It’s been three weeks now since we stopped buying bread and I’ve been baking it myself ever since. And you know what? I don’t think I’ll ever go back.

What started as a little experiment quickly turned into a quiet ritual I’ve come to love. There’s something incredibly grounding about baking bread. The measuring, the kneading, the waiting, it’s therapeutic in a way I didn’t expect. And the smell, it fills the entire house, wrapping everything and everyone in this homey feeling. Even the baby seems calmer when the bread is in the oven.

I make simple whole grain buns with just five ingredients. That’s it. Nothing fancy, no additives, no preservatives. Just real, good food that nourishes us and lasts for about three days, though to be honest, they rarely make it past the second day.

Here’s the recipe I use, in case you’d like to give it a try:

Whole Grain Buns (makes about 8  buns)

 500g whole grain flour

 300ml warm water

 a pinch of salt

 7g active dry yeast

 30ml extra virgin olive oil

( a beaten egg for a nice golden colour) 

That’s the base but from there you can get creative. Add sunflower seeds, chia, or flax. Stir in some chopped olives or herbs, make it your own.

The process is actually really easy. Just mix everything together, knead a little, let it rise for about an hour, shape your buns, let them rise again while the oven preheats, brush them with a beaten egg and bake at 200°C for about 25 minutes or until golden.

They’re crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy inside, and they pair beautifully with everything from breakfast spreads, soups, even just a swipe of butter while they’re still warm.

It’s such a small shift, but it’s brought a lot of joy into our home. A small act of care that turns into something we all share around the table.