Week three of The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge has ended and I have to say that I am sad to say goodbye to these bagels!  I would happily make these once a week for the next year if there weren’t so many other tempting breads coming up.

Bagels are one of those things that I always assumed you had to buy from a bagel shop if you wanted the ‘real thing.’  I’m certainly not a connoisseur, but I’ve had wonderful, chewy bagels in both New York and Los Angeles that put every other bagel I’ve tasted to shame. It’s certainly seems to be true that the real deal can’t be found just anywhere.  I’ve had decent bagels in San Diego, but nothing to get overly excited about.  However, I can now tell you that it is possible to make a great bagel at home, even in San Diego, because these babies rivaled anything I’ve eaten before. Continue reading →

Week two of The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge has come to an end, and I can now say that I have made my very first Greek Celebration Bread!  While these breads would normally be baked and consumed during religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter, I see no reason why it can’t be made for Memorial Day! Continue reading →

So here we are, my very first bread for the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge is complete!  Anadama is a traditional New England bread made with flour, corn meal, and molasses. It’s a curious name with a funny story attached to it, but the bread itself is no laughing matter. This is a seriously good loaf of bread! Continue reading →

I am completely blown away by the response to my Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge.  We have somehow turned into a group of over 200 home bakers and we have all pledged to bake our way through Peter Reinhart’s wonderful bread book, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. Continue reading →

Do you want to bake some bread?  How about a lot of bread?  How about every single recipe in Peter Reinhart’s outstanding book, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice? Well, I have challenged myself to do just that, and I’m inviting you to join me! Continue reading →