Blueberry-orange muffins, a loaf of my sourdough soft honey wheat bread and two loaves of my sourdough soft white sandwich bread. Almost a bakery.

Both breads use dry yeast and whole wheat sourdough starter, so we get the speed of dry yeast and the nutritional benefits of fermented wheat. The bread itself is so good you can eat a slice plain and not even miss butter.

The muffins are good, but I can do better.

I can’t wait until tradition allows me to use Aunt Mannie’s recipe (she only made them in August).

I don’t have a mixer or any gadgets. Just some bowls and my huge hands. Kneading three loaves worth of dough is a workout, but there is something soothing about working the gluten with my hands. I drop into a horse stance and work until the sticky gooey mess becomes a smooth dough that you can stretch into an almost translucent windowpane.

So now we have muffins on the table, bread in the freezer and homemade comfort on the doorsteps of my neighbors. My shoulder and neck muscles hurt in a good way.