Creativity is an important tool for promoting wellbeing. One thing that I find allows me to be truly creative is when I'm baking which is why I was not surprised when I discovered the art of Mindful Baking in my research for my Wellness Wednesday blog!
Studies have shown that when one spends time on creative goals during the day, that person experiences a higher activated positive affect on that day. A study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology demonstrated that, when sampling a large number of young adults, people felt a higher activated positive affect and flourishing days when they reported that they had completed more creative activity. The findings of this study support the idea that when you are experiencing creativity, you are cultivating a positive psychological functioning.
It is no surprise to me that a lot of people find baking a creative outlet. I personally find it therapeutic as it really forces me to concentrate on the task at hand rather than letting my mind wander to thoughts about work, to-do lists or other stressful situations. Julia Ponsonby states the following in her book "Mindful Thoughts for Cooks: Nourishing body & soul":
"Cooking is surely one of the most pleasurable activities we engage in on a daily basis. Or at least it should be! It is an activity that satisfies our need to 'do' at a practical level and offers a sensory and aesthetic challenge. It has the potential to be social: the preparation can be team work, the results shared. Making things to eat is one of those daily tasks that is perfect for developing a more 'mindful' approach to life".
For a lot of people, spending time baking allows them to take some much needed time out away from the desk, the television or the computer screen. As a lot of us are working from home, I found that I've been working much longer hours and that I'm struggling to 'switch off' at 5 pm like I usually would when I leave the office. As the office is now my home, the lines are blurred.
"Whatever we cook, it will turn out better if it is prepared in the absence of stress and with time to ensure it is served perfectly cooked, appropriately warm and very tasty".
It is important that when we are cooking, we bring a mindful approach and enjoy each moment. This is because in the fast paced world that we live in, we rarely take the time to reflect and instead of enjoying each moment, we are constantly living with memories of the past and fears of the future. "By dwelling on past hurts and grasping at the future, we may undercut any sense of contentment with the present" (Julia Ponsonby).
As part of this week's Wellness Wednesday, I decided to try baking something mindfully. I decided that, after much research, bread would be the perfect option! According to Julia, "the therapeutic benefits of bread work on many levels,” as "to knead dough we must use a wide range of movements, possess good muscle strength and have sound balance. We need to be able to judge proportions, as we divide and measure the dough, and focus on getting the time right, which helps us concentrate.”
I found that the activity of baking mindfully provided me with the perfect opportunity to disengage from negative thoughts and feelings that made me unhappy. I also realised that the onus was on me as the baker to ensure that I was mindfully baking and living in the moment, focusing on each step of the recipe, each ingredient I was including and each portion.
I used the following incredibly delicious gluten free bread recipe by one of my favourite bloggers, The Loopy Whisk. This recipe is the perfect gluten free bread recipe as it doesn't contain any nasty ingredients, has an amazing fluffy texture and tastes delicious! I highly encourage you to practice mindful baking and enjoy the process as much as I did!
Ingredients
8 g (2 1/2 tsp) active dried yeast
20 g (2 tbsp) superfine/caster sugar
390 g (1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp) warm water, divided
20 g (1/4 cup) psyllium husk (rough husk form)
130 g (3/4 cup + 3 tbsp) buckwheat flour
100 g (1/2 cup + 3 tbsp) potato starch (NOTE: this is different from potato flour)
90 g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) brown rice flour (needs to be very finely ground, "superfine")
10 g (2 tsp) table or sea salt
12 g (2 tsp) apple cider vinegar
Instructions
In a small bowl, mix together the yeast, sugar and 150 g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) warm water. Set aside for 10 – 15 minutes, or until the mixture starts frothing.
In a separate bowl, mix together the psyllium husk and 240 g (1 cup) water. After about 15 – 30 seconds, a gel will form.
In a large bowl, mix together the buckwheat flour, potato starch, brown rice flour and salt, until evenly combined.
Add the yeast mixture, psyllium gel and apple cider vinegar to the dry ingredients. Knead the dough until smooth and it starts coming away from the bowl, about 5 – 10 minutes. You can knead by hand or using a stand mixer with a dough hook.
Transfer the bread to a lightly oiled surface and knead it gently, forming it into a smooth ball. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, seam side down, cover with a damp tea towel and allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Once risen, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead it gently while forming it into a tight ball (see post for step-by-step photos). Flip it seam side down onto a part of the work surface that isn’t covered in flour and rotate in place to seal the seams.
Place the dough into a 7 inch round proofing basket that you’ve dusted with some brown rice flour with the seams facing upwards. Cover with a damp tea towel and proof in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
While the loaf is proofing, pre-heat the oven to 480 ºF (250 ºC) with a cast iron skillet on the middle rack or a Dutch oven/combo cooker on the lower middle rack. If you’re using a skillet, place a baking tray on the bottom rack of the oven.
Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out of the bread basket onto a piece of baking paper and score the top with a pattern of choice (the easiest pattern is a cross, about ¼ – ½ inch deep), using a bread lame or sharp knife. Take the hot cast iron skillet or Dutch oven/combo cooker out of the oven and then transfer the bread along with the baking paper into it. For a skillet or combo cooker, this is easiest by sliding a pizza peel or baking sheet underneath the baking paper and then using it to slide the bread along with the baking paper gently into the hot skillet/combo cooker. For a Dutch oven, use the sides of the baking paper as handles to transfer the bread into it.
If using a skillet: place the skillet in the oven, pour hot water into the bottom baking tray, add 3 – 4 ice cubes around the bread (between the baking/greaseproof paper and the skillet), and close the oven door.
If using a Dutch oven/combo cooker: add 3 – 4 ice cubes around the bread (between the baking/greaseproof paper and the walls of the Dutch oven/combo cooker) and close it, then place it into the pre-heated oven.
Bake at 480 ºF (250 ºC) with steam for 20 minutes – don’t open the Dutch oven or the oven doors during this initial period, as that would allow the steam to escape out of the oven.
After the 20 minutes, remove the bottom tray with water from the oven (for cast iron skillet) or uncover the Dutch oven/combo cooker, reduce the oven temperature to 450 ºF (230 ºC), and bake for a further 40 - 50 minutes in a steam-free environment. The final loaf should be of a deep, dark brown colour. If the loaf starts browning too quickly, cover with a piece of aluminium foil, shiny side up, and continue baking until done.
Transfer the loaf onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Storage: The gluten free bread keeps well in a closed container or wrapped in a tea towel in a cool dry place for 3 – 4 days.
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