A Pinch of Slowness

Taking the time to enjoy the process is a great recipe for bread—and life

Valerie Chamberlain

The old kitchen table rattles a bit as she kneads and folds, turns and presses, flips and flops the soft mound of dough in a dusting of flour. Molly pats the pale dough into a loaf shape and smiles, looking very pleased with herself. She brushes the flour from her hands and moves on to get the bread pans ready. She knows how to grease and flour them just so, tapping the flour from end to end to form a coating, and lets the excess fall back onto the table.

It doesn’t seem so long ago that this same girl was three years old, tugging on my shirt and asking, “Mommy, I help?” I knew it would take me twice as long, but still, I tied aprons on my kids when they were tall enough to stand on a chair and peer into the big mixing bowl on the kitchen counter. I measured, and they poured.