I am going to try it! The first menu in Shaw's book calls for whole wheat bread to accompany a curry egg salad, and if I'm really going to do this challenge I want to do it right. Shaw's recipe for "hearth-warming homemade bread" looks simple enough, but I have my trepidations!
I relate to Shaw as she admits attributing her failed attempts with bread baking to "...a threatening demeanor that scares the life out of tiny organisms such as yeast, a free spirit that can't bother to distinguish between a half cup and a whole one, and an artistic temperament that favors impulse and improvisation over meticulous measuring and timing. In actual fact, the reason is that I'm impatient, disorganized, and way too undisciplined for an art that requires such precision and care." (Shaw, 396)
This quote summarizes most of my excuses for any failure and the actual reasons for those failures. My "creative temperament" has been my reasoning against discipline. Routines were tossed aside because they felt too legalistic and stifling. Shaw's saving grace was a snow day. She took the time to follow the recipes "letter by letter" and commit to perfecting her skills. Afterward, she applied her improvisation. Maybe this should be how I go about learning my routine. Follow a plan letter by letter, and then add my creativity after I've become so familiar with the right way that my creative impulses aren't derailing to the ultimate goal.
It's raining today. Not a blizzard, but still, it's a great opportunity to stay in and bread baking will be fun project to do with Harrison and Libby.
To First Attempts,
Cheers,
Katy
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