Have I mentioned that I don't enjoy cooking? Oh. I used to. Before I had kids. With picky palates. I used to love making exotic food, mostly East Indian and anything requiring lots of prep work, lots of spices, and lots of vegetables. I do love simple directions and easy to find ingredients, though, but I like my tastebuds to be excited, not just comforted. I've never been much of a meat n potatoes or casserole gal.
I do love a good soup or stew, though. And I adore any meal that focuses on vegetables. My favorite cookbook is The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Molly Katzen. There is nothing in that cookbook I don't like. And I'd recommend any cookbook by Mollie Katzen. She's just that good.
But I digress.
I've been cautious about making bread the old fashioned way because of the cost of flour. I like to buy my whole wheat flour freshly ground from Great Harvest Bakery or I buy King Arther brand. I love their silky textured bread flour. I think the quality of your flour makes all the difference in the finished product.
Another reason I haven't done much handmade bread baking is that I've been confused about baking in altitude. You see we're right at 7,000 ft. But most recipes only include high altitude directions up to 5,000 ft above sea level.
So, after ruining a few loaves(as well as dealing with disastrous results in other baking and cooking projects) and doing alot of experimenting, I've finally figured out what works at this altitude for the items I bake.
And while my family seems to enjoy the bread I bake in my breadmaker, it leaves much to be desired in the aesthetics department...and well, the loaves tend to be small.
A loaf of breadmaker produced bread doesn't make a very good homemade gift for neighbors or friends because of it's wonkiness.
And the bottom, with it's indentation made from the mixing blade, looks like it's been nibbled by mice.
The bulbous top looks like the end of a pool stick. While the bottom is flat as a board.
But the bread itself is dense, chewy, moist, wholesome and filling...and very yummy. A little loaf never lasts more than an hour while it's still warm and the butter melts so rich and creamy. Fresh bread is almost as good as a pan full of brownies. Almost.
