Just Baking

I’ll admit it… I’ve been unmotivated to bake. There are several reasons, but the main reason has been this stinking heat!

We have relief in sight. The high on Sunday was almost 90 degrees, and it was humid. Same on Monday. But yesterday, that all changed, and today, on Wednesday, the high is… 66!!! That means I won’t burn up while baking, yea!

I spent last weekend in Pittsburgh, which is a foodie destination as good as about any in the US, in my opinion. If you haven’t been there, don’t laugh. Email me, and I’ll help you plan a trip that you’ll absolutely love, and it will cost a lot less than a trip to NYC or the like.

On Saturday morning, my wife and I went to the Strip District, which is a great place for all kinds of food. One bakery had bread for sale right on the sidewalk, and looking at it just made me want to get into the kitchen and enjoy some bread baking. This weekend I’ll be doing some of that, I promise!

The breads just smelled great and looked great, even the day old asiago! There’s something about bread that just speaks to me, I think. I’m beginning to realize that my style of cooking (not just baking) is artisanal, whether it’s bread, stew, spaghetti sauce or barbecue. I really get into the selection of ingredients, the process that cooking takes, the art and science of how flavors come together. When I get bread from a bakery, I find my reaction is either that I think I can do better, so why don’t they; or it’s that they make great bread that I only wish I could make.

So I’d like to hear from readers… What makes you ready to get back to baking? What about bread says something to you?