no need to knead

I have done it.

My house smels exactly as my Grandma's did.

J and I came home from watching the Super Bowl and there was a very particular aroma to the house. He thinks it smells musty, it took me awhile to put my finger to it but I know exactly what it smells like, my Dad's mother, my grandma. Her house smelt of bread rising, that yeasty, fermenting smell, almost too pungent to stand. Now my house smells of the same aroma, it is odd but I just want to take it in, I don't want to go to bed, I don't want this memory to escape me.

The memory of her may com and go from day to day but the lasting impression that she has had on my life will forever be part of me. Like the fact that I can take the time to enjoy baking bread. I remember when she got one of those automatic bread machines, it was probably like when the first vacuum was introduced to the house wife. The women no longer had to drag those heavy wool carpets outside and beat them with a stick, they just ran this machine over the fibers and removed the dirt. The bread machine took the kneading, the raising and the guess work out of bread making but still produced the perfect loaf every time. Grandma always had fresh baked bread. 
We had better get used to it because as soon as I made a "no knead bread" **yes, it is true** I don't think that buying a $4 - $6 loaf is worth it. I am talking about four of the most basic of ingredients that are mixed together and sit in the fridge over night. whal - la! Bread! Baguette to be exact. I didn't even lay a finger, nor once ounce of kneading effort on this loaf. Thank God! Over at Bakers Banter, the brainchild of King Authors Flour, they have a whole slew of no knead recipes, and even more recipes for the astute bread maker, which I aspire to be.Yes I made a perfect baguette for the first time and will never turn back, we all can make bread. Really, if I can do this you can too! With some high quality flour, warm water, salt, and yeast.... some time (little effort) I folded together a bread that will rival any bread that I can find in Bellingham (mind you we live in a small town with one artisan bakery). No chemicals, no additives, four ingredients, some time and some love.

There is always some more room in my life for some carbohydrates. Really!?! Why deprive ourselves of fresh homemade bread. My Grandma was on to something, she was so damn happy for a reason. So here is to making my own bread at the fraction of the cost of what it costs to buy, far less "stuff" in the ingredients and for doing what makes us happy. I will eat fresh baked bread by goll!
SSSSSSoon I will mow down of fresh bread after a long bike ride! Today I lost the ugly brace that has wrapped my leg for seven weeks. I will break bread to that!