finally- the gift that keeps on giving

Wanna know something unusual about me? I haven't bought a loaf of bread since December 20th.


Wanna know why? I've been baking my own. Seriously.


My aunt and uncle gave us this book for Christmas, along with a pizza stone, 4 quart plastic container with a lid, and a pizza peel.

It's high on the list of Best Gifts Ever. You know those super yummy bread boules that cost like $5.00 at Panera? Now I can make them at home for about $ .40 each. And they really are just as tasty, if not more so because I can nosh on them right out of the oven.

I'm super-hesitant of anything that boasts "5 minutes a day." In reality, that usually means "5 minutes a day after you take a year to get into the routine, buy the materials, and sell your children so that you have time to yourself to think clearly." But in this case, it's really true. You don't have to do any kneading, forming, or even thinking. In fact, I can attest that the first time I made the bread, both of my kids were not only home, but awake. You don't even have to wash the container...the left over bits turn into a sourdough starter all by themselves.

We've had bread with soup, pot roast, for sandwiches, and Jeff even made ciabatta rolls last night with the same dough to use as hamburger buns. Waaaaaay better than those nasty store-bought buns.

It's almost 100% foolproof. Of course, we did take a loaf to friends on New Year's, and it was our first "bad" batch. It didn't cook right and was all doughy on the inside. Grrr. But that was more a factor of our oven than operator error.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book and this process. There are lots of recipes for sweet breads, savory breads, healthier breads, etc. And I believe the authors have just written another book with more healthy recipes.

Mangia!