Hi! I'm new!

Hello all!

I spent December stabilizing my very first starter, and baked my very first loaf of bread (ever!) an hour after New Years- and have since baked about 10 loaves, much to the pleasure of surrounding neighbors, friends (and at this point, acquaintances). 

I've received so much helpful information about the art of bread-making here, and thought I'd finally create a profile instead of lurking anonymously. Pictured below are my two first loaves (which I'm happy to report I've improved the crumb since these first two). 

But as a friend recently told me- the pursuit of good bread is lifelong. It's a journey I'm excited about. 

Greetings and happy new year to all of you, 

Tess

(Bread pictured was made according to Tartine's Country Loaf)

My first and second loaf:

My first loaf (though denser than ideal, still pretty delicious with homemade butter).

A crumb shot of my second loaf:

Here I am, very nervously about to shape my first boule.