Introduction and the Most Versatile Recipe You'll Ever Learn

What brought me here?

Long story short: a passion for cooking, a curiosity for the metaphysical and COVID lockdown.

So here we are; everyone is trying to better themselves during this strange time in history. We're all looking to distract ourselves from the atrocities and boredom of our current world’s state. Many of us thrown from our jobs and looking for a new way to fill the void and hopefully our wallets. And for those of you that haven't been thrown from their jobs but have still been completely uprooted from their normal lives you’re still looking for a distraction. Cooking is a big one. And that’s what I'm here for. I will teach you mostly about cooking, and you can certainly stop there because my food is delicious, but I have a little magick up my sleeve (and a hankering to learn more.) For everyone else just think about it as cooking with love. Love is and always has been the most important ingredient.

So what gives me the right?! That is, where am I coming from that I think I can even attempt to teach you anything about cooking? Witchery? And who the heck am I?

My Cooking Background

I’ve loved cooking for as long as I can remember. I used to spend hours baking with my Nana around holidays and once I was old enough to cook alone my parents got me a cookbook for kids and it was my job to cook dinner fairly regularly.

Every job I've had has been in the food industry and 5 years of that was as a professional cook. I did cake decorating for 3 years at WalMart and my 5 years of kitchen experience included pretty much everything. I was lucky enough to start as a line cook and not a dishwasher despite no previous kitchen training. In hindsight that might have been a red flag but in all actuality that was probably my favourite kitchen to work in. Starting at that job I did line work and prep work. In my most recent job I worked EVERYTHING. Then COVID lockdown became a thing and I was temporarily laid off. The economic and industry climate leads me to think I may not have job security and that was a real kick in the pants to do what I’ve talked about doing for years, writing.

My Witchy Background

I’ve dabbled in the metaphysical for a long time; a lot of it without really realizing what I was doing. My spirituality and beliefs play easily into the metaphysical community. My mom recently took her journey (into card reading and crystals) to a serious level and while looking for Christmas gifts for her I found myself falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole. Immediately I was drawn to the idea of kitchen witchery among other things. And so I wouldn't say I have a deep background but I have a desire to learn alongside you as we embark on a journey of learning how to make the recipes I already use into little bits of magick for you and your family.

Who the Heck Am I?

I am many things. A daughter. A girlfriend. A sister and caretaker. I am a cook. I am a nurturer, a listener. I am a reader and learner and thinker. I am an old soul, or so they tell me. I have been an athlete. I have been a student. I have been up and down. This and so many more things have made me who I am. I draw what I know and have learned from the people I have encountered in the many settings I have been in. Who I am is going to change while we are here; you can learn from me and I sure hope I get to learn from you.

I hope I've given you a reason to stick around. Good recipes. Fun stories. And a little magick.

Without further adieu, here is your first recipe and one you will see pop up ALL. THE. TIME. Versatility is key.

DOUGH

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp Salt

2 1/2 tsp Yeast
1 1/2 tsp Sugar

2 tbsp Oil
1 cup Warm water

There are two ways to do this recipe. Traditional yeast and Active yeast. Due to the complete lack of traditional yeast in the stores near me I am using my less favourite of the two: active yeast. I will explain the difference throughout this post; I just won’t have pictures.
In a large bowl combine flour and salt.

If using active yeast add to that same bowl sugar and yeast, if using traditional yeast add the sugar and yeast to the next step.



Combine warm water, think a comfortable bath, and oil. If using traditional yeast mix and set for 10 minutes and allow the yeast to bloom. If using active yeast obviously skip this step.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry. I like to make a well but this is unnecessary; I just like to try to keep my bowl as clean as I can to avoid having to scrape too much later.

Combine until the mixture comes together into a ball. 

                                                Turn out onto a floured surface. Knead and continue to add flour in small amounts until the dough is smooth and not sticky. This you have to get a feel for but according to most recipes it’s about 5 minutes. I should really try timing it for you, I will.
** pro tip ** this timing and the amount of flour you have to add will change depending on the environment. If it’s particularly humid in your kitchen it will take more time and flour to get a good consistency.
** witchy tip ** during both stirring and kneading is a perfect time to do so with intention. Decide why you’re making this bread, visualize it and infuse your dough with it.



Place in your greased loaf pan and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave to rise/proof for 40 minutes or so before you begin to preheat your oven to 360. Your dough should be almost twice the size you started with.

This timing changes a bit depending on the environment and which yeast you’ve used. If using traditional I usually leave it for 10 to 15 minutes longer before starting my preheat.

** pro tip ** put the kettle on when you start the proofing to add humidity to the air. In a commercial setting they use a “proofer” which has a regulated environment for temperature and moisture.  

Once preheated bake your loaf for 20 minutes. It should become golden brown and sound hollow when you knock on it. Remove to a cooling rack, bon appetit.

** pro tip ** At this point an experienced baker might use an egg wash, butter or oil brushed over the top of your loaf to give you various types of crispier crust and/or score the crust. See more at the end. 

This is the most basic way to use this recipe. You will see it show up about a million times after this if you stick around with me. It can be used in a variety of ways and also can be varied in its current state as a loaf.

** witchy tip ** This variety is where we add correspondences but it is WAY too much for a tip sized bit. Stay tuned for another post.

If you are an experienced bread maker you may notice I don't do a second proof; I have in the past and I don't feel like it changed my bread! Maybe I did it wrong or maybe I don't have an eye for the changes in bread. Please feel free to call me out in the comments below! Like I said, I’m here to learn as much as the next.

Now what is scoring? It’s a shallow slice in the crust of your bread just before you place it in the oven. You see this on artisan loaves you get from the grocery store. A single straight line, three diagonal ones or crossed to make a window pane are common. Historically, families that shared an oven would have family specific scoring to be able to tell their bread from the other families.

** witchy tip ** score with a sigil and allow the heat from the oven to expand and release that power

If you decide to get fancy with your scoring I would love to see pictures. Tag me in your posts over @cooking_with_spirit

The Short and Gritty:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp Salt

2 1/2 tsp Yeast
1 1/2 tsp Sugar

2 tbsp Oil
1 cup Warm water

Directions:

1. Mix first two ingredients.

2a. If you're using active cry yeast include the next two ingredients.

2b. If you're using traditional yeast mix last four ingredients together and let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Add wet to dry, mix in the bowl until it comes together into a ball.

4. Turn out onto floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes adding small amounts of flour when it becomes too sticky.

5. Place in greased loaf pan and cover with a clean tea towel. Allow to rise for 40 minutes and then begin preheating your oven to 350.

6. The dough should double in size by the time you put your loaf in the oven. About 10 to 20 minutes after you begin your preheat.

7. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. the loaf should sound hollow when knocked on.

8. Remove to a cooling rack and it is ready for eating.