B1 #13 · Explicar cómo se hace

Our bakery is in a small market town in Yorkshire. It has been run by the same family since 1952, and every loaf is still made by hand. Customers often ask how it is done, so here is the whole process. The work starts at four in the morning. First, the flour is weighed and mixed with water, salt and yeast. The dough is then covered with a cloth and left in a warm place, and over the next two hours it slowly rises. While it is rising, the ovens are heated. Next, the dough is cut into pieces, and each piece is shaped by hand. The loaves are laid on long wooden trays and baked for about forty minutes. Then they are left by an open window to cool. By seven o'clock the first bread has been delivered to three local cafés, and at eight the shop is opened. This week the kitchen is being repainted, so fewer loaves are being baked than usual. And there is one more piece of news. Last year the price of flour rose sharply, so our prices had to be raised by ten pence a loaf. We were worried, but so far nobody has complained.