HI!, My Name is Jake...New Member Introduction
Greetings All! So good to be here. I'll keep this introduction short. My name is Jake, friends call me Shakin Jake. Let's see...baking history...I'm 55 years young now but back in my late teens into my early twenties I worked in a commercial bread bakery where I discovered my love for bread. We baked bread buns and rolls. This was 1975 to 1980 (Oak Park MI.). I did every job in that bakery, from making sponge mixes to running a bread wrapper. Since that time I've been a home baker baking loaves of bread for myself, wife and anyone else that wanders into our kitchen. The main reason I came across this forum, I was doing research to get information on making a possible stand mixer purchase. I see that this site is a whole lot more than a place to peruse opinions comparing flour mixers and I hope to learn from the group on how to expand & develop my interest in making new to me breads, and I'm sure a few other types of baked goods. I'd often wondered why I didn't get involved in learning to be or become a pastry chef. I did a short stint back in the day making donuts part time to make extra money at a cider mill (Franklin MI.). I've also made a living in the kitchen of a few restaurants in the greater Detroit/Ann Arbor area, also in the lower Fla. Keys and I sold produce for a Produce Pro (Fla. Keys/Key West). It's the food industry type of work I've always loved. Anyways, I'm humbled to be here and I look forward to learning from this group. Currently my bread making past time sees me making a few French loaves at a time, and who doesn't love to make and eat pizza?=:-) Again, I'm happy to be here and thank you for allowing me to particapate. If I may, I'd like to say a word or two about kneading bread doughs. I've always done my bread mixing and kneading at home by hand. I almost feel like a traitor considering to use a mechanical device (stand mixer) to do this type of work in the home as I've always considered dough kneading a zen like experience, but I'm getting older and having trouble with an old shoulder injury so after kneading a standard two loaf bread recipe, I keep thinking I should turn this work over to a machine. That's all of for now...thanks again for having me and at the risk of repeating myself, I truly look forward to learning from this group
Best,
Jake
Reddick Fla.