Baking Therapy

Coming down to the last few weeks of March, with Easter just round the corner, we can’t help but notice the Sun’s gentle rays, filtering through the trees and the sweet scent from the cool morning breeze. That indicates the glorious summer has come to an end. It is sad to say goodbye to the sunny skies and endless trips to the beach with family and friends. Social engagement might wind down during the colder months, but food can be the perfect excuse to gather and connect with our loved ones.

Enjoying and sharing food can bring people together in a significant way, it can be as simple as baking together or sharing a fresh loaf of homemade bread. Baking is particularly enjoyable because it is such a mindful activity – say hello to Baking therapy, which promotes how baking can help to reduce stress, anxiety, and other negative emotions. The outcome is to enhance one’s overall well-being. The low-stakes calculus of measuring and mixing different ingredients provides a mental challenge you can take on at your own pace. The repetitive motions of rolling and kneading a dough is calming and soothing. Our own Folding Digital Kitchen Scales feature a tare function, meaning less time taking notes and more time watching flour wafting through the sieve (maybe this is the year to take that trip to the snow?), and our Tapered Rolling Pin features engraved measurements, making rolling both more comfortable thanks to its ergonomic shape, and and precise – something that will stay with you as you level up from simple (and no less delicious!) breads, through to more advanced pastries. We’ve provided a simple bread recipe below to help get you started.

Simple Sesame

Ingredients

4 Cups of bread flour
3 & 1/2 for baking,
1/2 Cup for your work surface, pan, and your hands
7g (1 sachet) of instant yeast
2 Teaspoons of salt
1 & 1/2 Cups of room-temperature water
2 Tablespoons of White Sesame Seeds

Method

Whisk flour, yeast and salt together in a large mixing bowl

Slowly pour the room-temperature water into the bowl, mixing with a spatula or wooden spoon to combine as you go.

Shape the dough into an even ball as best you can, taking care to smooth the outsides, cover with cling-film or tin foil and leave it on the counter to rise for 2-3 hours or until size has roughly doubled.

From here you can leave the dough to rest in the fridge for as long as 2 days before baking.

Lightly dust a working surface, and a non-stick baking sheet or a tray lined with baking paper, with flour (make sure to dust your hands with flour too whenever you’re about to handle the dough to prevent sticking).

Tip the dough from the bowl onto your floured working surface and split it into even two portions. This recipe works great to produce two long baguettes.

Sprinkle sesame seeds onto the dough.

Transfer to your floured baking sheet, cover with a tea-towel and leave to rest for 45 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 220C in time for the next step.

Score the tops of your dough with a sharp, pointed knife (This is a great opportunity to try getting creative with patterns in the top of your bread, but four evenly spaced slashes, around 1cm deep will do the job just fine).

Bake for 25 minutes or until the crust has formed and is golden brown.

Remove from the oven. The all-important tap test (knocking on the crust of the bread and listening for a hollow sound) is the final check that your bread is done.

Allow the bread to cool for 5-10 minutes before enjoying. Store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to a week.

Baking puts all of your senses: touch, smell, sight, taste, and even hearing (Is there any sound more exciting of the “ding” when the oven is done?) into action. Watching your dough rise, smelling freshly baked bread and decorating your cake, when you’re feeling like something creative, are great mood-boosters. When it’s finally time to share your work with friends and family (or enjoy it all for yourself – promise we won’t judge!), we have a wide range of sustainable, eco-friendly Wooden Utensils to serve quality butter, honey, olives or pate with your freshly baked goods.

While we might feel a little disconnected as the weather turns a little colder, and the sun sets a little early to make the most of the outdoors, sharing your baking therapy with others is a great way to stay connected. If you’re entertaining, our Table Placemats and Plate Mats are a great way to elevate an occasion as simple and time-honoured as breaking bread. If you’re headed to visit friends or family, take a look at our food-safe and easy to clean Hand-Woven Baskets for a great way to transport your baked goods to share at gatherings, or as a gift. You could even share the hobby and benefits of baking by starting a delicious game of “Telephone” with your friends and loved ones – whoever is left with the basket gets to make the next sourdough! So give baking therapy a try, it might be worth the effort and consider sharing your hard work with your friends and family this Easter. After all, baking is such a great hobby to share with the people you care about.