For inspiration, please watch:
Joan Baez singing "Bread and Roses"
I think about this constantly. How can all of the work done (mostly) by my mother's generation to create and grow the women's movement and women's rights, especially reproductive rights be stripped away by a bunch of scared (mostly) white men and silly, stupid priveleged white women? Did so many of us Gen X women take these hard fought for rights for granted? I certainly did. I counted on Roe v. Wade to remain law, I trusted those who said it would not be overturned. Turns out, overturning Roe was just the tip of the iceberg that we are all slowly drifting toward.
I thought the last time he was in office was bad. I could not have imagined what is happening now. Human rights violations, federal programs gutted, pardons for domestic terrorists, tax cuts for billionaires and behind all of this? A felon who likely groped his fair share of underaged women- girls really, with his bestie Epstein.
But I'm trying to keep this one positive. LOL.
While everyone's rights are taken away - Well not everyone's (I'm looking at you Mar-a-Lago face, current administration and Republicans afraid to vote agains the orange one). I am hoping for more. I am fighting for more. We all deserve it. We all deserve a living wage, support from the government that we pay taxes to, and time off to recharge with our friends and family in a safe environment where no one gets arrested by masked men who won't show their faces or badges.
Here's to a life full of bread and roses. 🥖🌹🩷🕊
Bread and Roses
As we come marching, marching, in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill-lofts gray
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing, " Bread and Roses, Bread and Roses. "
As we come marching, marching, we battle, too, for men —
For they are women's children and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes —
Hearts starve as well as bodies: Give us Bread, but give us Roses!
As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient song of Bread;
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew —
Yes, it is bread we fight for — but we fight for Roses, too.
As we come marching, marching, we bring the Greater Days —
The rising of the women means the rising of the race —
No more the drudge and idler — ten that toil where one reposes —
But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and Roses, Bread and Roses!
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill-lofts gray
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing, " Bread and Roses, Bread and Roses. "
As we come marching, marching, we battle, too, for men —
For they are women's children and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes —
Hearts starve as well as bodies: Give us Bread, but give us Roses!
As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient song of Bread;
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew —
Yes, it is bread we fight for — but we fight for Roses, too.
As we come marching, marching, we bring the Greater Days —
The rising of the women means the rising of the race —
No more the drudge and idler — ten that toil where one reposes —
But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and Roses, Bread and Roses!
Easy Lift Sourdough Bread
(Makes 1 loaf)
This bread recipe is as low maintenance as it gets when it comes to a decent sourdough. The measurements in bold are the ones I use. Sorry for going back and forth with grams and cups/measuring spoons. It's just the way that it all came together. I make this about once a week. Mix the dough on Saturday night after feeding the starter in the morning. The next morning (12 hours later), heat the oven and shape the dough. Because you need to wait at least 2 hours to finish the process (shape and bake) the next day, I prefer to do it on Sunday when my schedule can accommodate puttering around while the bread does its thing.
520 grams (approx 4 cups) AP or bread flour (plus extra for shaping)
2 teaspoons Kosher salt (12 grams)
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
385 grams warm water (approx 1 7/8 cups- 101-102 degrees F. When in doubt, cooler is better than hotter.)
1/3 cup (heaping) fed and bubbly starter (Usually after 6 hours is good.) (approx 180 grams)
Note: Starter should be fed every day for a week before attempting this recipe. If you fell off the feeding schedule, get back on it and don't attempt this recipe until its been regularly fed for at least 7 days or you will be sad.
Mix the dough: The night before baking- just after dinner is best and approx 6 hours after feeding the starter in the morning, grab a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt and yeast. Mix together. Measure the water and add the starter to it. (if the starter floats, that is a good thing!) Pour the starter/water into the flour mixture and work it into a well mixed dough using a silicone spatula or a fancy Danish dough whisk. (Treat yourself to the whisk if you end up baking lots bread.) Cover the bowl with a plastic bag, plastic wrap, silicone lid, etc. Allow dough to rest for approx 12 hours in a warmish place in your home.
After approx 12 hours, place a large, covered Dutch oven into your oven and preheat the pot and the oven to 500 degrees F. (Be sure that any handles and lid covers can withstand this temperature.) Preheat the oven for 1 hour.
After turning on the oven, shape the loaf: Generously sprinkle flour over a rectangular piece of parchment paper. Scoop the dough out of the bowl with a dough scraper or silicone spatula. (It will be quite sticky.) Using the dough scraper or spatula, scrape the dough from the parchment into a ball. Keep working the dough until it wants to keep the shape of the ball. Add more flour around the edges, if needed to keep the dough from sticking. Place the parchment with the dough in a basket or colander and cover with a kitchen towel. Leave on the counter until the oven is ready.
After one hour and if the oven is fully preheated to 500 degrees F, remove the kitchen towel from the dough and slice the top of the loaf a few times with a sharp knife. Carefully, remove the Dutch oven from the oven and take the cover off. Place with parchment with the dough/loaf on it into the Dutch oven, cover it again and place the whole thing into the oven.
Reduce the heat to 475 degrees F and set the timer for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, remove the Dutch oven from the oven, remove the cover- leave it off- and place the Dutch oven back into oven. Set the timer for 20 minutes.
When the timer goes off, remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Gently remove the baked loaf onto a cooling rack. (I use 2 large wooden spatulas to do this. Remove the parchment and throw it away.
Resist the urge to slice the bread while it is hot! Allow to cool for a few hours for best results. Cool for at least 8 hours before covering with beeswax wrap or a dry kitchen towel.
