bread. My husband loves a fresh loaf for dinner with our meal- and then toast and sandwiches the next day. When I don’t have fresh bread I feel so out of sorts that I have to go make some more. Yours is beautiful- I find I mostly make french loaves. It is my “go to” recipe and shape for bread. Nice post!
Heidi, I think having a tried and tested recipe makes bread baking so much fun! Lucky Frank to have a fresh loaf on the table every day!
I couldn’t have put it more eloquently myself. I and my family have come to take my bread baking somewhat for granted, but when I give bread as a gift to my friends the pleasure it seems to bring them is truly gratifying.
Bread has and will always be a central part of my life and whilst I adore noodles, rice, potatoes and pasta, nothing is quite as good as a freshly cut slice of crusty bread made with my own hands.
Tony, it really is just the best thing, isn’t it? My boys are so used to our bread now that they don’t particularly like bought loaves, although my eldest will still murder a Vietnamese pork roll on a crunchy white baguette. :)
I would love to bake my own bread! Ive tried with dismal results. I have the same luck with houseplants. Maybe I should just stick to quick breads.
It can take a little practice – here’s my very basic yeasted bread recipe if you’re inclined to have another go.. :)
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/bread/bread-101-a-basic-bread-tutorial/
Thanks. I will try it. Can I use other flour, like sprouted whole wheat flour?
It needs to be high protein flour – not sure about the sprouted whole weat flour. Usually it needs bakers or bread flour. The higher protein is essential for the yeast to work, which is why loaves made from plain flour are usually flat! Good luck! :)
I love making my own bread, the loaves never get to cool off properly before they are taste tested! I haven’t tried a sourdough yet though!
Sourdough is huge fun! Definitely worth having a go if you’ve already mastered yeasted breads! :)
I made your hamburger buns today and topped with cheese and bacon for lunch rolls this week. They are very good! I had some bacon fat from cooking the rinds in the oven and used that. These will be a new favourite for me.
Jo, I’m so glad you liked them! Isn’t it the best thing when we can reuse a bit of fat or stock that might otherwise have been thrown out? :)
Hi Celia…..,I made my own mother and have attempted sourdough twice so far. Both were very heavy still with not much spring. Of course the loaves I bake using dried yeast prove very quickly. I’ve yet to work out the right timing for getting the starter ‘activated’ and allowing enough time for dough to proove. You idea of mixing the dough in the afternoon and leaving it to rise overnight might be the go. How long will it need to prove the next morning? Do I need to wait for it too double in size again?
Yvette, starters vary a great deal – mine is particularly resilient, so it will happily take a long 14 hour prove and still bounce back. Others I’ve tried have been less successful – with one of them, the dough rose for four hours and then just died.
With my starter Priscilla, I find that as the dough has had such a long rise overnight, it doesn’t need very long the next morning – usually just 30 – 45 minutes. For the second rise, I let it puff up, but not to double in size, otherwise it overproves and won’t spring in the oven. Hope that all makes sense! :)
Celia, my favourite thing to do is sit in front of the oven with a glass of red wine and watch my bread rise.
I hope it’s a BIG glass, Glenda! :)
Always
Morning loaves are like morning sex but the older you get, the more you appreciate those morning loaves, especially when they are mutually appreciated with thick slabs of butter over a communal mug of tea/coffee. You can even appreciate your morning loaves with the neighbours and out in broad daylight…appears to me, “morning loaves” might be the new black? ;). Stevie-boy and I are biting the bullet and are about to build a wood fired pizza oven as well as a rocket stove on Serendipity Farm. Brunhilda has officially been allowed to sleep for the summer duration and therefore I am back to using the covered bbq and although I have baked a lot of bread, pizzas and calzone in that bbq, it just doesn’t give the same crust and overall ambiance that Brunhilda does so enter the wood fired pizza oven! It won’t be pretty, more like “serviceable” but so long as it can knock out a loaf of gorgeousness whenever we want it, it is AOK by me :)
Fran, that’s very exciting! We looked at the idea of a pizza oven but decided against it – I don’t think I’d have the energy to light it when I can just turn the dial on Bobby. :)
We don’t actually have any oven other than Brunhilda and our covered bbq so a rocket stove and a pizza oven would make perfect sense to us as we have a whole lot of sticks and branches on our property that go to waste that could be utilised in both of them.
Hi Celia, mornings are my favorite time too, I love the quiet. Your loaves are truly beautiful!
Cheri, thank you! :)
Bread baking poetry this is Celia. I love early mornings… but I’m out with the dog. Coming down to a pile of sour dough on the table is deeply appealing. Must, must ,must get organised (I STILL have that envelope!!)
Ah well, you’ve been so busy, Sally! The starter will keep.. :)
Couldn’t agree more with you Celia :). Plus the lovely aroma that fills the house is just so therapeutic!! love your breads, as always :)
Gourmet Getaways xx
Thanks Julie! It’s a lovely quiet time in the morning, before the frantic family rush starts! :)
I do enjoy baking bread, Celia, though I don’t do it nearly as often as you do nor do I get such splendid results. The truth is that I usually halve most bread recipes because I’m loathe to see the fruits of my efforts go stale. Besides, making smaller loaves means I’ll bake them more often. :)
John, I’ve posted fish videos on IG for you. :) Our latest trick is this – whenever we have a leftover loaf, I slice it up and bake it in a very low oven (100C) for two hours. It goes rock hard and then we store it in an airtight jar, but it never lasts and the boys and I find it incredibly addictive. They would happily eat all their bread this way if I let them! :)
I usually end up baking a standard French bread but keep saying that I’m going to diversify. There is absolutely nothing like the smell of fresh bread. I’m not sure that I could ever get up as early as you do although the idea is appealing.
Diane, I’ve always been up early, but I’m rubbish by about 10pm at night. I’ve learnt to adapt.. :)
Hahaha, I’m slow getting up in the morning & I crash by 8:30 at night! I will say though, that’s only as far an an upright position and spend a couple hours (at least) reading every night.
Oh Celia, you are an inspiration!
That’s very kind of you, thank you! :)