Hello from Cumbria in the UK
Hi from Cumbria in the UK, I've been making bread since around April. I decided at the start of the year I needed to lose (a lot of) weight and rather than going on a diet I've just focused on measuring everything (calories, activity etc.). As I started looking at my calorie intake and how much I have to "spend" each day I started resenting the machine made rubbish I used to put into my body and started wanting good high quality non-processed food. Bread seemed a good place to start and I've discovered I have a real passion for it.
I'm quite focused on sourdoughs - I started off working from the River Cottage everyday section on sourdough and quickly got hold of the River Cottage bread handbook. I'm currently in search of the 100% stoneground wholemeal sourdough which is how I found this site. (I've gone back to white bread this week and am experimenting with very wet doughs). I've also been learning more about the science of bread making which is really helping me - I like to know why I'm doing things.
I have a bread machine which I use to make regular reliable non -experimental bread for my partner and the children (although there is always something interesting in those loaves - usually spelt or rye at the very least) but I'm focused on totally handmade bread.
I'm in inveterate experimenter. I feel a big connection with something that was said about the drummer Bill Bruford - "he doesn't play things the same way once"
I've also discovered non-yeast breads - flatbreads and crackers which I'm quite fascinated by and will be experimenting more with in future.
You can see some of my experimenting at my posterous site [1] (along with all sorts of nonsense from my travels) and I'm sure I'll be posting pictures here. Now off to give todays, very wet, dough a fold (I work from home so great for keeping things ticking over all day)