The Art of Bread-Making: A Personal Journey

I've always wanted to work with my hands, and that's exactly what I did when I started making cowboy boots. My father learned the trade from his grandfather and great-grandfather, who were skilled craftsmen in their own right. They made handmade cowboy boots and saddles, each one a testament to their skill and attention to detail. As I grew older, I began to explore other creative outlets, including cooking and baking.

I worked in kitchens for a little while, honing my skills on the savory side of things. I was studying to be a cook and chef, but I eventually found myself drawn to the world of baking. There was something about it that felt more solitary, more meditative. From the outside, it looked like I was doing the same thing over and over again – mixing and measuring ingredients, slapping dough onto a surface, and then repeating the process ad infinitum. But when I'm doing it really well, it looks like I'm doing the exact same thing all the time. In reality, though, there's a lot of juggling going on behind the scenes. I have to balance different flavors and textures, adjust for temperature and humidity, and constantly think about how my creations will be received.

When people think of bread, they often see it as a daily staple – something that shows up on every grocery store shelf, in every bakery case, and in every home kitchen. It's not always seen as a place where creativity can shine. I've had the opportunity to explore this assumption firsthand when I traveled to Denmark. What struck me was the sheer variety of wheat available there – 15 different types, each with its own unique flavor profile and characteristics. This realization opened my eyes to the idea that bread isn't just about flour; it's about the nuances of texture, taste, and presentation.

As a baker, I've come to realize that bread is often seen as a spiritual thing – a way to connect with our heritage or find solace in a difficult time. While this perspective has its merits, it's not one that resonates with me. For me, baking is about exploration, experimentation, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. I want my bread to add something new to the cultural landscape – something that sets it apart from the ordinary, but isn't necessarily better or worse than other options.

This drive stems from a deep-seated desire to create something truly original. I don't believe in churning out cookie-cutter creations or following established formulas simply because they've worked before. Instead, I want to use my skills to innovate and surprise – to add a new variety of flavors, textures, or presentation styles that will leave people talking. Whether it's through the careful selection of ingredients, innovative techniques, or a dash of creativity, I believe that bread can be so much more than just a staple food.

As I continue on this journey as a baker, I'm constantly reminded of the importance of exploration and experimentation. There are countless ways to approach the craft – from traditional methods to modern twists and fusions – and it's up to me to decide where I want to take my art. For now, I'm content to experiment, innovate, and push the boundaries of what's possible with bread.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: eni wanted to work with my hands my my father learned to make cowboy boots my grandfather and great-grandfather made handmade cowboy boots and saddles i worked in kitchens a little bit so on the savory side studying to be a cook to be a chef i think i i kind of uh yeah moved into baking because it was a little more solitary a little more meditative from the outside it looks like it looks like you're doing the same thing over and over again if i'm doing it really well it looks like i'm doing the same thing all the time but i'm actually not it's still pretty stimulating to to juggle all these factors i feel like probably people take bread as more of just a daily thing that's always going to be the same and they're not looking to kind of explore different techniques or different flavors and then i go to denmark and they have 15 kinds of wheat and it's not just about being strong or weak or flour it's all these different flavors very much like with produce so that to me was a huge you know eye-opening experience to see that you know there are all these different flavors and and um layers of flavor that you can add to your bread i mean i don't really like make bread into this big spiritual thing like a lot of people do but there is there is something for me that's really essential about what i want to do with bread i would like to make bread that somehow adds something new or different to the culture of what's out there i don't want to just do uh something that kind of would be indistinguishable from the other things and it's not better or worse it's just i like to add a new variety i like to add something that's not there already for me that's that's sort of the drive for what i'm trying to do with bread otherwise i'd probably rather do something elsei wanted to work with my hands my my father learned to make cowboy boots my grandfather and great-grandfather made handmade cowboy boots and saddles i worked in kitchens a little bit so on the savory side studying to be a cook to be a chef i think i i kind of uh yeah moved into baking because it was a little more solitary a little more meditative from the outside it looks like it looks like you're doing the same thing over and over again if i'm doing it really well it looks like i'm doing the same thing all the time but i'm actually not it's still pretty stimulating to to juggle all these factors i feel like probably people take bread as more of just a daily thing that's always going to be the same and they're not looking to kind of explore different techniques or different flavors and then i go to denmark and they have 15 kinds of wheat and it's not just about being strong or weak or flour it's all these different flavors very much like with produce so that to me was a huge you know eye-opening experience to see that you know there are all these different flavors and and um layers of flavor that you can add to your bread i mean i don't really like make bread into this big spiritual thing like a lot of people do but there is there is something for me that's really essential about what i want to do with bread i would like to make bread that somehow adds something new or different to the culture of what's out there i don't want to just do uh something that kind of would be indistinguishable from the other things and it's not better or worse it's just i like to add a new variety i like to add something that's not there already for me that's that's sort of the drive for what i'm trying to do with bread otherwise i'd probably rather do something elsei wanted to work with my hands my my father learned to make cowboy boots my grandfather and great-grandfather made handmade cowboy boots and saddles i worked in kitchens a little bit so on the savory side studying to be a cook to be a chef i think i i kind of uh yeah moved into baking because it was a little more solitary a little more meditative from the outside it looks like it looks like you're doing the same thing over and over again if i'm doing it really well it looks like i'm doing the same thing all the time but i'm actually not it's still pretty stimulating to to juggle all these factors i feel like probably people take bread as more of just a daily thing that's always going to be the same and they're not looking to kind of explore different techniques or different flavors and then i go to denmark and they have 15 kinds of wheat and it's not just about being strong or weak or flour it's all these different flavors very much like with produce so that to me was a huge you know eye-opening experience to see that you know there are all these different flavors and and um layers of flavor that you can add to your bread i mean i don't really like make bread into this big spiritual thing like a lot of people do but there is there is something for me that's really essential about what i want to do with bread i would like to make bread that somehow adds something new or different to the culture of what's out there i don't want to just do uh something that kind of would be indistinguishable from the other things and it's not better or worse it's just i like to add a new variety i like to add something that's not there already for me that's that's sort of the drive for what i'm trying to do with bread otherwise i'd probably rather do something else\n"