Before, I could duck out to a local organic market and buy a loaf of artisanal bread. Now, to ensure that I have bread between grocery deliveries, I have to make it myself.

Here’s a truth that should be universally acknowledged: some recipes just don’t work. The bread recipe said to proof the yeast in a large amount of water and no sugar. I was skeptical but I went ahead. It didn’t work. I thought maybe the water was too hot so I tried again. It still didn’t work. Then I followed the directions on the yeast packet: sprinkle the yeast over a small amount of water and sugar. Success! But I’d used three packets of yeast, and I didn’t have any more.

I next made Irish soda bread which gets its lift not from yeast, but from the reaction between buttermilk and baking soda. (I used soy milk soured with lemon juice.)  

Both breads had a slightly flour-y taste. I checked the whole wheat flour and discovered that it was a month past the best-before date. It wasn’t rancid, but it definitely had a stale quality that came through in the bread. Hereafter, I’ll keep whole wheat flour in the fridge and use it up quickly.

Yeast has become a precious commodity. A friend has been picking up groceries for me, and last time she couldn’t find yeast, not even in the organic section. She happened to be in the bulk section when a fresh shipment came in, and she scooped some up for both of us.

With a fresh supply of yeast, I tried another batch of bread, this one oatmeal and white. First off, I ignored the recipe instructions to proof the yeast with the oatmeal, because if it didn’t work, I’d have to chuck the whole thing out. So I put yeast in a bowl with a small amount of water and sugar and it worked perfectly, quickly foaming and puffing up, very much alive. The bread had a chewy crust, a light and crumbly texture that held together for slicing, and a mildly sweet flavour.

Making bread is science working in tandem with magic: ingredients combined in a sequence of steps, the mechanics of kneading, the application of heat, an aroma that dispels the blues, and a happy feeling eating bread warm from the oven (or the toaster), slathered with (vegan) butter.

I look forward to my next trip to the market for artisanal bread. Meantime, I’m practicing magic at home.