I’ve probably mentioned this once before, but at the bakery I frequently find myself muttering, not at all facetiously, “Damn, this is the best team in the biz.” There are 12 of us on the staff now, if you include Sam and I, and I feel lucky that through some combination of wizardry and intuition, we seemed to have hired folks who genuinely rock, both as people and as a team working together.

I feel grateful that there is very little ego to go around at the bakery and just a lot of kindness instead. The work we do is undoubtedly hard — taxing on our bodies and our sleep schedules — and since we are always trying to get better at everything we do, it often feels like we are trying to solve a new puzzle every single day. At 6am. In front of hot ovens. And yet, I never fear that with the team we have — the best team in the biz — we can’t figure it all out.

Last week, I was out of the bakery every single day, making last week the first time since we opened that the bakery ran without me for five full days. I had to get a minor ear surgery (I’m fine! 😎) and I recuperated by 1.) Thinking about the bakery 2.) Baking at home instead and 3.) Not listening to my doctor’s advice to rest. What I didn’t do in my week away, however, was worry. Because I knew that the wonderful people who work at Downtime had it together. I mostly missed being at work, which is, admittedly, a lifelong problem that I’m not about to solve now.

I say all of this because I know that you, the reader of the Downtime newsletter, are interested in the behind-the-scenes of the bakery, or else you’d have long ago unsubscribed from these emails. The team at Downtime isn’t always front and center in the way that I am, because, well, I have the password to the newsletter and Instagram account. But they make everything at the bakery function and do so with grace and patience and humor and genuine curiosity for each other and everything around them. They held the bakery together while I was out, with no problems reported to me at all. I hope next time you’re in, you give them a nice tip and a nod of appreciation. Because without them, this bakery is just me and my oven in my basement 4 years ago and let me tell you, that is just nowhere near as good as this.

On that note, our Thursday loaf this week will be an oat porridge loaf — very custardy and tender. Perfect with honey and butter and Maldon salt. We will also be starting our mozzarella and basil and tomato sandwich today. The greatest joy of summer is here. 🍅

Stay tuned for your Pastry Passport Friday newsletter on Friday. As always, it’s a fun one.

xo,

Dayna

Dayna’s What’s Up Corner

I read a lot of mostly mediocre books and a few good New Yorker articles over the course of the week I was off, and watched every single soccer game that was on. I then decided it was time to start reading the two-book, 1200-page biography of Alexander Calder, and 300 pages in, I regret nothing. I also listened to this jazz album by Play Time on repeat. Anything new with you?