A Dough-licious Evening

Words by Alex

Transition Bondi had the pleasure of hosting Oliver from Bread4Change at the Inner Transition event during May.

I walked eagerly home from work that day! An extra skip in my step as my mind journeyed into imaginings of future gatherings with friends, enjoying my newly-learned, yet-to-be mastered skill.

There’s few I have met that haven’t exposed their guilty love for bread… Some like it light, fluffy, dense or crusty, layered with jam or avocado, dipped in oil and balsamic… the possibilities are endless. Whichever way, there is no denying the magic of freshly baked bread.

I arrived at Kits. The table already laid with offerings of the usual plant-based feast you come to expect (or rather endlessly anticipate and appreciate) when walking into her homely abode. I am always delighted at how many people, and how much productivity is achieved, in such a small space.

After meeting and greeting with our companions for the evening we quickly set to measuring, mixing and making the first part of our recipe – a sprouted, light rye sourdough – ummm? YUM! My excitement bubbled as much as I hoped the thousands of tiny micro-organisms inside my bread would.

Oliver tended to our wavering questions without missing a beat. Cool, calm and collected but charismatic, charming and chirpy. His expertise could not be faulted. A true master of his craft.

The evening ensued with dinner, climate conversations and learning more about, and from each other. I walked home with my happy bowl of dough, ready to be baked the following evening and to be shared among my house mates.

The next day I gathered, read and re-read all of the advice, instructions and information I could on bread making… As I knew that I would face uncertainty in the final, lone stages of baking my bread. Despite Oliver giving us great explanation, it is easy for me to doubt myself and struggling to trust the process (potentially still scarred from years of burning birthday cakes).

Alas, it turned out perfectly! Albeit with an inseparable layer of baking paper on the bottom.

I hope to join another of Oliver’s classes, to learn more from his endless wealth of knowledge, enjoy new company and also master the skill that is baking bread. So simple, yet so wonderful.

Join Oliver’s Facebook page Bread4Change.org to get in touch about upcoming workshops.