If you’ve never baked a loaf of your own bread before, you’re where I was just a year ago, as long as I don’t count the “doorstop” style loaf of whole wheat I tried once a few years ago.

Next week, let’s all give it a try.  Whether you check out the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day style (see recipes on their blog here), have your grandmother’s old box of recipe cards, or find a recipe online, take a few minutes over the weekend to decide on a loaf you’d like to try.  Really, it can’t kill you, even if grains are the most confusing thing since unsliced bread. 

We’ll be giving a sourdough starter a try the following week, so if you’d rather wait for that kind of baking, I understand.  To prepare for both weeks, you may want to have on hand:

• whole wheat flour
• (optional) white whole wheat flour
• butter
• organic grapes
• You can do without fancy equipment, but I sure like my KitchenAid mixer and baking stone.  I’ll tell you about my very favorite bread pans when I give you a chance to win them during sourdough week!

A quick note:  Jenny of Nourished Kitchen added a few answers to her Face-Off yesterday, and they’re humdingers!  She had to quickly get her answers in before heading out on vacation last month, but she wanted to share a bit more – and it’s worth a look!

Have a wonderful weekend!