Bread-Crazy

The first time I ever got on an airplane, it was to fly from LAX to Rome.  No little jaunt to see a relative across the country for me.  Nope.  I flew all the way to Rome by myself.  I was 19, in love, and out of my mind with happiness to be going to a foreign country.

That trip changed my life, of course.  Among other things, I had some of the best bread in the world.  Since bread was an “extra” in our household growing up, I rarely ate sandwiches and never had bread with dinner.  I’m not sure I’d ever thought much about bread.  I mean, I knew it came in plastic wrapper with a twist tie, but since it didn’t taste very good to me, why would I spend time thinking abut it at all?  Italy changed everything, as it has a way of doing, no?  When I came home 3 months later, I was completely appalled that I was expected to eat the bread here. Being 1980 or so, the artisan bread movement was just beginning to hit Southern California.  I was completely ignorant of the food movement in Northern California, or anywhere else in the U.S.  But within a year, I delightedly discovered Il Fornaio Bakery, which hadn’t yet become anything other than a great place to get European-style breads.  I was so unbelievably happy to have found good bread near home, but I was horrified at the prices I had to pay!  And they were closed on Sunday!  (Yes, that qualified as despair for me.)  Yearly trips to Europe did nothing but fan the flame of my new bread passion.

Not too long after that fateful first trip, Sunset Magazine did an article on how to make artisan bread – the kind with big holes, with a real crust.  Of course, I tried it.  Not knowing anything about making bread (and I mean anything), when the loaf finally came out of the oven later than midnight, after what seemed like the longest day of my life (dealing with a very wet dough that ran all over the place when I tried to knead it), I was so equally proud and tired, that a Polaroid picture had to be snapped of me – in my nightshirt, with circles under my eyes – holding that giant loaf of homemade bread.  I still have that picture – hopefully it will never be made public – documenting the beginning of my long obsessionromance with bread dough.

Today, after making more loaves than I can count or even remember, I still search for the best way to make amazing bread.  I have so much more to learn – bread dough endlessly fascinates me, and often perplexes me.  I’ll catch you up more later, but this is what I need to share now:  I joined the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge!  Nicole, of Pinch My Salt fame, sent out a Twitter message, and the rest is history in the making.  You can read about it here.  I’m delighted to be part of a group of 200 bread-crazy bakers from all around the world who are baking their way through Peter Reinhart’s book – every recipe!  Last week I made two loaves of the best Anadama Bread I’ve ever tasted.  (Okay, to be fair, the only Anadama Bread I’ve ever tasted!)  But right now, I’ve got to go.  My levain is calling!