Bakery Day 136: it comes down to one thing...

In the mornings while walking to work, albeit a short walk, I sometimes reflect on really what is the hardest part of owning a bakery. Here is a list of ten things (in no order):

1. time of day I have to get up
2. continual costs to the government
3. baking bread people do not want (on a particular day)
4. do paperwork
5. not knowing if the bakery will break even on any particular day
6. working on a new recipe that just keeps failing
7. the feeling of unappreciation
8. never knowing if it was the right decision
9. seeing other bakeries and how much more beautiful they are, and
10. with #9, seeing how many more options they have and how guilty I feel every single day because I do not offer as much.

As I look through this list, #1 is by far the hardest of most. It is so difficult to get out of bed so early in the morning and then work so long, so hard, and so much. Some days I do not move until 6 AM and that is the truth. I am just too tired.

I also think #10 is very hard on me. Some days I see what I offer and I feel embarrassed. Yesterday a woman from New York came in and said, "are there more things that I do not see?" She has no idea how hard that was to hear, and to swallow. Sometimes I find myself making excuses to the customers, but I think the truth is, I probably just do not work hard enough. That could be the sad reality.

Tell me again.. why am I doing this?

#doeverythingwithlove ... please!!

ps - I am unable to work on the video for this week. I have it recorded, but I seem to just be running out of time and not able to complete it. I will try to slide some in tomorrow if possible. Thank you so much for reading today's entry <3

Comments

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...

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