lake effect snow event in progress

You know when you’re kneading bread and your arms ache and you start questioning the sanity of bothering to make home made bread and then you can feel the dough shift to that perfect elastic and sweaty texture and you can smell that amazing yeasty smell and you know you’re about to make a really special loaf of bread?

That happened to me. Yesterday.

I’m sick of paying for substandard bread at the grocery store. I’m also sick of paying $4.50 a loaf from Pereddies. And, huge surprise, I find I really love the process of making bread from proofing the yeast to kneading to finding the perfect place for it to rise to baking. This spring I briefly got into the whole healthy-bread-in-15-minutes-a-day thing and though I enjoyed the idea of making my own bread it just didn’t taste very good nor was I crazy about the texture. The loaves I’ve been making are good. They taste like, well, bread. Good crumb and good crust and good flavor. Next up I’d like to find a decent whole wheat sandwich bread because not having to buy ick bread from Meijer ever again would be sublime.

I also made blueberry muffins compliments of the Smitten Kitchen. And shepherd’s pie. And Friday night we had cassoulet. It was a weekend of delicious eating.

Another hand made Christmas gift was finished yesterday! And by “finished” I mean I still need to figure out how I’m going to FINISH it, but the main work is done. I have a couple more big-ish projects to finish that I’d like to do this weekend so I can start shipping things to Vermont next week.

Because we’re going to be in Vermont in a little over 2 weeks.

!!!!!

That makes me happier than baking home made bread on a Sunday.