Skip to main content

Bakery Day 90: a weird feeling

I got to the bakery a bit late today, around 6. I was exhausted from the previous two days of work and just dragging to get there and work.

I managed to get many things done and we sold all of the bread again except two gluten free breads. So I felt pretty good about that. Also a woman with her family stopped me leaving the bakery a bit disappointed because I was out of integral bread. She said it tastes amazing and her daughter loved it!!!

But during the day I became aware of something about myself that I did not like. I was short and irritated easily and finding myself angry when it just was not necessary. I am almost certain it was because of how tired I have been. That means I am still not smart enough about the work I am doing in the kitchen!

so we closed at two today and did not reopen later. Maybe it cost us some money but we are so tired that it was better to be closed and lose a little bit of money than to be open and fighting. Tonight when Sandy and I were talking she asked me, “did you not know how much work the bakery would be?” And my answer is always yes and no. I knew they were a lot of work, but I really had no idea of the magnitude. It is just too much for one person. Period!  This frightens me because I do not want to lose my love for the bakery but I know I must find better solutions for me and for Sandy so we can survive and prosper.

So that is that.. a day of unprovoked anger and unhappiness .. I love the bakery just as much as every other day but somehow I felt resentment today and that is sad!

thank you so much for reading today’s post. I dedicate it to Niekunj Chavda who passed away many months back. Today would be his birthday and I miss him like everyone else who he touched along his journey.

#doeverythingwithlove

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Closing in on ten months

And what a journey it has become!!! I don’t know what to say or where to direct my energy in this blog entry. Some of the content is a repeat of what I’ve said many times and some maybe different. The bakery continues to struggle to meet the ends and while there are more customers it does not seem to change many of the outcomes. I spend time looking at the costs versus the income and I see little in terms of gaps that can be tightened. Really... I want to give up! I want to close the doors and never look back. We were closed last week for multiple reasons, including the installation of an air conditioner. I felt it was absolutely necessary to have colder air when it starts getting hot outside. We were also supposed to do a festival on Sunday, but when I found out it was more about marketing than making money I decided against it. Yes, marketing would help, but I would have had to buy a table and then invest in the foods with my fingers crossed that I would sell everything. So, such is...

Bakery Day 19: Working smarter, not easier

Today I have been feeling extra sick. As I am writing this I am wet from perspiration, and weak. I knew this morning when I got up that I had to think smartly about the work I did today. I also knew, that I needed to focus my energy in a perfect way so that I do not weaken myself more. As with each morning, I start out with making white bread, 5kg of flour, 3500 of water, 100g salt, 120+g fresh starter, and 750g of masa madre (starter, sour dough starter)... while this is mixing I already have the croissants out of the refrigerator getting to room temperature and starting to rise and the oven is on. Funny thing about the croissants... two days in a row I forgot to glaze them before I started baking them. This is making me crazy that I keep forgetting this. I also had a small problem with the dough last night, the butter came through the dough two times. I really must find a way to focus more. Eugeni told me to get my dough to 5mm... wow.. i need a perfect temperature for this to happen...

Bakery Day 69: lots of baking

I was up early this morning so I went to the bakery just after five. Let me premise this by saying, when I get to the bakery I wash my hands and immediately start the first bread in the mixer. When I opened the refrigerator to gather the needed things (masa madre, fresh yeast, and cold water) I was treated to a surprise of a pitcher of soya milk and a few other things falling out. The milk went all over me and made a mess of the floor. Not my favorite start to the day! Once I got the mess in order, I moved on to baking: i made white breads, raisin breads, integral breads, a double order of brioche cinnamon rolls with icing. I made croissants, and the focaccia. By this time the cinnamon rolls sold out so I needed to make another bath of them.  After some cleaning I then started on the tapas for this evening. First I baked crostini’s and then I made a puff pastry. After this I did some cooking to prepare. I made a garlic and spinach, a walnut pate to be served on the crostini with olives...