First Loaf

   I have recently become interested in baking bread. Practically overnight I became obsessed. Previously, I have only made a few box recipes of pumpkin and banana bread. So, I am embarking on this journey, which could take years to satisfy, of making any and all kinds of bread, using all the resources I can possibly get my hands on for recipe ideas. My starting point - a sourdough recipe given to me by a coworker for a cookbook I organized as a fundraiser a few years ago. I began last Thursday with the yeast starter just to be able to put the dough in the oven on Sunday. Good grief! The sweet yeasty aroma filled the kitchen and soon the whole house, fueling my new obsession to create dozens, hundreds of loaves of chewy, flaky, crusty goodness. It came out perfectly, with a somewhat dense center as sourdough should, a hint of sweetness and a slightly chewy crust. I took it to work and asked my colleagues for feedback. Evidently, it tasted just like someone's grandmother's bread from her childhood. I considered it a success.
   My new year's resolution to lose 25 pounds is completely shot with this new ambition but I'll just have to work around it. Because I'm doing it. I found myself in a frenzy to get to the nearest bookstore to buy my first bread cookbook. And there in the bargain section of Barnes and Nobles, I sawThe Best-Ever Book of Bread by Christine Ingram and Jennie Hapter. The binding was coming apart but I didn't care - I needed to go home with some kind of direction, some recipes, some help! I asked the cashier for an extra discount due to the condition of the book, paid $8.36 and took it home. It's great so far because it starts with the history and variety of the many kinds of bread from various countries.
   With all three loaves of my first experiment nearly gone, I will have to thumb through the new book and find a beginner's recipe. Before I do so, I'll have to head to the store to buy ingredients to stock the pantry with bread baking essentials - white and wheat bread flours, grains, seeds, eggs, milk, yeast and more yeast. I don't want to find myself stranded in the middle of a recipe!