There are so many simple pleasures that make up my daily life, and few more satisfying than baking homemade bread. This afternoon I put my kneading biceps to work filling up the pantry with whole wheat bread, cinnamon bread, and pizza dough.
As a food item, it is softer and more tasty-- even somehow more real than bread that comes prepackaged in a bag from the store. It goes better with eggs for breakfast, makes a lovely sandwich, and finishes off a dinner presentation with a flourish.
As a beacon of home, comfort, rightness, and goodness, there is something medicinal in every slice.
For as long as I've been baking bread, the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook has been my guide. She challenged me on to yeast breads when I only dabbled in breakfast breads- and usually the ones that come in a mix at that.
Nigella's Domestic Goddess book has also been very handy and informative. The hearth breads are always a huge hit and extremely easy- very little hand kneading. Her pita recipe goes beautifully with Brian's hummus- in fact most things do, now that I think about it.
The next stage in my bread odyssey is going to take me in the direction of specialized breads that come in specialized shapes. French bread, baguettes, and popovers here I come.
