Does bread making make you a better cook/baker?
I think bread-making makes me a better cook/baker. It's actually more like a knowledgeable and confident one.
It makes me look at the fundamental ingredients of each recipe and thinking about ratio/percentage of ingredients, how each ingredients will react together, what each ingredients are for, what are the eggs, butter, liquid percentage to the flour and how can I tweak that:) It makes me more analytical about the recipe and empowering me to create my own variation when I understand the fundamentals. Thanks to baker's percentage calculation.
I've been baking bread regularly for about six months now, still considers myself a newbie, but a very enthusiastic one. I bake bread at least once a week, mainly sourdough. It's been six months but I still jump with joy everytime I see my loaf with a good open spring and widely open crumb:) It's been a very satisfying and productive hobby.
Does bread-making also make you a more accomplished cook?
Sue