Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives

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Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Observer ‘Writing about it made me realise my mental health wasn’t my fault and it never really was’: Kitty Tait and her father, Al, at the Orange Bakery in Watlington, Oxfordshire. As someone who didn't get into the sourdough craze during lockdown, I will reserve comment on whether this book will prove (see what I did there) to be the final temptation.

Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives - Goodreads

Slowly, she disconnected from everyone around her and struggled to wake up, get dressed, and leave the house. This is an incredibly beautiful book that chronicles a girl’s tumble into crippling anxiety and depression and how baking and her father’s partnership in this pursuit brought her back.

It began in spring 2018, when Al and his wife, Katie, started to notice that something was up with Kitty, then 14 and the youngest of their three children. But when their youngest child, Kitty, shows signs of suffering the parents make changes, they make way for a new set of priorities and they take a journey of discovery: of the magic behind the perfect loaf and the magic behind contentment. Half of the book is a narrative of how the bakery was born, and the other consists of a number of delectable bread and pastry based offerings. Using a sharp knife or length of thread, slice the dough crossways into 12 equal slices, each roughly 2cm wide. This is a substantial book with much to delve into and a delicious medley of baked goods to explore, enabling readers to make music in their own kitchens.

Breadsong,’ a Story of Baking Through Depression In ‘Breadsong,’ a Story of Baking Through Depression

Written by father and daughter, Kitty and Al Tait, Breadsong tells the story of how they came to open a bakery when Kitty was 14. Kitty's father was taking time off his career as a teacher to be alongside Kitty and support her during this difficult time.On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 30cm ×20cm rectangle roughly 1cm thick. I can thoroughly recommend every aspect o f this book and will be going back to it time and time again as I try out the recipes and just look at the beautiful illustrations and photos. I recommend this book to anyone who likes autobiography or memoirs, real life stories, triumph over adversity, community spirit and of course baking or consuming baked goods.