Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives

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Kitty and Al each narrate their own memories of the time when Kitty began to suffer overwhelming mental health challenges and left school. Her parents and siblings all tried to support her recovery but Kitty was very withdrawn and anxious. Her father, Al, engaged Kitty briefly in a range of activities and when bread-making was introduced, something ignited in her and she began slowly to recover. Reading the two narratives side by side in the book is very moving and although not all readers of Breadsong will be interested in this part of the book, I thought it could be very helpful to people who may find themselves in a position of such emotional distress that they stop functioning. It gives hope to carers too. I have several times come across people who have opened bakeries, who have written about their mental health struggles and how baking bread was the therapeutic act that opened their path to recovery. Kitty describes with such clarity how, once she had established her sourdough starter named Ferdinand, she simply had to turn up to feed it and take care of it, eventually taking to sleeping in the kitchen with it. This provided a simple structure to her day, a scaffolding on which she could build as her recovery progressed. Breadsong is not only a book about human suffering and recovery and the place of bread making in this process, but it is also a tribute to the support of Kitty’s family, especially her father who accompanied her on this journey.

Breadsong - How Baking Changes Lives - The Frugal Flexitarian Breadsong - How Baking Changes Lives - The Frugal Flexitarian

Leave the dough in the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave to prove in a warm place for 12-16 hours.

We are,” agrees Kitty, who has inherited her father’s vivid red hair and blue eyes. “We’re called the Tiny Taits.” I loved the illustrations and the use of photos. Was the choice of an old copy of “What Katy did” made on purpose?

Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives: Kitty Tait

Placed the shaped dough onto a sheet of baking parchment and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place for one hour. Place the shaped dough on a sheet of parchment paper, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm, cosy place to rest for 1 hour. I’m not a good cook but was inspired to have a go..rustic was the response at my friday family table..not a piece left on any plate..even my 3 year old grandson But the recipes are only half the book. The first half of the book is a memoir. This book is written by Kitty and her father, Al - they tell the story together and they each have a distinct font. It's the story of how they ended up running a bakery together, and while that sounds all heartwarming - and it is, absolutely - but it starts because baking a loaf of bread is one thing that Al tries to help Kitty with her crippling anxiety. Like, anxiety that made going to school impossible, getting out of bed barely feasible, nothing in the world seeming worthwhile. I deeply appreciated the honesty that Al in particular presents here - that he and his wife did not see what was happening at the start, that they were bewildered by the change in their youngest daughter, and that they struggled to figure out what to do. Kitty, of course, is also very honest: she didn't know why it happened, either, and makes no excuses for it, or for feeling the way she did. It just was.

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Having looked at many recipes these past two years as I got to grip with making sourdough bread I can 100% recommend Kitty's recipes. They are clear, simple and sensible. I have seen so many sourdough recipes elsewhere which have so many unnecessary steps in and make such a palaver of the process that you wonder why anyone bothers. 10/10 to Kitty for the clarity of her recipes. I am still only making basic sourdough loaves with the occasional foray into crumpets, bagels and doughnuts. Kitty's recipes have inspired me to try a lot more and I shall be heading into the territory of puff pastry, pains au chocolate and anything with a segment of a Terry's Chocolate Orange inside. Line a deep baking tray with parchment paper. Place the dough slices cut-side down on the tray, spacing them 1cm apart. Place a damp tea towel over the top and leave in a warm place to prove for 40-45 minutes, or until doubled in size. I actually finished reading the memoir part of this book a couple of weeks ago - the day I received it in fact. But I had to wait until I had baked a couple of the recipes before I could do a legit review!

Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives: Kitty Tait Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives: Kitty Tait

The book explores the slow movement from Kitty deciding she wanted to bake a loaf of bread - to wanting to make more, and therefore being allowed to use neighbouring ovens - to giving bread away because she was making so much, leading to a subscription service, then a pop-up, and then an actual real bakery and high street shop. Well, I say slow, but it all happened over about 2 years and that's just incredible. Breadsong is the first book from Kitty and Al Tait, the daughter-father duo that run The Orange Bakery in Watlington. It charts Kitty’s battle with depression and anxiety that saw her leave school and withdraw from her family, and the salvation she found in the simple act of baking bread with her dad. The first half of the book is Kitty and Al telling this story and the second half is full of recipes designed for the beginner baker.In a mixing bowl, stir together the raisins, sultanas or mixed dried fruit and garam masala (and the cranberries if you want). Add the tea bag (English breakfast is fine, but earl grey adds a really nice fragrance) and pour in enough boiling water to cover. Set aside to steep for at least 15 minutes or overnight. So many of us are trying to improve our diets, replacing meat-heavy dishes with ones that are predominantly plant-based. Those of us who prefer to reduce our meat consumption rather than completely ...

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Kitty is the first to admit she has an obsessive streak. Not long ago, she “had a fling” with carrots: she was eating a bag a day, pretty much. Eventually her skin started turning orange, a harmless condition called carotenemia. “I thought you’d been using fake tan, which is very unlike you!” says her mum, Katie. “It really reminded me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with the child who turned into a blueberry.” After much reading, I finally reached the recipe section. I am not much of a baker, to say the least but I did think I might have some success with what looks like the easiest bread-making ever. The miracle overnight white loaf was as easy as it could possibly be. All it takes is time. Having mixed and proved the dough, it baked easily and came out a golden colour and had a terrific hollow tapping sound underneath which I have read is the sound you want when bread baking. When this second half hour is up, remove the casserole from the oven - it will be very hot at this point. Remove the tea towel from the dough and lower it, still on the baking parchment, into the hot casserole. Using a sharp knife, make a slash across the top. Pour a couple of tablespoons of water around the dough.

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Gently warm the milk in a small saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the yeast. Set aside and leave to bubble for 5 minutes.