Generational differences in Breadmaking

Grandmother makes bread precisely
this way, exactly 1 5/8 c of water,
instant yeast, fresh from the grocery store,
2 ½ c. white unbleached flour,
½ cup of whole wheat flour and
1 ¼ teaspoons of salt.
Exactly 12 hours of rise time in
a cold oven and remove the dough
this way: spray a thin coat of cooking
oil onto the spatula to prevent sticking.
Set the timer to two hours exactly for the
second rise time in a floured cotton
towel laid into a 9” basket.
Give at least 30 minutes for
Le Creuset casserole to heat to 450 degrees,
every so carefully transfer the dough
from the floured towel to the casserole,
setting the timer to 30 minutes when the
cover can be removed, then another
15-30 minutes more to cook.
Once baked, remove the bread immediately,
letting it cool at least two hours before eating,
preferably one day.

Mother doesn’t have Le Creuset, breaks
into neighbor’s house and finds covered
Pyrex glassware, does not have instant
yeast but finds that dissolving active dry
yeast in warm water with a little sugar
will give the same result, doesn’t wait 12
hours because does not fit schedule and
does not wait 2 hours for second rising because
does not fit schedule, and realizes timer
is not working because the battery died so
does not know how long the bread has been
baking, eats bread steaming hot while
driving off to a camping trip with boyfriend,
bread is gone within 12 hours.

Daughter does not have time for second
rising, mixes up dough, lets rise for
as many hours as seems reasonable or fits
schedule, dumps dough into floured
dish, puts it in cold oven, turns up the heat
to 450 degrees and figures that’s good enough
for a second rising, goes to coffee shop
to meet a friend, comes back, takes the
cover off for a few minutes, calls it good
and eats the whole thing with butter and jam
with some girlfriends in 10 minutes.

Oh how things change in a couple generations.