Mini French Loaves

Week 517. Winter 2026. I am 43 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like soup and bread and this is my life. This is the life I built.

Brett came Wednesday. We sat on the porch and talked about nothing, and the nothing was perfect, the way nothing between siblings is always perfect — full of history, empty of agenda, the purest form of company.

Mason is 15 and navigating high school with the quiet competence that has always been his way — focused, kind, certain of who he is in a way that took me thirty years to achieve.

Lily is 13 and competing in equestrian events and winning with the Dawson stubbornness that I recognize because it's mine.

I made sourdough bread this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.

The bread I made this week wasn’t complicated — it never is, and that’s exactly the point. When Brett left and the kids were settled and the house went quiet in that good, full way, I shaped these Mini French Loaves the same way I’ve shaped a hundred loaves before: by feel, by habit, by the particular comfort of knowing exactly what my hands are doing. If you’ve been here long enough to know what Week 517 means, you already understand why a warm loaf of bread on a winter evening is never just bread.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes (includes rise time) | Servings: 4 mini loaves

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water (105–110°F)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 egg white, lightly beaten (for egg wash)
1 tbsp water (for egg wash)
Sesame seeds or flaky sea salt, optional for topping

Instructions

Activate the yeast. In a large bowl, combine warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand 5–10 minutes until foamy and fragrant.
Mix the dough. Stir olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
First rise. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Shape the loaves. Punch dough down and divide into 4 equal portions. Shape each into a small oval or baguette-style loaf, roughly 6 inches long. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced a few inches apart.
Second rise. Cover loosely and let rise another 30–45 minutes until puffed.
Preheat and prepare. Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk together egg white and 1 tbsp water. Brush each loaf gently with egg wash. Using a sharp knife or lame, score the tops with 2–3 diagonal slashes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or flaky salt if desired.
Bake. Bake for 22–25 minutes until deep golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mini French Loaves — The Thread That Connects Every Version of Me