I saw Jay "longhorn"'s blog post about Tartine Bread and quickly joined TFL because of my current obsession with Robertson's loaf. I have been baking since 2006 when I learned about Jim Lahey and No-Knead bread from Mark Bittman in the NYTimes. Since then I've discovered the magic of using a levain and freshly ground whole wheat flour. I use the grain attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer. I have a bulging bread book shelf but have hardly begun to figure out how to deal with whole grains. Our household currently numbers only 2 but I have wonderful baking and (especially) eating support. I have also worked out a deal with my friends such that when I am overly ambitious, I may cut into a fresh loaf, check the crumb for research purposes, and then gift the loaf. We live in the SF Bay area: an embarassment of bread riches. I've been reading TFL since I started baking but this is my belated thanks to all of the wonderful bakers who so generously share their experiences, and to FloydM, who makes this site such a treasure.

joan