Real bread - the staff of life

I used to make real bread in another life time, but as good artisan breads came back on the market over the years, I chose to buy rather than bake. Over the Christmas and New Year holiday we ran out of good bread and I tried my hand at bread making again, it was such a pleasure and I posted about it on Blue Mountain Bliss .

I had forgotten the satisfaction, the immediacy of bread making; the feel of the dough under my hands, the smell of the bread in the oven, the first slice from the cooled loaf. The taste of sandwiches made with home baked bread and produce from the garden can not be beaten by the best of chefs to my mind.

I enjoyed the process so much that I hunted out my Elizabeth David English Bread and Yeast Cookery book and started reading. Flipping through the pages, seeing the stains from that earlier me who used it, enjoying once again the insight Elizabeth David brought to bread making, the historical aspects, the quotes from other authors, all inspired me even more. I decided that it would be an enjoyable project o work my way through English Bread and Yeast Cookery throughout the year, making recipes that catch my eye, or are seasonal, Easter breads,  etc. I don't intend to make all of the recipes by any means, but I hope to make something from each of the sections, improve my bread making skills and chat about the process.

Join me in my discoveries, let's make real bread in 2010!