Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives

Description

THE TIMES - BEST FOOD BOOKS of 2022 'If you had told me at 14 when I couldn't even get out of bed with depression and anxiety that three years later I would have written a book I would never have believed you. But here it is - the story of the Orange Bakery. How I went from bed to bread and how my Dad went from being a teacher to a baker. You reading it means everything to me' Kitty Tait Breadsong tells the story of Kitty Tait who was a chatty, bouncy and full-of-life 14 year old until she was overwhelmed by an ever-thickening cloud of depression and anxiety and she withdrew from the world. Her desperate family tried everything to help her but she slipped further away from them. One day her dad Alex, a teacher, baked a loaf of bread with her and that small moment changed everything. One loaf quickly escalated into an obsession and Kitty started to find her way out of the terrible place she was in. Baking bread was the one thing that made any sense to her and before long she was making loaves for half her village. After a few whirlwind months, she and her dad opened the Orange Bakery, where queues now regularly snake down the street. Breadsong is also a cookbook full of Kitty's favourite recipes, including: - the Comfort loaf made with Marmite, and with a crust that tastes like Twiglets - bitesize queue nibbles, doughnuts with an ever-changing filling to keep the bakery queue happy - sticky fika buns with mix-and-match fillings such as cardamom and orange - Happy Bread covered with salted caramel - cheese straws made with easy homemade ruff puff pastry - the ultimate brown butter and choc chip cookies with the perfect combination of gooey centre and crispy edges.

Kitty Tait and her Dad Al live in Watlington, Oxfordshire and between them run the Orange Bakery. From the most original flavoured sourdough (miso and sesame, fig and walnut) to huge piles of cinnamon buns and Marmite and cheese swirls, the shop sells out every day and the queues stretch down the street. In 2018, Kitty was at school and Al worked at Oxford University, but when Kitty became so ill she couldn't leave the house, the two discovered baking and, in particular, sourdough. Chronicled in Kitty's Instagram @kittytaitbaker they went from a small subscription service to pop-ups to a shop - all in two years. Along the way Kitty got better, a Corgi got involved and Al realised that he was now a baker not a teacher.

Just when I thought I didn't have anything left to learn about bread, Kitty teaches me otherwise. Accessible, engaging and wonderfully wide ranging -- Felicity Cloake Not only is Breadsong a brilliant book about the bliss of baking, Kitty Tait tells a brave and beautiful story of what it is to be human. Rise up like your dough, Kitty! You are Britain's next Star Baker! -- Mel Giedroyc Breadsong is everything I could ever wish for from a book. Kitty is a true inspiration. I see her passion, her writing and her baking and I can't help but be filled with joy. I can't wait to see what she does next -- James Morton Breadsong is exactly the kind of cookbook I love to curl up with - uplifting, inspiring, heartfelt and with wonderful recipes to boot. The best recipes are filled with heart and this book is just that -- Georgina Hayden We have been following Kitty and Al's journey with wonder and amazement. It is proof, if one was needed, that a loaf of bread can have the power to heal, bring joy, bring together a family and a community and give life flavour and purpose. In this book they share with their stories and recipes, both are utterly delicious -- Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, Honey & Co Breadsong is an extraordinary father and daughter duet, a baking book that's dazzling with easy ideas and strong techniques for exactly what you want to bake and eat right now -- Dan Lepard Breadsong is a beautifully soul-stirring book about overcoming personal anxieties and depression through the nurturing joys of baking. I loved it from start to finish! -- Gurd Loyal Kitty and her father plot the journey from rock bottom to redemption through dough. A hilarious catalogue of the pitfalls of setting up your own artisan bakery with an inspiring tale about learning to recognise what's important - being brave enough to frame your life around it -- Xanthe Clay More than a book about baking. Breadsong made me hungry (very!) but it also filled me with admiration for Al, Kitty, their family and their friends. Inspiring, honest, generous and optimistic -- Janet Ellis A wonderful exploration around the seemingly (and often not so) simple process of making bread and how it can help to heal and restore. Breadsong is truly inspiring and will no doubt encourage everyone to bake, for both their mind and their mouth -- Flora Sheddon The Tait's vision of baking as a joyous, life-enhancing thing is infectious, and their Miracle Overnight White Loaf is proof that "making bread is magic". * Bee Wilson, The Sunday Times *