From The Kitchen: Artisan Bread

I had a breakthrough this year. I actually started to enjoy cooking. It was never really one of my favorite things, it was more of a necessity, but this year I actually started to like it. Along with cooking I have also been baking more. And more baking and cooking creates more experimenting with new recipes. And that my friends, is why I have been enjoying it more!

A couple of years ago we started eating at home more often. Once we started eating at home, we realized we liked it better. Now, going out to eat doesn’t sound as appetizing as eating at home. Oh sure, there is still those times that going out for pizza or Mexican sounds like fun or the nights that I don’t feel like preparing something and so we will go out. But those nights are few and far between. Even so, I don’t cook every night. Since there are just the two of us, making one meal always leaves us with leftovers. But I definitely cook more than I used to. And I love trying to figure out how to make tasty, healthy meals.

So the reason for this new enjoyment? I figured out that I like to learn new things. That’s what makes it fun for me. With doing projects, I like the process of creating something new and trying to figure it out. Once I have it figured out, repetition gets boring for me. The same thing with cooking. The fun is trying something new. Now that I have that figured out, as long as I keep trying new things, I will continue to enjoy it, right?!!

One thing I have never made before is artisan bread. I have done yeast baking before but never bread with the crusty shell and I really wanted to try it. There are several recipes floating around out there for the no knead artisan bread and I finally gave it a shot last week. It turned out fantastic. I’m so glad I tried it. There were lots of new things to work in for me (starting a day ahead, water in the oven to create steam… etc.) and it was fun!!

I used a recipe I found on Pinterest. Here is my pin and here is the link to the recipe from The Italian Dish blog (which you should definitely check out because there are lots of recipes that look tasty!). I followed the recipe exactly and although it looks like there are lots of steps, it really is super easy. And even better, it’s really good!

The loaf turned out a little smaller than I thought but really, it’s perfect for the two of us.

I love that it is so pretty :)

If you have never baked artisan bread before, give it a try! It really is simple and yummy. We still have some left from last time but I’m already looking forward to how I can bake more and change it up a bit to try something new!

Have a great weekend and enjoy your New Year’s holiday!!