Sometimes, little boys who learn to braid hair on the playground grow up to be hairdressers, but not me. I quickly became a master of the traditional 3-braid ponytail and all the girls knew who to reach out to when their hair needed to be pulled back. I braided hair on the bus. I braided hair at lunch. However, recess remained my busiest time of the day.

My technique hasn’t changed much over the years but instead of applying my skills to hair, I opt to braid bread instead. When the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge recently started, I feared joining. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to commit to every bread, every week. It seemed daunting.
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