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. It’s bittersweet, but Makievska is not asking for anyone’s sympathy. In fact, she is reluctant to talk about personal hardships given that so many of her colleagues are currently serving in the Ukrainian armed forces. “Yes, it’s hard to be without my husband, but my children are safe,” she says. “More than 30 Bakehouse and Wine Bureau’s employees are serving in the army. Baking connects good people and lets them understand each other no matter what language they speak.' - ANNA MAKIEVSKA Shape the dough into either a boule (round) or batard (oval) shape. Place, seam-side-up, into well-floured proofing baskets.

Add the dried fruits, choc chips and mix through for 2 minutes. Take out of the mixer and place into an oiled bowl and cover with cling film. One hour before you bake your bread, preheat your oven to 250C with a Dutch oven or casserole dish inside.Inspired by the resilient spirit of Anna Makievska and The Bakehouse Kyiv, who have continued to bake day and night throughout the conflict in Ukraine, Andrew Green presents Knead Peace, a unique collection of beautiful baking recipes gathered in support of the country. After Russian troops withdrew from Kyiv in the spring and life in the city began to regain a semblance of normality, Bakehouse gradually returned to serving customers with artisan bread, cakes and patisserie. If there’s anything left over at the end of a day, staff will find someone who needs it. 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

For the dough, mix the white bread flour, water and the leaven in a bowl. If mixing by hand, mix until homogenous and smooth; if using a stand mixer, mix on speed one until smooth. 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. After mixing, the dough’s temperature should be around 23-25C. Now your dough should rest at room temperature 2.5 to four hours, depending on your climate conditions and the initial temperature of the dough. During this time, you need to stretch and fold the dough approximately every 45 mins.

Method

Feeling otherwise powerless, I want to purposefully set aside this time to actively contemplate the war. I consider things that people here in the UK can do – such as buy Knead Peace, make donations, host Ukrainians, or set up your own fundraising project, like Andrew Green. The film reveals the extraordinary story of Fanny, a composer long sidelined to her famous brother Felix by the guardians of classical music, who despite being forbidden a musical career persevered, composing 450 works in her short life. Fanny’s lost masterpiece, ‘The Easter Sonata’, is brought to life by virtuoso pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason. As she explores the music, the parallels between her life and Fanny’s – including the challenge of being a pioneer with few role models in classical music — become clear.

Line a tray with baking paper and scale 70g balls arranging the buns on the lined tray 3cm apart. Let the buns prove on the tray for another hour at room temperature. Set the oven to 170°C.

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I try to use the time to assess and value my own safety and freedom, while on the other side of Europe pregnant women are hunted down by “suicide” drones and murdered in their beds with their husbands and cats. “They were only 34,” says Makievska. “I am sure hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are already dead, but we don’t have the official statistics. Sometimes I’ll get a message from someone saying thank you for the cherry pie,” Makievska says. “It makes me happy they can do this.” Before the invasion, Bakehouse was selling 30 types of bread to retail customers and high-end restaurants, but now its bakers produce a more traditional loaf, called baton, to give away to people.