Rise Up: Knead Therapy

I've been craving bread, mentally, and not the no-knead or bread machine variety. I've wanted to put the skills I first learned two weeks ago, then used in successful Cinnamon Raisin Bread last week, back into practice. And so I chose King Arthur Flour's introductory Hearth Bread recipe (which is way too long to type in here). There are a zillion "how-to-make-bread" recipes for the beginner, including ones in Mollie Katzen's Enchanted Broccoli Forest, the Tassajara Bread Book, Julia Child's The Way to Cook, and no doubt several from Martha Stewart, and those are just the ones I can think of right off. But I went with the KA one because, well, I like that confident, comforting big orangish book (200th Anniversary Cookbook) and I've had success, as I mentioned, with the Cinnamon Raisin Bread from the same source.

And so, I'm making that bread today. It felt good--not just the smooth and elastic dough, but the whole kneading process, which is no small feat considering how my back has been feeling. In fact, I think that is part of the reason I've been craving bread, or breadmaking. I was at the PT this morning and she can actually see the differential in my shoulders (left is lower), the twist of my spine, and the compression of the rib cage on my left side. No wonder I hurt. She's going to call my ortho to talk about other options for care beyond pills and PT; she mentioned a brace, perhaps. Yep, just like Deenie. Which she is too young to have read. I'll be back at PT on Wednesday, at the ortho on Thursday.

But back in my kitchen in an hour when it's time to punch down that bread, shape it into glorious round loaves, slash the top, and put it in the oven. I have real hopes that I've done it correctly so far--it was the most gorgeous ball of dough I've ever put to rise. And it will be ready just about in time for dinner, which is minestrone soup in the slow cooker. My mind, and even my back, feel better for it already.