5 minute artisan bread

In 2005 I boarded my first international flight for two months in Kigoma, a small town in Western Tanzania.

There weren't any traditional grocery stores and I didn't speak any Swahili... meat came from the butcher on the side of the road, veggies from the bartering ladies at the market, and baking items from a small shop in "town".

At the time my repertoire of meals was about as "limited" as my ability to communicate in Swahili... it was sink or swim.

I must have inherited a bit of prowess from my home ec teaching mother, because I quickly fell in love with the dailyness (and adventure) of making a home in Africa.

Baking bread was a tradition I swore I would keep, when we came back to the States. I haven't baked much bread since 2005 - turning a new leaf here in New Zealand... it smells great.

Read more about "ritual & routine".