Making our own bread provides us with an unhurried, creative activity that is joyful, calming and productive – providing a much-needed antidote to life’s stresses and strains. From kneading dough, to taking a delicious-smelling freshly baked loaf out of a hot oven, bread-making can be a mindful experience and a therapeutic craft that can nurture and nourish us. As yeast transforms flour and water, so making bread can transform us and our lives.

As we seek ‘slow skills’ to free us from the digital world we are inhabiting more and more, and mindful activity to help us manage our mental wellbeing, so bread-making is experiencing a renaissance. This book will guide you through the art of bread making, with insight into the benefits of this ancient craft which will nourish mind and body. It celebrates bread making as a way of understanding ourselves better, learning important life lessons and making positive changes to our mental and physical wellbeing. It features eight simple bread recipes to get you started on your bread-making journey.

Pauline Beaumont is a passionate bread baker, mother of six and counsellor who believes fervently in the power of bread-making to aid our emotional and psychological wellbeing.