New to Me Skill - Bread

I don't know why I decided to start with bread. It seemed like a natural progression after cupcakes, I guess. And the cupcakes were coming pretty regular after I bought my wonderful used Kitchen Aid mixture on Ebay. See, aren't they both pretty!

Growing up in a small family restaurant business with my Dad and Memaw as the cooks, I've always felt pretty confident in the kitchen, at least when it comes to cooking food. My Dad is champion cake maker. Memaw's pies are delicious. And Mom makes some of the best cookies around. We also made stews, sauces, salads and meats. But we didn't bake breads, unless you count rolls and biscuits.

So when I got my Kitchen Aid mixture, I wanted to start small and got a few boxes of cake mix to experiment. I quickly discovered the baking was pretty simple for me (though, I know that's not true for everyone) and began to enjoy the decorating portion of cupcakes.

After several dozens of cupcakes, it was time to venture beyond the paddle tool. Pretty soon I was playing with all the attachments on the Kitchen Aid mixture and came across the dough hook. Well, I can make something with that, I thought, bread.

White Bread

Wheat Bread

Oatmeal Bread

I don't use an automated bread maker because I find the periodic interruptions conducive to my frame of mind. Many times I get engrossed in studying, watching TV, household chores, and playing on the computer that I forget to give my eyes, back, feet, or mind a rest. Doing something like bread making where I use a timer to provide scheduled interruptions works. Overall, I find the experience of bread making worth the effort.

The process is soothing and the results are amazing. It smells so good that I often don't restrain myself well enough from cutting into it. I end up feeling really good about myself when I eat that first slice.