
Here’s my response to this week’s W3 poetry challenge, set by Sylvia. You can find her prompts poem and guidelines by clicking on this link: https://skepticskaddish.com/2022/11/30/w3-prompt-31-weave-written-weekly/
Theme this week: food/food preparation, form: shadorma.
I instantly thought of baking bread. I’m German. I love bread, in particular sourdough bread – or, what I call, ‘proper bread, rich, dark, rye, none of that just yeasty white wheat stuff’. I had great fun writing this piece! I can get a little carried away, when talking about bread…. it’s a very important topic for me.
So, here goes, my poem about bread.
The theory of everything Sourdough. Learn to wait. Knead. Wait. Rest, a must, intrinsic. Pleasure, no slapdash rush. Wait. Muscle up, breathe, wait. I know bread. My baker’s son dad taught me well. When to do, when not to. What’s important: Home can’t be hurried. I knead bread, roll the dough, get in. Smell of rye, lumps and bumps, warm hands, wrath of soul, love, hate, all baked into one. I need bread, staple, reminder of time, rules, rest, patience. Life in a ball. Simple. Slow. Proofing sourdough.
Ah! You almost convince me to start making my own bread again. But the bakery in town (sourdough of course) is so wonderful, and the demands of a sourdough starter are so exigent that I simply … don’t.
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Lucky you, to have a good bakery close by! Where I live, the so called bakery only provides white bread and not so nice cakes. All very chemical and artificial. Not a great fan.
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I love sourdough bread and I love your poem, Britta. Sadly, I have been quite unsuccessful at baking it.
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Thanks, Punam. The ‘secret’ of bread baking is patience. It takes a lot of time. Not a lot of work, but the dough needs to rest, the bacteria need quite a while to do their thing. Most people try to rush it. If you do, you’ll end up with a brick of a loaf. Rock solid. I simply love the way the house smells, when there’s a loaf in the oven.
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You are welcome. Yes, I know patience is the secret ingredient and yes, I did end up with a brick! Lol
A nearby bakery now has reasonably good sourdough so I now stick to baking cakes and buns. 🙂
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I loved your need to knead and could smell the bread whilst reading.
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Thanks, Peter. Good bread is a wonderful thing!
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Great poem ❤ I love how it reads slow, just like the proofing process you describe. I'm not sure if I've ever had home-made sourdough, but it sounds amazing. 🙂
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Thank you so much, Sylvia. I loved your challenge. Always enjoy to write about food and the shadorma is one of my favourite forms of syllabic poetry. Enjoy your time as Poet of the Week, much deserved!!!
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Thank you, Britta, and you’re welcome ❤ I love reading about food, and the shadorma is currently one of my favorite forms as well 🙂
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Whoa! Now I’m thinking I should get the bread bowl out and give it a go. Not sourdough but the 13 seed bread my husband craves that they stopped carrying at the store. But I am unprepared to do so. I only have sunflower seeds, flax, cracked wheat, barley and oats and my yeast is probably no good and I doubt I have enough rye flower left. That leaves all the rest to be purchased (only available in bulk of course)… But your shadorma is perfection!!! ❤
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Thanks, Valerie. I’m a bit of a bread aficionado, or, let’s be blunt, I’m a bread snob. I like good bread and where I live is not exactly a great place for good bakes. Mostly soft white sandwich bread – and I’m not a fan of that. So, out of necessity, I bake my own. Whenever I’m in Germany, I basically eat my way through the entire bread section. Did I mention? I like bread…
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Love your shadorma poem, Britta. It gave me all this cosy homely warm kitchen feels 🙂 I also love rye bread, and Germans definitely know their bread. And pastries!
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Thanks, Sunra. Much appreciated. Whenever I’m in Germany, I try to eat my way through the entire display of the local bakery. Not in one day, though. One delicious piece at a time… Yummy!!!
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😂 Slowly does it. Persistence pays off!
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I love the playing around with need and knead, Britta ❤
Thanks for sharing!
~David
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Thanks, David. Much appreciated.
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Lovely and I do like making my own sourdough ❤
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Sourdough is one of those magical things! Thanks for reading and commenting!
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So many wonderful poems were submitted this week that it was hard to make a decision, but I have chosen you as Poet of the Week. Congratulations ❤
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Britta,
I’ve sent you an email about W3 next steps – if you haven’t received it (spam folder, etc.), please let me know!
Mazal tov!
David
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Thank you so much, Sylvia! Oh, the power of sourdough… I’m looking forward to my week as POW! Much appreciated!
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Your poem sums up bread making. The warmth, the love, the sustenance and the life that making bread is. I make bread to release frustration! Knead, knead, knead, pummel, pummel, knead! All that kneading produces calm.
Crumbs! I love this shadorma 🥖
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Thanks, Lesley. I like a good knead and pummel, too, when I’m stressed and angry. That’s when bread making comes in useful! It’s socially accepted to punch dough, knock the living daylights out of it. Feels sooooooo good! And once you’ve released all your anger, you can enjoy a nice crusty loaf. Win – win! Thanks for reading and commenting. Much appreciated.
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❤️🥖 🥊😁 ❤️
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