The Leaf in a Page

Salt – Why we knead it in Bread. Hey we need it too! Salt is one of those ingredients we need for seasoning food and enhancing flavours. It is known to reduce bitterness while increasing the flavours of savoury, sweet and sour. This is why salt is added to most dishes. It is interesting to learn the role salt has in bread and I wanted to share the important reasons it is required in bread making. Put simply, it conditions the gluten in the bread to make it stronger and more elastic which allows the stretch needed for the little or bigger air bubbles to form cells and give a home to the gas released when yeast is munching on the starches and sugars. Funny how it reminds me that we need salt/sodium for our muscles to work properly. It plays an important role as part of the process that transmits nerve impulses sending messages to our muscles to contract and relax. This includes the muscles we are not always aware of such as heart smooth muscles that contract and relax a

It is true, I applied for a program at the Nova Scotia Community College before retirement, on a whim. The Boulanger and Baking Art program. It is a one year college course focusing on bread making and other baked goods. Last November (2017) my friends were going to the schools bake sale and I went along. The students stood behind their tables full of beautiful baked products with their clean crisp chef outfits on and  huge smiles on their faces. Before long I had researched the program and applied. I was accepted and decided I would retire and go back to school at age 60. Now it is February and we are almost finished the third rotation with one more rotation to go and a work term for 5 weeks. Afterwards I will graduate with the class, the most senior student in the class. One of the first breads we learned to make was Brioche. A rich bread with egg and butter added after the gluten has time to form. Here is a photo of the finished product going to the school cafe for sale.

Stress Freer and Healthier This spring I decided enough was enough. My workload had been too much for 3 plus years. Each time I looked for support from management it seemed I was handed 1/2 of a bandaid to work with. I really wanted to end with 30 years but 29 years of nursing would have to do. Far too many days of overtime and missed lunches. I could not have felt better. I started cycling again. Blood started moving to places forgotten. People asked how does it feel to be retired? Still not sure how to answer that. Time will tell. Three weeks after stopping work I had to have a wack of blood work done. For the past few years my liver enzymes were slightly elevated. Nothing drastic just a bit up. My family physician sent me to the liver specialist because there were elevated a couple of times in a row. She follows guidelines and that is why I love my GP. The liver specialist reviewed the blood work with me and everything was completely normal. Huh! They told me not to come back.