Long time, no blog. But I'm back, and baking.

Like everyone who writes a blog, I have been deficient in keeping it going.  Hopefully I can do a little better going forward.  It is winter now so that has ground the great landscape redesign of 2010 to a halt.  I ended up getting a lot of work done in preparation for next year.  I dug a bunch of holes in some very rocky soil that will give the trees I plan in 2011 a fighting chance.

So I need something to keep busy with and decided that I'd like to try and bake some really good bread.  I ordered 'Tartine Bread' and 'The Bread Baker's Apprentice' from Amazon.  Both books are excellent.  The sourdough bread on top is from the former, the bagel on the bottom is from the latter.

Basic Country Bread from "Tartine Bread"

Bagel from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice"

Both attempts really turned out well and I was very pleased.  I am not a baker at all but I can follow directions.  Hopefully I'll develop more of a feel for it as I do this more.  I'd also like to give a rye bread a try one of these days soon.