The number of responses appearing from several recent posts on the
bread-list is delightful. Keep it up.
For those walking the path toward artisan bread baking, wisdom from that
grand ol' lady of cooking, Julia Child, forerunner of all wannabe "experts"
now on TV and in print.
Julia said it eloquently: "Bread making is for those who love to cook and
to work with their hands. There is a deep satisfaction to be gained from
the feel and smell of the dough as it is kneaded and formed, from that
wonderful warm aroma of its baking, and finally from the pride of
authorship. The art of bread making can become a consuming hobby, and no
matter how often and how many kinds of bread one has made, there always
seems to be something new to learn."
Let me add another bit of wisdom: Don't be afraid to fail. Think of it
this way: a less than perfect baking result... provides an opportunity to
learn.
Consider the cost of ingredients for basic bread, flour maybe 30 cents (for
three baguettes, only about a dime each!
"Oh, but the time involved..."
Learning, skill and technique take time - a very worthy investment. Weeks
previous I mentioned the BIL club (Bone Idle Lazy charter members). A few
people (with too must flour dust on their glasses) missed the metaphor. The
BIL club is mythical, comparable to Garrison Keiller's Lake Wobegone where
the men are good looking, the women hard working, and all the children are
above average).
Make no mistake: the Bone Idle Lazy cast of characters is anything BUT
lazy! Only in name. We are very, very passionate about our bread baking.
Willing to go to any length - and repeated bakes - seeking perfection. We
never reach perfection, but along the way we achieve excellence.
We do possess an annoyance, though, with the many ol' wives' tales that
continue to exist. Baking traditions and lore (books, magazines, gurus,
etc.) fundamentally saying "because that's the way we've always done it."
Reminds me of an archaic term used to describe attorneys and what they
sometimes apply to their arguments: Petty foggery.
Ed Okie