Baking is the Dance that Calms Me

Baking is the dance that calms me. The repetition of making the same product over and over again. The intense focus that it takes to act as a partner with a pastry to coax out its best qualities, reassessing what the pastry needs to reach its full potential and shifting gears accordingly.

Making pastry requires a sense of trust in the process. There are many steps along the way where trouble may rear its head, but with a firm belief in oneself and solid technique the process from raw ingredients to a finished pastry is realized.

This week we are getting lost in the multi-day process of Babka. We begin with an egg and butter enriched dough flecked with fresh milled grains of Kamut flour. After a couple of lengthy rests, the dough is rolled into a large rectangle, then spread with butter, rich chocolate ganache, cinnamon sugar and darkly toasted salted pecans. The dough is then rolled into two long spirals, one from the top and one from the bottom, both meeting in the center before being sliced into two. Next, each spiral is cut in half and twisted into long ropes. Each rope is cut into a length that fits into the rectangular pans.

Last year was the first time that I undertook this process. It was daunting and messy, covering multiple stations in the bakery. I was the only one in the bakery at that time to witness the disorder. But as I rolled each rectangle of dough, I began to find ways to organize myself better, more efficiently and with less mess. The process began stressfully, as I juggled numerous steps not sure if the final result would be what I wanted. But as I gained experience and confidence the making of the Babka coalesced into a fine baker’s dance - one where I was moving with the ingredients and a sense of calm came over me.

This weekend we are making Babka loaves once again as our Secret Item. They are available to our newsletter subscribers only, so be sure to join our email list for access to all future Secret Newsletter Items.

Hope you enjoy them.