Watching and Wondering

Technically this is part two of Watching, which was what my first post was mainly about... here are some additional thoughts though at this point in the process...which seems to bridge between Watching and Wondering.

Why does baking bread appeal to me ? I mean, really I can buy pretty nice fresh bread at the local grocery. I don't *need* to make it myself - in the sense that that is the only way I can get it.

I guess there is something about getting back to the basics that appeals to me. Also, the smell of baking the bread and the fresh hot slices that you don't get when you buy it from the store. If I make it myself I know exactly what goes in it. It will take time, I have learned this much, and there is something satisfying about putting honest effort into something and getting pleasant results.


I started with some of these questions today and I am working towards answering them:

1. What ingredients do I need? (and what do I already have).
2. What about yeast?
3. I hear people talking about starters... what does that mean?

My starting point before was Farmgirl Fare's page on bread -- which I skimmed a couple of weeks ago when thinking about baking bread in the first place. So, I am going to go back to that page and really read it to move further on in my inquiry.

After reading through the Watching, Wondering and Literacy pages I was thinking about recipe reading as a small sub-group of literacy. My mother helped me to learn about cooking and reading recipes when I was young and I also took a Home Economics class where I relearned many of these skills... such as the differences between cups, tablespoons and teaspoon measurements.

So, I know (K):
How to read a recipe
Some basics about the process for making bread.
Places to research further - 1. Online 2. Library Books

Want to Know (W):
How to make a starter
How to improve the quality of my breads
What are the necessary and best ingredients
What type of bread do I want to focus on first

Learned: (L).... will update later.