Bread in Common

Stoke-on-Trent's real bread bakery

Interview with: Mandy Leyton

B Arts

Date: 02/07/14

Location: Chesterton

Interviewer: Steve Cooling

Permission given to use interview for website, exhibition and Staffordshire archive: YES

Question asked “What do you remember about bread or bread baking”.

My mum use to make bread in 1975, I use to come home from school and there'd be a bowl in the airing cupboard with a towel over the top and I'd think 'mums baking bread again'.  She would make bread and rolls, not all the time just now and again.

She came from Aberdeen and would make Aberdeen Rolls 'Rowies' they called them.  We use to have them warm with melted butter and jam on.

I helped her to make bread once or twice and she would explain to me about the proving and the kneading. She always use to say 'you can't knead it too hard'.  She'd put it in to prove again and then she'd bake it off.

There's nothing like the smell of homemade bread.  I don't know if I'd make it by hand myself, if I had a bread machine I probably would.

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