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Simple Joyful Food

small ideas that add joy to life

live happily

What have you always wanted to bake?

September 1, 2020 2 Comments
whats that thing youve always wanted to bake - main (c)thejoyofeatingwell

Baking completely intimidates me. Cooking? Well now, I can literally do that allll day. Meal prep, ditto. But baking? It freaks me out. Something about how precise measurements are and well, I love to experiment. Which is soooo funny because I like rules! In a nutshell, baking is unforgiving. At least, that is how I’ve always approached it.

I’ve always thought that if I mastered baking bread then that would mean that I’ve “made it.” So, I put on my big girl pants and typed in “Dutch Oven Bread” in the Pinterest search bar.  Bingo! I found one that proofed the bread in my Instant Pot, so out came the measuring cups, the flour, and on went the-most-determined-game-face.

Here’s what I learned.

Measure correctly. 

Yep, I had literally had three things to measure and I used a one-third measuring cup instead of a one-half measuring cup for the liquid. Ya’ll, I.had.three.things. 

Beauty on the inside matters. 

Yep, the outside was gorgeous and the inside? Not so much. Dennis and I only ate a slice or two because it was the right thing to do after all that work. The inside was too dense to enjoy, however, we enjoyed the aroma and the crust!

whats-that-thing-youve-always-wanted-to-bake-bread-cthejoyofeatingwell

The joy is in BAKING, not necessarily the results.

A meal is more than a recipe. A recipe is more than the end results. You see, the fact that I attempted to bake bread was awesome. I was proud of myself! Who cares if this first time was less than stellar. I gained experience! It was fun having playful music in the background and I got to try Einkorn wheat flour!

whats-that-thing-youve-always-wanted-to-bake-einkorn-flour-cthejoyofeatingwell

Just knowing that I.WAS.PROOFING.BREAD was a monumental task! Friends, I was proofing bread! You can’t master baking bread without taking that first step. And now I have learned I know what a verrrryyyy dry pre-proofing loaf looks like. Next time I see this, I will check my measuring cups.

whats-that-thing-youve-always-wanted-to-bake-proofing-cthejoyofeatingwell

At the end of the day I proved to myself what I had already proved to myself… remember to embrace the little joys when it comes to all-things food.

 What is that “thing” you’ve always wanted to bake?

Eat well, my friends.

Lyndi

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Recipe Rating




  1. Debbie says

    September 2, 2020 at 7:25 pm

    Here’s the one that’s been my go-to during the pandemic: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread

    Reply
    • Lyndi Fultz says

      September 3, 2020 at 6:54 am

      Oooo, I will check it out! Thanks, Debbie!

      Reply

My name is Lyndi Fultz, and I live in the beautiful Ozark Mountains, which span Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri.

I like to share small ideas for living simply and eating happily.

You will find that I talk a lot about food because we all need to eat. Why not add little bits of food joy where possible?

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“Just like becoming an expert in wine–you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford–you learn about great food by finding the best there is, whether simply or luxurious. Then you savor it, analyze it, and discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences.” – Julia Child

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