From Traditions to Transitions

It's that time of year again; the time I look forward to each year. No not the holidays... transition. Transition from life in the real world to life in the bubble of Martha's Vineyard. So much to look forward to...
* settling into our new home
* spending time with our girls and our MVY friends
* sunny warm days spent at the beach or poolside
* evenings by the outdoor fire sipping wine
Ten days and counting.

Traditions

Like many families, baking has a long history of tradition. I have fond memories of fresh baked whole wheat bread at Granny Kerrick's house and poppyseed at Christmas and Easter on the Lawrence side. I have tried my hand at the holiday baking for years and just like my mother before me, I never quite know why sometimes the dough rises better, is lighter tasting, and just comes out better than other times.

Poppyseed hot from the oven.

After recently visiting my sisters who both had homemade whole wheat bread for breakfast, I decided it was high time I began baking bread for Jim and I. Today was the day. I took a page from Kate's book and halved the recipe so it only yielded one loaf. I had to call Jo as my recipe didn't say how many times to let it rise (two). I came across whole wheat yeast in the supermarket and decided to give it a try as well. I did have a few bumps though. As I was panning the dough after letting it rise twice, I remembered that the second rise should be in the loaf pan. So I had to let it rise a third time after which I remembered that my mother always poked it a few times with a fork before rising and baking. Despite my pedestrian efforts, my first try in many moons was delicious....

 If you make a trip over to MVY this summer, you might be in for a treat. I am hopeful that repeated tries will help me refine (haha) the process.