Anna Makievska left Ukraine with her two children after Russia’s invasion and is currently based in Portugal. She remains involved in the day-to-day operations of The Bakehouse. Flaxseed sourdough

Cover the dough and place in the refrigerator overnight to ferment in a container three times larger than the dough. We already lost two officers, and our driver who lived in Bucha. They were beautiful, healthy young men.”but not too long, as you just want to create a crest around the dense foliage layer. If I find that I am struggling to get anything into the moss, I make a hole in it first

Preheat a dutch oven at 250 °C for an hour. When preheated, gently tip the loaves out of the proving baskets onto lightly floured baking paper sheets. Score with a very sharp knife and carefully lower into the dutch oven. Spray with water and place into the oven with the lid on.From day three of the war, my team has baked bread and given it for free to our soldiers, hospitals, people in cities and villages hurt by the Russians, and the elderly of Kyiv. Our bakers make 450 to 1,000 charity loaves every day. And we will continue to bake them as long as our country needs them. Cover and leave from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours to rest. Then add the salt and the soaked flaxseed and mix thoroughly by hand or on the lowest speed in the mixer.

them all in the kitchen sink for a few hours, it will really help them last for a good couple of weeks. Bake with steam for 10 minutes at 250C. Lower temperature to 210C and bake for an additional 25 minutes or so with the lid off. Baton is faster to produce than the artisan loaves Bakehouse usually sells. They have sometimes baked as many as 1,000 in a day, but more usually it will be 600-700, or only 200-300, depending on the need and logistics, as they liaise with other volunteer networks for distribution. After mixing, the dough’s temperature should be about 23-25 °C. Let it rest at room temperature for 2.5-4 hours, depending on your climate, and the initial temperature of the dough. Stretch and fold about every 45 minutes. Divide and round the dough into four 600g pieces. Place on a tray and cover for 40 minutes.What is Makievska most likely to bake at home these days? “It’s a funny and a sad question,” she says. “Because being a working mum with two kids is very challenging and I think the only thing I’ve baked through all this time is stuffed poppy seed buns. There is a special day called Makoviya which was my father’s favourite holiday. Usually Ukrainians bake something with poppy seeds for this holiday – “mak” means “poppyseed”.

Most recipes are presented across a double spread, accompanied by beautiful full colour photography. The text of each recipe is well laid out, the ingredients are listed in metric weights/volumes, and the instructions are clear with the steps numbered. Occasionally commentary and tips are also provided. Generally I think most of the recipes are best suited to a baker already in possession of basic skills, but there is a good variety of bakes to suit all tastes.Divide and Shape: Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and flour the to divide dough into 2 pieces. Pre-shape with the dough and cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes. Then you can shape into a round loaf and place in a floured proving baskets with the seam side on the top.