More Yeasty Goodness

I'm not sure what it is about yeast breads that's so appealing, but I think you may have noticed that I'm on a big bread/yeast kick. I don't know why. Maybe it's the smell that permeates the entire top floor of the apartment building; there's nothing like the smell of bread baking. Maybe it's the satisfaction of having hot, fresh, homemade bread that you know has no preservatives, nothing unnatural in it. Maybe my body's trying to tell me something with this craving for yeasty things.

Oh well! Whatever the reason, the main thing is that I find baking breads almost as satisfying as knitting, with a lot higher sense of instant gratification. Yesterday, I decided to try baking soft pretzels. I understand that on the east coast (Philadelphia, New York?), you can get these soft pretzels from street vendors. Not on this coast, at least not here in Kelowna.

I watched an episode of Good Eats on YouTube last week, the one about pretzels and decided that it looked easy enough, so I decided to give it a try.

They were a lot easier to make than I thought they would be. And, let me tell you, there is nothing like a warm, just out of the oven (well, they did need to cool down a little!) soft pretzel. I don't think I'd make these on a regular basis, but they were certainly nice for a treat. You can find Alton Brown's Soft Pretzel recipe here. I'll also link to it in the sidebar. You can find the You Tube link to the show (it's in two parts) in the sidebar, too.

Today, I'm planning on making a loaf of seed bread (sunflower and flax) and another focaccia bread. I'm really enjoying the focaccia as a lunch bread. It's a good thing John's working today!