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Six Sentence Story: Bread

I find the process of writing a Six Sentence Story somewhat fascinating.  I read the prompt on Sunday.  Sometimes I know right away what I will write, but most often, the prompt just gets tucked away in my brain.  Thursday morning at 4 a.m., I wake up, turn over, and look at the clock.  Before I roll back over and go back to sleep, I usually have the thought of what direction to take with the prompt.  When I wake up for good on Thursday morning, I get my six sentences written.  This is probably why I won't be a novelist--I would have to wake up way too early!  :-)

Anyway, today's Six Sentence Story prompt is "bread." Instead of one specific incident, I tried to capture the memory of a recurring event:

As the last of the kernels fell into the wheat-grinder, the low hum of the machine changed pitch, and the basset hound howled along, creating a somewhat-harmonious canine/appliance duet.  That song, together with flour that was poofing out and dusting the kitchen counter, signaled the woman to turn the dial to the "off" position. 
She took the still-warm flour and added it to the water/honey/oil/yeast mixture.  Vital wheat gluten, dough enhancer, and salt rounded out the recipe, and the mixing of the dough began in earnest.  Within minutes, the stickiness subsided, the sheen mellowed, and it was time to shape the loaves, put them in pans, and let them rise.  The next hour, the house filled with the delicious smell of bread baking, and the husband and children started asking, "Is the bread done yet?"

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Thanks for bread!  :-)

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Comments

  1. I love the chemical changes of cooking and baking . It's like a million little miracles

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  2. "...somewhat-harmonious canine/appliance duet'
    totally had me smiling at the very real audio/visual imagery!

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  3. Everyone wants to know when the bread is ready, don't they?

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  4. There is nothing quite as enticing as the smell of baking bread.

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  5. I can just picture those pets pitching in with their harmonious tunes to liven up the kitchen.
    Well written story, Kristi.

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  6. Oh! Now you've done it, you've made me remember how wonderful the feel of preparing bread dough is, and how the aroma fills the kitchen, and the bread longs to be eaten warm slathered in butter. I might just have to make Papa Bear some bread this coming week!

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  7. You created some serious imagery here! Really well written!

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  8. Oh, yes. I bet you use your Kitchen Aid to mix the dough. I have a bread machine which makes it so, so easy. Bread making is an art of the ages and I always think about our fore-mothers forming the dough and kneading and baking it in a reflector oven in front of a large hearth.

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