Hello, my name is Leah and I am a breadmaker.
For the last week, I have been working on a 12 step program. No, not that one. The one that results in warm kitchens, yummy smells, and yeasty goodness of a whole other sort: the 12 step program for baking bread.
At the beginning of the year, I set a goal for this year to learn how to make bread. But ,I have to be honest, I was pretty intimidated by my goal. I had never attempted anything beyond banana bread and I had never used yeast in my life. So, imagine my terror when I opened my textbook and found out the process of making bread was even more involved than I had ever imagined!
Thankfully, our teacher is helpful in guiding us through the program, defining terminology, and encouraging us to go for it. Over the last week, we made: focaccia, sweet rolls, danish, brioche, french loaves, and whole wheat dinner rolls. Whew! That is a lot of bread and a lot of patience! If there is one thing I am learning about baking in general each week, it is patience. The process of baking is not something you can just speed up because you are running short on time, or you just want to get it over with. Attention to each of the 12 steps is necessary in order to acheive the best possible results.
So, my teacher suggests that we select one type of bread and make it until we know it fully. I think I am going to choose french bread. My goal is to make it at least once a week for a while. That means lots of bread to give away! That also means I will be well on my way to fulfilling my New Year's resolution.
To my husband's chagrin, I rarely make the same meal twice. This is the chronicle of the meals made and the kitchen used.
2 comments:
What an accomplishment to make all those types of bread! I make all our own bread, but just taught myself & am using a breadmaker to knead the dough...I'm sure your way provides better results. Good luck with the french bread! Good choice on which to "perfect" first :)
I can smell it from here :)
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