I have a new hobby: breadmaking. The idea of it began a year ago. Our stake Relief Society presidency counseled us to learn how to make bread. The theme of the counsel centered on self-reliance and being prepared.
I had never made a loaf of bread before. The closest I had been was making dinner rolls years ago. All I could remember from the experience was that it was a lot of work! So, I didn't jump on the bread making bandwagon right away.
It wasn't until months later when I would make my first loaf of bread. I loved it. It took a long time because I don't own a bread machine. I started at 11 o'clock hoping to have fresh bread for lunch. I don't think we took it out of the oven until 6 o'clock that night. But, boy was it a delicious loaf of bread.
It took a shift in thinking and a desire for more healthful living to get me where I am today. I bake a loaf or two of bread at least twice a week. For the past three years, I have been dreaming of living the homestead life. Cooking from scratch, such as breadmaking, is a portion of that life.
Funny thing about that is I've always hated cooking. I couldn't stand having to come up with something to eat three times a day, seven days a week. It was less about not being able to, but not having the desire to. That is, until I started baking bread.
I have found that my love for baking bread has branched into other culinary interests. Many of our meals are made from scratch. For the first time in a long time, I prepared every item for a holiday meal. It was a lot of work, but the best part was seeing my family enjoying the fruits of my labor.
Each time I pull a fresh loaf of bread from the oven, my kids invade the kitchen waiting for a test taste. I have to shoo them away before they devour the entire loaf. My husband began a list of favorite breads he would like me to prepare. At the moment I owe him a batch of homemade doughnuts.
I've also become drawn to cooking meals from scratch for health reasons. Three of my children suffer from migraines. I do not know the cause of them, but I know that certain foods can trigger migraines. I feel much better preparing meals that I know the ingredients of instead of buying prepared items with ambiguous ingredients. It also gives me an opportunity to cut down on salt and sugar in our diets.
I'm contemplating purchasing a bread machine, but I doubt I'll get one anytime soon. To me, doing all of the handwork is a labor of love. In my mind that's what really makes the end product special and exceptionally delicious.