Hurray!

It’s true, it’s right up there with making a flaky pie crust: I didn’t think I’d ever make it — my own bread. I used to break out in a cold sweat when I thought about it.

While I was in Vancouver a months ago I learned of the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day [also popularly referred to ABin5 in Twitter] through Elle. I made a note to myself to buy it when I go back to the US, because I was too busy at the time.

So here I was, got the book, baking stone (well I used a pizza stone), oven thermometer and single edge blades from the hardware store and started baking boulés using the book’s Master Recipe. In fact, I made 8 boules to date. I’m a perfectionist, what can I say? I still have to work on the boules looking like Hershey’s kisses, though. Then I moved on to another recipe: whole wheat bread. The first one in the oven was a disaster because I used the wrong size of pan, so the bread was half loaf, the bad kind — halved horizontally. It looked like a recession bread, haha.

I made another one the following evening using the proportion for two loaves for make up for the larger pan. [Insert angelic chorus...] See:

The hardest part for me with these breads is waiting for the bread to cool down so I can slice it. I waited 1.5 hours to slice this brown babe.

The crust is not hard, but not too soft, either. It’s perfect. The bread has a hint of sweetness from the honey, but you can barely taste it. It is perfect for making sandwiches. I’m completely happy just slathering butter on it. It’s a very filling snack, too. One slice is enough.

I’m so happy. I did it, I did it! I made a loaf bread and it didn’t suck. I fully credit the book, which I think you should get right now if you’re even thinking about trying to make bread. It is no knead bread. You don’t need a stand mixer with a dough hook. The latter is important to me because my Kitchenaid is in Vancouver, hehe. And you know what — and trust me when I say that I can’t believe I’m saying this:

Making bread is easy!

I’m now one of those who join the chorus in praising Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day as THE book that changed my attitude towards baking breads and completely turned me into that Crazy Bread Baking Lady.

This is also our very first entry into any cooking/baking challenge among the food blogging community. It really is hard for me — for us — to join them because of everything going on, including my regular travel. But I’m committing to 3 challenges per month, including Ben‘s Homemade Food Challenge. This month is for Homemade Bread. I think when I saw Ben’s announcement, it was after I baked my first boule, and it couldn’t have been better timed!

Here’s the recipe from the book: Read the full story

I’m doing some “spring cleaning” around here and deleting doubled drafts and whatnot. I found this which I made last February. Heavens, it’s May already. Time flies and next thing I’m 30. The end. It all goes down to that. Eek.

As anyone who eats with me on a regular basis can tell you — I am not a big fan of sandwiches. I don’t crave for it, I don’t fantasize about making them, and I just don’t care for them much unless I make them at home with only a few ingredients that I really like. I could not stand piling up all sorts of stuff in the sandwich — I want to taste the cheese, the meat, the bread, and the leaves. I liken it to eating everything in the fridge in one bite. It’s not palatable at all. I know I have weird tastes sometimes.

This is my kind of sandwich, which I assume would be considered boring and conservative in a sandwich lover’s world:

A slice of muenster cheese slightly melted over freshly toasted whole wheat bread.

Topped with fresh spinach leaves.

Then a slice of folded roast beef with some freshly crushed pepper.

It’s perfect for me.

How do you make your sandwiches?