Over a week ago I was inspired enough to try baking my own bread, as I have been watching the Great British Bake Off every single week since it started. So during my trip in the nearest supermarket one day, I bought myself some bread flour and dried yeast. I didn't have any recipes for bread, so I followed the basic one on the back of the yeast packet. I also didn't know how long to knead for, or anything about proving and rising the dough! So my first attempt was just a basic white cob loaf, and I managed to bake it pretty well and it tasted like bread, but it wasn't very light. Still, I was impressed with myself and bought these two books from the shops to help me out a bit more! They were 2 for £10 from Whsmiths, which is a steal!

I figured that I should probably try and understand a bit more of how baking bread really works, and how to knead and all the important little quirks that you need to know to keep the yeast in the bread happy. For my second attempt, I used a recipe from the Paul Hollywood book which I found great to read! I had much better results with this loaf but I think my tin was a bit too big for my dough so it my loaf turned out quite shallow even with a good rise, but it was so satisfying!
During the week, I ran out of my white bread flour and I decided to try out wholemeal bread flour and I made this loaf later on in the week (with a smaller tin). It looks like bread from the shops, don't you think?
I've decided that breadmaking might be my new hobby, which is nice as it's very different from crochet and there is something therapeutic about kneading dough! However I have still been crocheting, my ripple blanket is finished but I haven't taken a proper finished photograph of it yet, so here is one of it not long before it got completed.
Who would have thought I would have something else to talk about besides crochet?! As I type I have some dough proving in the kitchen, I am getting better at not peeking at it so much. I am planning to make dinner rolls with it, just to see if I can he he. Better go!
Take care,
Hazel x