Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives
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- Create Date：2022-05-23 03:16:36
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Kitty Tait
- ISBN：1526631857
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Summary
A cookbook full of heart that explores the redemptive power of baking。
Kitty Tait grew up a funny， chatty redhead who made everyone in her family laugh。 But around the time she turned 14， Kitty began experiencing anxiety。 Slowly， she disconnected from everyone around her and struggled to wake up， get dressed， and leave the house。 Full of worry， her parents tried everything， from new hobbies like reading and painting to medication and visits to a specialist。 Nothing seemed to help。
Then， one day， as Kitty stood on a stool watching her dad mix flour， water， and salt， she determined Al's gloopy， sludgy blob of bread looked a whole lot like her brain。 The next day， peaking under the tea towel as the mix gently bubbled and popped， Kitty came to a stunning realization: bread is alive。 Al asked Kitty if she'd like to try baking bread herself， and their lives were never the same again。 One loaf quickly escalated into an obsession， and Kitty felt better than she had for a long time。 Within nine months， Kitty and Al opened The Orange Bakery--and they haven't stopped since。
Featuring more than 80 recipes-including cinnamon buns， cheese swirls， and tahini brownies-Breadsong is a celebration of bread and baking， and an inspiring story of the life-saving power of discovering a passion。
Kitty Tait grew up a funny， chatty redhead who made everyone in her family laugh。 But around the time she turned 14， Kitty began experiencing anxiety。 Slowly， she disconnected from everyone around her and struggled to wake up， get dressed， and leave the house。 Full of worry， her parents tried everything， from new hobbies like reading and painting to medication and visits to a specialist。 Nothing seemed to help。
Then， one day， as Kitty stood on a stool watching her dad mix flour， water， and salt， she determined Al's gloopy， sludgy blob of bread looked a whole lot like her brain。 The next day， peaking under the tea towel as the mix gently bubbled and popped， Kitty came to a stunning realization: bread is alive。 Al asked Kitty if she'd like to try baking bread herself， and their lives were never the same again。 One loaf quickly escalated into an obsession， and Kitty felt better than she had for a long time。 Within nine months， Kitty and Al opened The Orange Bakery--and they haven't stopped since。
Featuring more than 80 recipes-including cinnamon buns， cheese swirls， and tahini brownies-Breadsong is a celebration of bread and baking， and an inspiring story of the life-saving power of discovering a passion。
Reviews
Caitlin
，
It has been so lovely reading about Kitty’s journey through her mental health and seeing how much the family supported each other。 The story of how the Orange Bakery came to be is so heartwarming and I’m so glad to know that there are communities out there who will support each other so fervently and are always there to boost each other up。Not only that but I’m glad to see how Instagram played a part as well allowing Kitty to connect with bakers all over the world and further her passion and ski It has been so lovely reading about Kitty’s journey through her mental health and seeing how much the family supported each other。 The story of how the Orange Bakery came to be is so heartwarming and I’m so glad to know that there are communities out there who will support each other so fervently and are always there to boost each other up。Not only that but I’m glad to see how Instagram played a part as well allowing Kitty to connect with bakers all over the world and further her passion and skills through the community。 Something as a bookstagrammer I experience every time I open the app。 I have tried some of these recipes and they are so delicious I cannot wait to work my way through some more！ 。。。more
Courtney Lewis
，
A cookbook with a difference - I love that the story of Kitty and Al has been included in the front of the book， and I loved following their journey to becoming owners of a bakery。 With wonderful and easy to follow recipes along the back of the book， you’ll be constantly craving yummy bakes and treats！ Now I just want to visit the bakery！
Aisha
，
BreadsongBy Kitty & Al Tait AD - PR Product“For the first time ever， I experienced a world I could be totally part of。 This was a world in which my anxiety played no part。”One part inspirational memoir， one part delicious and rustic recipes， combined to make a wholesome and inspirational cookbook that I’m proud to display on my shelves。 This book could not have arrived at a better time than in today’s post pandemic society - as we’ve all dragged ourselves through the traumatic， unexpected and fr BreadsongBy Kitty & Al Tait AD - PR Product“For the first time ever， I experienced a world I could be totally part of。 This was a world in which my anxiety played no part。”One part inspirational memoir， one part delicious and rustic recipes， combined to make a wholesome and inspirational cookbook that I’m proud to display on my shelves。 This book could not have arrived at a better time than in today’s post pandemic society - as we’ve all dragged ourselves through the traumatic， unexpected and frankly hard to fathom period of time that was lockdowns， restrictions and banana bread a plenty， this book feels like a cosy cuddle。 It’s recipes are easy to follow and adapt to suit your own tastes - it is filled with bakes you want to make （and eat） and Kitty’s casual and chatty narration is the perfect accompaniment to the recipes。 The memoir element is a beautiful insight into a sadly very relatable theme - tackling mental health issues as a family while finding creative outlets for tension is one that I feel will strike a chord with a lot of us。 。。。more
Novelle Novels
，
5 starsThis to me is the journey a father made with his daughter and how baking really helped her。 Kitty and Al start baking for themselves and gradually that grows till they open the Orange Bakery and with this book we follow that journey。Kitty was the funny and chatty daughter so when that gradual change happened she starts to loose her bounce。 To me that part stood out as when my depression kicked in I found myself having less energy。 Her dad Al reached out by making one loaf of bread Kitty s 5 starsThis to me is the journey a father made with his daughter and how baking really helped her。 Kitty and Al start baking for themselves and gradually that grows till they open the Orange Bakery and with this book we follow that journey。Kitty was the funny and chatty daughter so when that gradual change happened she starts to loose her bounce。 To me that part stood out as when my depression kicked in I found myself having less energy。 Her dad Al reached out by making one loaf of bread Kitty saw the dough become alive sparking an interest in her。 Within this book we see this grow and whole their community came together to build a bakery。 At the back are loads of great recipes from bread to cakes to cookies so people of different ability’s can join in and bake。 。。。more
Rob
，
Uplifting， heart-warming story， plus a whole host of delicious recipes to boot。
Lydia Bailey
，
Inspiring， humbling， amusing， engaging， moving …。just a few of the adjectives I could use to sum up this book which is oh so much more than a cookery book。 Written by both Kitty Tait & her father Al Tait the first half recounts their journey which lead them to setting up their ‘Orange Bakery’ & the second half is recipes。 But even the recipes （written by Kitty） are a joy to read。 Never have I ever laughed out loud at a serving suggestion before！！ Yes it’s also a memoir through the hell that is a Inspiring， humbling， amusing， engaging， moving …。just a few of the adjectives I could use to sum up this book which is oh so much more than a cookery book。 Written by both Kitty Tait & her father Al Tait the first half recounts their journey which lead them to setting up their ‘Orange Bakery’ & the second half is recipes。 But even the recipes （written by Kitty） are a joy to read。 Never have I ever laughed out loud at a serving suggestion before！！ Yes it’s also a memoir through the hell that is anxiety & depression but the whole book is a complete joy。 I’d recommend it to anyone。 Now to bake me some bread！！ Many thanks to Bloomsbury Cooks & Tandem for the Arc。 Views 100% my own！ 。。。more
Hannah Birkett
，
This book is amazing！ I devoured the first half （the storytelling bit） in one day and cannot wait to try some of the recipes out。 Love the story and can't wait to follow Kitty and Al's journey This book is amazing！ I devoured the first half （the storytelling bit） in one day and cannot wait to try some of the recipes out。 Love the story and can't wait to follow Kitty and Al's journey 。。。more
Philippa
，
Astonishing， heartwarming， immensely readable and some fabulous sounding recipes！ The Comfort is at the top of my list。 With thanks to the authors， the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC。
Jeneva Paul
，
A truly inspiring and uplifting story。 I laughed， I cried and hope one day to taste the marvellous creations straight from source。
Juliaoak
，
I really enjoyed reading this book。 I think the format was great as well。 It was good to hear the story behind the orange bakery。 Kitty and her family are inspiring and I read the book in 2 sittings。 The recipes look great too。 I read the book on my tablet but think that Hardback would be a welcome addition to anyone's collection。Thanks to net galley for this free read。 I really enjoyed reading this book。 I think the format was great as well。 It was good to hear the story behind the orange bakery。 Kitty and her family are inspiring and I read the book in 2 sittings。 The recipes look great too。 I read the book on my tablet but think that Hardback would be a welcome addition to anyone's collection。Thanks to net galley for this free read。 。。。more
Frances
，
A thoroughly enjoyable and uplifting story of 14 year old Kitty， her depression and anxieties， her loving family。。。。。。。and bread。 I love all the yummy bread recipes too。 Many thanks to the publisher， author and NetGalley for and arc of this book。
Cathy
，
The premise of this book sounding really interesting。 How a teen girl suffering from depression and anxiety found salvation through bread。 It is a lovely book and I really enjoyed the way that it is set out。 Starting off with her father Al's perspective and then switching to Kitty's。Plus there are many recipes at the back too。 Had me salivating and craving sourdough！ The premise of this book sounding really interesting。 How a teen girl suffering from depression and anxiety found salvation through bread。 It is a lovely book and I really enjoyed the way that it is set out。 Starting off with her father Al's perspective and then switching to Kitty's。Plus there are many recipes at the back too。 Had me salivating and craving sourdough！ 。。。more
Charlotte Burt
，
Part memoir， part cookbook。 Once they get onto the baking part of the story the book changes from a story of anxiety and depression to one of passion and hope。 How one girl's passion for baking can completely transform both her and her father's life。 It is also a story of the birth of a successful small business from giving away bread to the street， to a booming shop and bakery。 Inspiring stuff。 The recipes look great too and has inspired me to get my sourdough starter out of the dried state in Part memoir， part cookbook。 Once they get onto the baking part of the story the book changes from a story of anxiety and depression to one of passion and hope。 How one girl's passion for baking can completely transform both her and her father's life。 It is also a story of the birth of a successful small business from giving away bread to the street， to a booming shop and bakery。 Inspiring stuff。 The recipes look great too and has inspired me to get my sourdough starter out of the dried state in the freezer。 。。。more
Julie
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Wow， how I lovvvved this book！ I enjoy baking the occasional loaf， so I thought it would be quite interesting， but it was so much more！ Inspiring， cosy， informative， funny，…。it was a candid narrative of Kitty and Al’s journey， through good and bad times， to becoming professional bakers in just a couple of years。 I’ve flitted from the biography to the recipes， numerous times， and already baked the basic loaf three times with great results！ Really wish the pair continued success and really can’t w Wow， how I lovvvved this book！ I enjoy baking the occasional loaf， so I thought it would be quite interesting， but it was so much more！ Inspiring， cosy， informative， funny，…。it was a candid narrative of Kitty and Al’s journey， through good and bad times， to becoming professional bakers in just a couple of years。 I’ve flitted from the biography to the recipes， numerous times， and already baked the basic loaf three times with great results！ Really wish the pair continued success and really can’t wait to try more recipes！ Many thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for the advance e-copy in exchange for this honest review; but I also can’t wait to buy a paper version too， as I feel this will be a regular companion in my kitchen。 。。。more
Dearbhla She-Her
，
This is a review of an unfinished ARC， received through NetGalley。 Unfinished because I'm so excited about this book that I know that I need to get it as Hardback。 I started with the introduction and fell in love with the Tait family and their story。 There is so much love at the heart of this book。 The Tait parents are living their lives as best they can and they sound no different from the busy， hectic lifestyle we take as the norm these days。 But when their youngest child， Kitty， shows signs o This is a review of an unfinished ARC， received through NetGalley。 Unfinished because I'm so excited about this book that I know that I need to get it as Hardback。 I started with the introduction and fell in love with the Tait family and their story。 There is so much love at the heart of this book。 The Tait parents are living their lives as best they can and they sound no different from the busy， hectic lifestyle we take as the norm these days。 But when their youngest child， Kitty， shows signs of suffering the parents make changes， they make way for a new set of priorities and they take a journey of discovery: of the magic behind the perfect loaf and the magic behind contentment。 The writing style of both Al and Kitty is really engaging。 The honesty and openness at the centre engages the heart and soul of the reader。 I love them for their courage， their trust and belief。 I admit that after reading the first few chapters that I knew that I would need more than the ARC for this book so I skipped to the recipes that start at halfway through the book with a basic no-knead bread recipe。 I've made yeast bread before， years ago， but not regularly。 I loved the no-faff approach and the accessible way that the recipe is written。 A scrappy dough is now waiting to do its Cinderella overnight magic trick and I'm excited for the next steps tomorrow morning。 Looking through the rest of the recipes I'm really impressed at the range of "basic" breads from bagels to soda bread， challah to pitta， and some I'd never even heard of before such as Fatayers and Bialys。 There's a whole chapter on Sourdough too。 As someone who didn't get into the sourdough craze during lockdown， I will reserve comment on whether this book will prove （see what I did there） to be the final temptation。Then there's the section on Sweet Doughs - Fika buns， Chelsea Buns， Semlor， doughnuts， Panettone; a section of recipes for Pastries - cheese straws， pains au chocolat， croissants; finishing off with a section of recipes for Cookies and Cakes including Caramelised Banana Bread， Ultimate Brown Butter Choc Chip Cookies as well as several recipes that combine flavours I would never have thought of i。e。 chocolate & tahini or miso fudge！！The hardcopy of this book is going on my bookshelf in the near future， to become dusted in flour and encrusted with dough。 And I can't wait！ 。。。more
Nicole
，
When is a cookbook not a cookbook？ When it first starts by telling you a beautiful story of a fight with depression that baking helped to overcome。 Breadsong tells the story of Kitty Tait， who was a typical energetic fun loving 14 year old， and her slump into a deep depression and overwhelming pit of anxiety， and how she ended up shrinking back from the world。 Her loving parents were supportive and tried to help in every way。 But it was her dad Alex， baking a loaf of bread one day， which changed When is a cookbook not a cookbook？ When it first starts by telling you a beautiful story of a fight with depression that baking helped to overcome。 Breadsong tells the story of Kitty Tait， who was a typical energetic fun loving 14 year old， and her slump into a deep depression and overwhelming pit of anxiety， and how she ended up shrinking back from the world。 Her loving parents were supportive and tried to help in every way。 But it was her dad Alex， baking a loaf of bread one day， which changed all of their lives。 The noise that the crackling of bread crust just out of the oven makes is Kitty’s ‘breadsong’。 This one loaf of bread quickly turned into a passion and then an obsession that drove Kitty to become the best breadmaker she could be。 She went from making ‘frisbees’ of bread， and refusing to share her attempts with anyone， to baking bread for most of the village。 After a runaway success sharing her baked goods， Kitty and her dad took a risk and opened the Orange bakery （with dad even quitting his teaching job to do so！）。 This bakery is such a success that there are often queues down the street for their baked goods。 This book is such a wonderful read。 It shows the deep bond of family， friends and the support of a community， and how much of an impact this can have on a person's life。 The village of Watlington comes across as a wonderful place to live， with so many people helping on Kitty’s journey。 The book is beautifully and simply written， with some beautiful hand drawn illustrations， and excellent photography。 The story is inspiring， and shows how， with the right support you can get through most challenges in life。 When you have finished the beautiful story， you then get to the recipes which were chosen to be included。 They are wonderfully clearly laid out， with fantastic product photos， excellent and easy to follow instructions， and they all sound amazing。 I think this book would make a wonderful gift for anyone in your life who enjoys food， and who has ever struggled with mental health。 It is a perfect combination。*I received this book from NetGalley for review， but all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Greenreadsbooks
，
Wow， what a lovely book！ I started off feeling a bit concerned as although the book sounded interesting and relevant to me， I really wasn't in the mood for reading a non fiction book。 As it turned out， I devoured it in a day。 Breadsong is co written by father and daughter Al and Kitty Tait and chronicles the deep dive into depression that Kitty suffered at age 14， and the desperation her parents felt at trying to help her。 After many failed attempts at engaging Kitty in different activities， Al Wow， what a lovely book！ I started off feeling a bit concerned as although the book sounded interesting and relevant to me， I really wasn't in the mood for reading a non fiction book。 As it turned out， I devoured it in a day。 Breadsong is co written by father and daughter Al and Kitty Tait and chronicles the deep dive into depression that Kitty suffered at age 14， and the desperation her parents felt at trying to help her。 After many failed attempts at engaging Kitty in different activities， Al makes some bread and it piques Kitty's interest。 What follows is an adventure in breadmaking with trials and tribulations， chance discoveries and serendipitous encounters。 Having plunged headlong into baking， the two successfully forge ahead with the creation of their business。 The book is interspersed with photos and quirky drawings which add to its charm。 It is well written， very easy to read and an uplifting and inspirational story。 I like the description of the characters in the local community and the support and kindness they provide as well as Kitty's gradual increase in confidence。 I enjoyed hearing about the encounters with other bakers both in the UK and overseas。 For me， having also suffered from depression and anxiety as a teen （and adult）， it's a pretty emotive book， and there were many tears as I read。 It also spoke to me as a baker and I was able to get really excited for Kitty as her journey unfolded。 I will definitely be trying some of the recipes and I wish Kitty the best of luck for the future。 I recommend this book to anyone who likes autobiography or memoirs， real life stories， triumph over adversity， community spirit and of course baking or consuming baked goods。 Many thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advance ecopy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Tea Leaves and Reads
，
Good， wholesome baking， starts with a community that drives it and a mind passionate enough to create。 Kitty Tait has both and this cookbook explores exactly how The Orange Bakery in Watlington has come to fruition， and why。I think that this is going to be one of those Cookbooks that will even hook the non-cooks。 It’s so much more than a book about baking， and in fact my advanced copy doesn’t include the recipes and that really didn’t matter （although I’ve since had a few recipe cards from the p Good， wholesome baking， starts with a community that drives it and a mind passionate enough to create。 Kitty Tait has both and this cookbook explores exactly how The Orange Bakery in Watlington has come to fruition， and why。I think that this is going to be one of those Cookbooks that will even hook the non-cooks。 It’s so much more than a book about baking， and in fact my advanced copy doesn’t include the recipes and that really didn’t matter （although I’ve since had a few recipe cards from the publisher and they are amazing！）。The underlying history and drive for Kitty and her Father （but， from the sounds of the book mainly Kitty！） resonated strongly with me。 Running your own business is extremely difficult。 Navigating costs， space， orders， customer service， compliance and… creativity… can be exhausting。 The power of making a dream become a reality though， is on another level。 Kitty & Al both capture this throughout their book。The final edition of course is a combination of recipes and Autobiography， as Kitty & Al take it in turns to tell their story。 It takes a village to raise a child （they say）， but it also takes a village to create a dream， The Orange Bakery being a perfect example of this。 A book that will never age and will only continue to inspire – whether your dream is baking or something completely different。 。。。more
Alexandra
，
Provided by the publisher。 I actually finished reading the memoir part of this book a couple of weeks ago - the day I received it in fact。 But I had to wait until I had baked a couple of the recipes before I could do a legit review！ This is two books in one。 The second part is a cookbook - all bread or bread-adjacent （a couple of biscuits and cakes）。 So far I have made the Miracle Overnight White Loaf， which is a marvellous no-knead， overnight （duh） bread that you cook in casserole dish; and tod Provided by the publisher。 I actually finished reading the memoir part of this book a couple of weeks ago - the day I received it in fact。 But I had to wait until I had baked a couple of the recipes before I could do a legit review！ This is two books in one。 The second part is a cookbook - all bread or bread-adjacent （a couple of biscuits and cakes）。 So far I have made the Miracle Overnight White Loaf， which is a marvellous no-knead， overnight （duh） bread that you cook in casserole dish; and today I made the focaccia， which uses the same dough but you press it out to make focaccia。 Both of these are AMAZING and will definitely be in high rotation。 A large section of the recipes is sourdough， and。。。 I've done the sourdough thing， and I'm just not sure I can face going back to the world of the starter。 I'll have to give it some more thought。 There are definitely other recipes I want to try - bialys， and their mini panettone buns。 Each of the recipes is laid out beautifully - I love that there is a different font for the chat at the start， and the ingredients， and the recipe itself。 It's also got delightful photos and in general the cookbook aspect is just fabulous。 But the recipes are only half the book。 The first half of the book is a memoir。 This book is written by Kitty and her father， Al - they tell the story together and they each have a distinct font。 It's the story of how they ended up running a bakery together， and while that sounds all heartwarming - and it is， absolutely - but it starts because baking a loaf of bread is one thing that Al tries to help Kitty with her crippling anxiety。 Like， anxiety that made going to school impossible， getting out of bed barely feasible， nothing in the world seeming worthwhile。 I deeply appreciated the honesty that Al in particular presents here - that he and his wife did not see what was happening at the start， that they were bewildered by the change in their youngest daughter， and that they struggled to figure out what to do。 Kitty， of course， is also very honest: she didn't know why it happened， either， and makes no excuses for it， or for feeling the way she did。 It just was。 The book explores the slow movement from Kitty deciding she wanted to bake a loaf of bread - to wanting to make more， and therefore being allowed to use neighbouring ovens - to giving bread away because she was making so much， leading to a subscription service， then a pop-up， and then an actual real bakery and high street shop。 Well， I say slow， but it all happened over about 2 years and that's just incredible。 It's the sort of book that makes me think "maybe I could be a baker and make bread all the time and bring joy to people！" and then you keep reading and you realise just how much stress the whole thing is， and how early you have to get up （unless you're the Margaret River bakers who sell their bread from 3pm onwards， LIFE GOALS） and。。。 yeh。 I'll just stick with making bread for people in my house， thanks。 As a memoir， the book is a delight。 It's honest and thoughtful and funny （when appropriate）。 It's got enough context of other things going on that you know bread isn't absolutely everything， but it's also very clear that the focus is the story of Kitty not being able to go to school ---> opening the bakery; it's not a complete autobiography。 The different fonts make the dual authorship work really well， there's lovely pictures and photos throughout， and I really did sit and read the 150-odd pages in one day， because I started and then I had to keep going。 I didn't really need another bread book in my life but I definitely needed this book。 。。。more
Helen
，
I am so glad that this book is going to be published later this month as I am looking forward to owning my own hard copy。 I also know what I will be buying friends and family for Christmas！ Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this story in exchange for an honest review。 I chose this book because on the surface， it is about anxiety and depression， something I suffered from at a similar age to Kitty。 I am always interested in how people cope with a mental health issue especially when you are s I am so glad that this book is going to be published later this month as I am looking forward to owning my own hard copy。 I also know what I will be buying friends and family for Christmas！ Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this story in exchange for an honest review。 I chose this book because on the surface， it is about anxiety and depression， something I suffered from at a similar age to Kitty。 I am always interested in how people cope with a mental health issue especially when you are still in your teens and in full time education。 However， there is so much more to this book。 Kitty is a strong woman with a wonderfully supportive family who not only allow her to recover in her own way without worrying about her schooling but help her every step of the way。 It was a brave move for her father to give up the job of teaching to become a baker in partnership with his daughter。 It is clear he knew he had no option。 He writes about his amazing journey in this book and Kitty writes about hers。 It doesn’t surprise me how much support this family received on their journey including from teachers at Kitty’s school。Much of the book is about baking and a career change but family life is described - the importance of Christmas， family dogs， meeting other families such as a wonderful family living in Copenhagen。I loved the illustrations and the use of photos。 Was the choice of an old copy of “What Katy did” made on purpose？The recipes are amazing hence the Christmas presents！ I too found baking therapeutic as a teenager。 My passion was making fudge。 There is a fudge recipe in this book。 I think beating the fudge to help it to set properly helped with my anxiety。 This wasn’t mentioned in this recipe but we are all different。During covid and lockdown this family helped to keep the village going even supplying ingredients for those wanting to make their own bread。 A real community。 It seems the bakery needs no publicity but I would imagine this book will bring many people to Watlington！ 。。。more
Val Robson
，
This is the best and most inspiring book I have read in a long time and is an easy five stars from me。 It's written by Kitty and Al Tait who are daughter and father。 In 2018， when she was 14， Kitty was struggling with mental health issues and found making bread helped her。 Soon she was making loaves for the neighbours and orders for more starting pouring in。 Kitty's father was taking time off his career as a teacher to be alongside Kitty and support her during this difficult time。。 Kitty is clea This is the best and most inspiring book I have read in a long time and is an easy five stars from me。 It's written by Kitty and Al Tait who are daughter and father。 In 2018， when she was 14， Kitty was struggling with mental health issues and found making bread helped her。 Soon she was making loaves for the neighbours and orders for more starting pouring in。 Kitty's father was taking time off his career as a teacher to be alongside Kitty and support her during this difficult time。。 Kitty is clearly very focussed and determined and before long their small home was filled with an industrial oven and other bread making paraphernalia with flour dust everywhere。 Within a year of so Kitty and Al had opened The Orange Bakery in their village of Watlington near Oxford and one day Al realised that he was no longer a teacher but a baker。This book is written in the voices of both Kitty and Al with lovely illustrations by Al。 Both have a delightful and slightly quickly way of communicating which bring joy to the reader。 The first half of the book is their story of building up the business from that first loaf and the second half is recipes by Kitty for bread and bread related products。 As someone who got into making sourdough bread at the start of the pandemic due to the lack of availability of yeast I had an interest in this book for the recipes but actually the story won me over and charmed me completely。 I'm going to be near Watlington later this year and I am already planning my visit to The Orange Bakery。 Having looked at many recipes these past two years as I got to grip with making sourdough bread I can 100% recommend Kitty's recipes。 They are clear， simple and sensible。 I have seen so many sourdough recipes elsewhere which have so many unnecessary steps in and make such a palaver of the process that you wonder why anyone bothers。 10/10 to Kitty for the clarity of her recipes。 I am still only making basic sourdough loaves with the occasional foray into crumpets， bagels and doughnuts。 Kitty's recipes have inspired me to try a lot more and I shall be heading into the territory of puff pastry， pains au chocolate and anything with a segment of a Terry's Chocolate Orange inside。 The photographs of the finished products and in the whole of this book are gorgeous。 I love the use of old and nostalgic items to display the bread products， I even rushed to my bookshelf to check my Enid Blyton red hardback books from the 50s and 60s as I have some of the ones used in one of the photos！ This is not just the story of Kitty and Al but her very understanding and supportive Mum and older brother and sister。 And also all of the population of Watlington which seems like a wonderful community to live in。I can thoroughly recommend every aspect o f this book and will be going back to it time and time again as I try out the recipes and just look at the beautiful illustrations and photos。With thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Carrie
，
A beautiful story about a family finding their own way in dealing with mental health， though the discovery of what sparks joy in life。 The nurturing craft of baking bread。 I love how they took a different approach to the conventional education that’s imposed and shows how this isn’t always the right route to a happy future。I can’t wait to have a go at baking some of the amazing recipes in the back。
Rebecca Tait
，
I got this because I love bread。 I fell for this book because of the heart that shines out of it。 Part autobiography， written by Kitty & her dad Al， part recipe book， Breadsong is the recounting of how baking bread saved a 14 year old girl from depression & anxiety opening up a whole new & delicious world。 At times this is emotional， humourous & hunger inducing all within a few lines。 Breadsong can be read from so many different perspectives for me: as a parent; as someone who has struggled with I got this because I love bread。 I fell for this book because of the heart that shines out of it。 Part autobiography， written by Kitty & her dad Al， part recipe book， Breadsong is the recounting of how baking bread saved a 14 year old girl from depression & anxiety opening up a whole new & delicious world。 At times this is emotional， humourous & hunger inducing all within a few lines。 Breadsong can be read from so many different perspectives for me: as a parent; as someone who has struggled with dark times; as someone who loves baking bread & pastries， then eating them。 。。。more
Bleu
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I never knew I could care about bread but this book managed to make me。 Half of this is a cookbook of homespun recipes to bring comfort and charm to a home kitchen。 The other half is an honest account of the struggles a fourteen-year-old girl went through and how baking with her father， and with the support of her family， community and the baking world， she managed to improve。 It's such a sweet tale， the type you can't help but wish you'd been a part of。 It's full of endearing acts that show the I never knew I could care about bread but this book managed to make me。 Half of this is a cookbook of homespun recipes to bring comfort and charm to a home kitchen。 The other half is an honest account of the struggles a fourteen-year-old girl went through and how baking with her father， and with the support of her family， community and the baking world， she managed to improve。 It's such a sweet tale， the type you can't help but wish you'd been a part of。 It's full of endearing acts that show the heart of people， like a sister seeking out new recipes because her brother doesn't like that butter seeps through the holes in some breads。 The turkey story and Al's illustrations are thoroughly heart-warming。 Also， it's nice to learn a story of someone gaining from social media and other online avenues， rather than the familiar doom and gloom narrative。 It feels like it addresses an unfair imbalance。A note on the recipes- as with all recipes， there is an element of trial and error involved to make them work for you。 As such， I found that I didn't need to bake anything for as long/as higher as the book states。 Maybe I have a fancier oven than I previously realised！ 。。。more
angelofmine1974
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My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:https://youtu。be/khSP9Rg_sycEnjoy！ My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:https://youtu。be/khSP9Rg_sycEnjoy！ 。。。more
Jess
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I really enjoyed Breadsong， though it certainly highlights a very particular kind of Britishness。 I feel like things would have played out very differently in other parts of the country， without the opportunities encountered here。 That said， this is a really uplifting and inspiring read - it was wonderful to see the village rally round the family， and to hear about a young girl discovering and developing her passion。 It made me want to reach for my bread flour and immediately start experimenting I really enjoyed Breadsong， though it certainly highlights a very particular kind of Britishness。 I feel like things would have played out very differently in other parts of the country， without the opportunities encountered here。 That said， this is a really uplifting and inspiring read - it was wonderful to see the village rally round the family， and to hear about a young girl discovering and developing her passion。 It made me want to reach for my bread flour and immediately start experimenting！The first half of Birdsong recounts how The Orange Bakery came to be， including Kitty's mental health struggles that led to her being introduced to breadmaking。 I found the split father and daughter narration to be really engaging， with a good blend of （sometimes stark） emotional reality and humour。The second half is full of the recipes we saw being developed during the bakery's journey。 As I read through， there were some I made a note of， hoping the recipe would be there （the Comfort and the Albert in particular） - and they were！ There are also some amazing flavour combinations that I can't wait to get my teeth into。 The instructions are clear， and I liked how the recipes worked together as a collection - using bases covered earlier on to develop different flavours and bakes， for example。I always appreciate a cookbook which blends the cook's story and experiences into the recipes， which Breadsong manages excellently。Thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Els
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Loveliest read of my year so far！ This book made me feel like I was sitting in a warm， flour-covered corner of the bakery， listening to Kitty and Al telling their heart-warming， often funny and hopeful stories of discovering a passion for baking， overcoming depression and the incredible things that can happen when a family and community gets together。 Can’t wait to get my hands on a finished copy and start trying out the recipes。
Ruth Brookes
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Breadsong’ is the story of how baking changed the Tait family’s lives。 Aged 14， Kitty’s life had been derailed by anxiety and depression， until her Dad tried bread-making as a distraction for her spiralling mind。 Something about baking made sense， and gave her a pathway to a place of healing and hope; it also led to them founding ‘Orange Bakery’ which father and daughter now run together。 Told with humour， and grounded in a love of community， （Kitty’s Dad） Al’s understated accounts of the enormi Breadsong’ is the story of how baking changed the Tait family’s lives。 Aged 14， Kitty’s life had been derailed by anxiety and depression， until her Dad tried bread-making as a distraction for her spiralling mind。 Something about baking made sense， and gave her a pathway to a place of healing and hope; it also led to them founding ‘Orange Bakery’ which father and daughter now run together。 Told with humour， and grounded in a love of community， （Kitty’s Dad） Al’s understated accounts of the enormity of seeing your child struggle with mental health issues and the quiet grace of the whole family’s adjustments were really moving。 Kitty herself is a force of nature， her passion for all things bread infectious。 Her story is one of tenacity and hope， and testament to the importance of finding your own path。 What a delight to see Kitty find her passion and spark。 She， and this book， deserve to go far。 。。。more
Haley
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This was a very well written book with a heartfelt story behind it。 And with wonderful recipes to boot！
Kimberly Montgomery
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