THE BREAD BAKING ANALOGY

It is apparent I view culinary efforts in the same way I do any artistic endeavor. They are both acts of creativity. They have both become a balance in my life, whether the world around me is crazy or simply getting older presents its own unique challenges.

In considering the two, I have come to realize the most profound analogy between working in the kitchen and working at a keyboard is the act of baking bread. Allow me to explain.

In both cases, we gather ingredients. As a writer of historical crime fiction, I have to know what the milieu is, what took place in a specific location in a given period of time. I need to determine who in real life existed and may have had an impact within the fictional story. I need photos of locations to visualize the scene. These are the components that go into good story-telling.

With even a simple bread, I must gather flour, water, salt, and yeast. I need to have the KitchenAid stand mixer ready as well as the bread pans, tray, and cooling racks. You want to begin the creative act with everything you need at your disposal. In the case of some recipes, even measured out in advance.

For me, I push through until I complete a first draft. There is no editing along the way. Oh, maybe a correction of a word or the addition of an additional piece of dialogue. But it is imperative to get that first draft done. This is the formation of what those who make sourdough call a ‘starter.’

With bread, we proof the yeast first. After that, the addition of the flour, a cup at a time, and a thorough kneading in the stand mixer. We will know when that mix is complete as the dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl. It is ready for its next phase.

I let my first draft sit, maybe a week, maybe longer depending upon what is going on. That dough needs to rise as well. So, I loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a good hour or so later it has doubled in size. There are many revisions of the first draft, whereas the bread might only need a second rise. However, I form the rough first draft by reviewing description issues of logic, clarity, and plot and character development. The dough is punched down and formed into loaves to be put into the pans for a second rise. (Bread is easier than writing a novel, especially if you have a stand mixer.)

When there have been enough drafts where the story makes sense and appears entertaining, it is sent off to the publisher. If a contract is signed, I will be working intensely with an editor to form the manuscript into a final work. The bread, on the other hand, goes into a pre-heated oven to bake for a prescribed time. In this case, the “editor” is my wife who continually asks me when it will be done and when she can sample the completed work. (As a side note, she does this as well with the completion of a book wondering when she will get to read it.)

While there is a significantly longer procedure involved with writing and publishing a book, the process for it and baking bread requires both diligence and patience. Fortunately, my wife enjoys eating the bread I bake and the books I write.