RISE UP! RISE UP!
Tulip woke up this Westcoast winter morning both figuratively and literally. As she slipped out of her Queen sized bed, coveted with flannel sheets, a homemade comforter, and five unique pillows, she sat for a moment, looking out the window at the frost covered coniferous trees and said:
“Today is a perfect day to make bread.”
In a lot of ways making bread is like preparing for friendship. You find a simple recipe using the finest of authentic ingredients, and test it out. Some recipes work well instantly, others need a bit of help. Then there are those that don’t pass the test. Their ingredients just are not the right mix or quality or quantity, kind of like switching from butter to margarine or from milk to water or from pure chocolate to chocolatey— best to put those straight to the organics bin or shredder for pick-up on Monday morning. Life is too short to settle for less than your worth. In other words, when it isn’t right, it isn’t right. Turn the page and move on.
Harsh? No not really. Why settle for less? We only have one life (bread pan); one oven (body) to produce pride with confidence; two arms with palms to make it happen (knead); lungs to breathe in the good and out the bad (air bubbles in dough); a spine (yeast) that is so strong it will raise you up to keep you standing tall and proud — and ready to move forward when the time is right. Patience is a virtue, even when making or breaking bread.
Then there is the dough (your soul or heart) that will always need to be gently kneaded, and needed, to keep the spirit rising in the morning and resting at night, much like the workings of yeast in Tulip’s favourite 24 hour bread recipe.
She knows this metaphorical analogy will sound strange to some people as recipes and metaphors are not for everyone. Some people are overly anxious. They are impatient. They don’t want to plan too much or think too much. If they don’t have the right ingredients, they will resort to substitutions. When it comes to making bread, substitutions don’t work. Artificial is a wasted effort.
Tulip has been there and done that! Been flattened. Been burned. Been disillusioned. Almost gave up until one day an inner voice tuned in and asked : “How many failures does it take to figure it out? The problem isn’t the recipe, it’s the baker!”
At this point Tulip looks under the damp tea towel covering her beautiful ball of risen cheese bread dough. She caresses it fondly, places it carefully into her Dutch oven pan and a preheated oven. She smiles while hearing Josh Groban sing in the background : “You raise me up to all that I can be.” Her confidence assures her of success.
As she takes the finished golden crusted loaf out of the oven and places it on the cooling rack, Tulip raises a glass. She thinks of all of her longtime authentic homemade friendships and delicious loaves of carefully made bread, now only made from the finest of ingredients, and says to herself: “cheers to authenticity and carefully kneading them, and new ones too, oh so very right!” 🥂 🥖
