[2021-03-14] Give it enough time
I made whole wheat bread today. Two different recipes. No stand mixer. No bread machine. Just mixing by hand and lots of kneading.
And, then, tonnes of patience while I allowed the dough to rise.
I often give up on making whole wheat bread because it's tricky to get a final product that is light. I was inspired to try my hand at whole wheat bread again after seeing a friend post pictures of her creations on social media. Her loaves looked huge and light as a feather. When I asked her her secret, she said "No secret, really. Give it enough time to rise, first time round."
I wasn't sure that I could match my friend's success. She used whole wheat bread flour, while I used regular whole wheat flour, which is what I had on hand. She used a stand mixer, while I used a bowl, a wooden spoon and plenty of kneading.
Perhaps because of those differences or some other unknown factor, my bread was not light and fluffy like my friend's. Fortunately, my other loaf (Easy Simple Whole Wheat Bread) turned out well, maybe because that recipe includes a little all-purpose flour in the predominantly whole wheat loaf.
Today's bread making felt like a metaphor of my life. I had hoped that the nausea I am experiencing as I adjust to Lynparza, the tumour-suppressing drug I'm taking, would be over by now, one month in. But, clearly, I need to continue being patient.
I may have felt worse today than in the past, or simply admitted that I'm just not feeling well, but I finally decided to take it easy. So, aside from my bread making this morning, I've spent the day on the couch, reading and napping. It felt like a post-chemo pyjama day.
Both in relation to my bread and my nausea, my friend's advice kept ringing in my head: "Give it enough time."
And so I shall.
