On Intimidation

My dad is a fantastic bread baker.

When I was a kid, he regularly made these dense, flavorful, sweet loaves of whole wheat bread. I would "help" him knead the dough, and then watch anxiously over the rising dough. By the time the loaves were ready to go into the oven, it was usually time for me to go under the covers, so I would fall asleep surrounded by the amazing aroma of baking bread. Sometimes, I'd be lucky enough to be up after the loaves had come out of the oven, and finished resting.  The taste of that still-warm bread was...indescribable.

So, what's the point of the reminiscing? Well...it's about the intimidation factor. For me, bread baking was this esoteric activity in which my father engaged, that resulted in delicious food, and which invoked all kinds of childhood memories. It was intimidating to even think about baking bread.  However, a couple of months ago I baked my first loaf of bread, and I haven't looked back.

Cooking is a science and an art, but sometimes we amateurs let one or the other (or both) discourage us from trying new techniques because the process seems so complex. That's what bread baking was for me. But I jumped in, made a few really BAD loaves, and then started to learn. Now, my bread is...well...pretty damn good!

So, try things that seem intimidating. You will surprise yourself! And have great food to show for it.