Step Aside Panera, There's a New Baker in Town

I’m feeling rather inspired and decided to write a post on something that inspires me: bread baking. I mentioned on an earlier post that I was taking it up as a new hobby, but haven’t mentioned it since. I confess, I have been much more faithful to that hobby than this one – that is, I bake biweekly whereas my blog posts are admittedly spotty at best.

I have enjoyed learning to bake bread, and have had much success thanks to my new friend*:

His name in Honoré (after the patron Saint of the Boulanger…judge if you dare, just know it might keep you from a delicious, fresh baked loaf). He is my live starter and I grew him from scratch. Call it a maternal bond, but I’m rather fond of him. I feed him weekly and he gives me delicious bread in return. It’s a lovely relationship we have. **

Together, we’ve made mostly loaves of bread like this one…

And this one…

But I’m expanding my horizons and venturing into other baked goods…like English Muffins!

I’m rather proud of these, and think they turned out very well. When I was cooking them, my roommate MS looked at them then at the recipe I was using and exclaimed “It looks just like the picture!” It was a proud moment for Honoré and me.

We still have a lot to learn, but are seeing steady improvements in the meantime.

*Translation of the lid: “My name is Honoré (and I LOVE making bread!!)” When I showed my roommate, she expressed anxiety over introducing her friends to me…

**Here and here are a few websites that go into further detail on making and baking with a starter.