If you look at the near-vacant shelves of baking supplies in grocery stores these days, it’s easy to figure out how many people are spending their isolation days at home.
Candy O’Brien used to bake a lot when her kids were small, and she was a stay-at-home mom. Then, life got busy for the Berwick, N.S., woman. But now, baking - especially bread - gives her something to do during the long days, saying she almost finds it meditative.
Anne Boswall, from Frenchfort, P.E.I., bought yeast months ago with the intention of baking bread, but never had the time to make it. Now, with lots of time on her hands, and after a 19-year hiatus, she is back to baking bread, taking pictures and teaching others through her own Facebook page.
“Besides, I knew the kneading would feel good,” she says.
New skills
This rise in popularity in bread making seems to be hitting across Atlantic Canada and other parts of the world as people find themselves with time on their hands. For some, it’s the perfect time to rekindle a love for baking, or for people like Ruth Carter of Hammonds Plains, N.S., it’s time to learn a new skill.
“I always wanted to make my own bread but thought that it was difficult to do,” says Carter.
A trip to her local store at the beginning of self-isolation yielded no bread, which prompted her to learn to make her own. Now, she’s baking bread every other day.
Lori LeRoux, who now lives in Eastern Passage, N.S., but is originally from Newfoundland, found a way to use baking bread to connect with others.
“I finally decided to try and bake bread and used a traditional recipe,” she says. “A friend of mine walked me through, step-by-step, over FaceTime.”
Other people are now baking bread because they want to leave the store-bought items for those who need it or limit the number of trips made to the shops. Emma Unsworth, from Whites Lake, N.S., is baking bread with her nine-year-old daughter to teach her basic life skills, with a little science and math thrown in.
Halifax’s Scott Guthrie is also using it as a teaching moment for his 15-year-old son, Zain. Guthrie remembers learning to bake bread from his grandmother and thought this would be the perfect time to share the experience with his own son. They started with a French loaf and will be moving on to thin crust pizza dough next.
“Who knows where this will take us as we go through the ingredients we have on hand. We will try to make many different types of bread,” says Guthrie, who hopes Zain will soon be able to do it from start to finish with no assistance.
Cultural traditions
The types of bread being baked varies from old family recipes tried-tested-and true ones from the Internet. Some people are learning about our cultural heritage while others return to ancestral roots.
Dartmouth resident Sarah Eyland is exploring local recipes with her four-year old son, such as bannock, inspired from Native culture; Newfoundland toutons, which are pieces of bread dough flattened and fried in a bit of oil in a frying pan then served with butter and molasses; or Mi’kmaq Four Cent bread. The added benefit, says Unsworth, is that, if homeschooling, it can be tied into local history lessons.
“It’s very important that my son understands diversity and also heritage of his homeland,” says Eyland.
Maureen Fedorus, a second-generation Ukrainian and Norwegian Canadian, plans to bake traditional Ukrainian bread when she can find yeast. Likewise, Joanne Bath says her mom, who is staying with her in Bedford but hails from La Scie, N.L., is keeping them well-stocked with traditional Newfoundland bread.
“Newfoundlanders love bread, and it is just the very best. My favourite treat is Mom's bread toasted, buttered and dipped in my Tetley tea. Such a Newfie tradition,” she jokes.
This seems to be the consensus amongst bread bakers, though. There are many memories attached to the smell of freshly baking bread, and it is a symbol of comfort. For many, there is nothing better than the smell and taste of homemade bread.
“The idea of baking brings back a feeling of comfort from childhood,” says Fedorus. “It reminds us of a time that was safer and more secure.”
And, says Angela Gardiner of Lyons Brook, N.S., the current situation is letting many people re-learn to appreciate the basic simple things in life, like a beautiful loaf of homemade bread.
“During this time of change and uncertainty and physical distancing, it brings me a lot of satisfaction and joy to be able to virtually break bread with friends and family, knowing we share the bond of friendship and community,” she says.
Want to make your own bread? Try these recipes:
Anne Boswall’s white bread
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp dry yeast
½ cup warm water
11 cups flour (warmed)
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp salt
4 tbsp shortening
4 cups warm water
Set yeast in small bowl with 2 tsp white sugar and 1/2 cup warm water.
In another bowl, put 4 tbsp. white sugar, salt and shortening. Add 4 cups warm water (allowing shortening to melt).
In your largest bowl, where you’ll mix your bread, add flour.
Add yeast mixture to the sugar/salt/shortening/water mix, then stir into flour and knead well. Let rise two hours, knead and let rise one more hour. Place in pans and then let rise until double in size.
Bake one hour at 350F. Yields four loaves.
1 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp shortening
1/2 cup molasses
1 tbsp salt
1 cup boiling water
1.5 tsp yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar
6 1/2 cups flour
Combine first five ingredients and let cool. Dissolve yeast in the lukewarm water and sugar mixture. Add to mixture. Stir in flour. Knead and shape into loaves and place in pans. Let rise one hour. Bake at 375F for one hour.
