A belated hello, from New York
I never formally introduced myself to TFL, and figured it was time to rise to the occasion. While reading the ingredient lists for so many supermarket items, including bread, I became fed up with the amount of chemicals, conditioners, preservatives, artificial colors, etc., that are so prevalent in commercial bread, so I decided it was time to learn how to make my own bread so I can give my family healthier and tastier choices.
Or maybe it was because I wanted to create things that were delicious (because, truth be told, I can purchase excellent bread at Grand Central Station that purports to contain only flour, water, salt and yeast and while it may cost $5 a loaf, I don't find that to be too high a price to pay for good bread).
I do have a blog to which I post occasionally, called Eating With David [1],which I started to blog about healthier eating. It is not particularly polished, or chock full of content, but if things like hemp seeds, chia seeds, coconut oil and oats don't scare you, there are a couple of very tasty recipes there that I recommend.
My breads have been rather limited so far -- a couple of white bread loafs, a few ciabattas and one of my favorites, the Basic Country Loaf from the Tartine Bread book. I successfully created my own starter using KA Flour and I have some dried Oregon Trail starter (the one that is mailed to you for free if you send a postage paid envelope to them), but have not yet activated it since I don't feel ready to care for two starters and the one I have seems more than adequate.
So far, I have not found the Basic Country Loaf to be a particularly quick bread to make. By that, I mean, if anybody suggests that the "hands on" time is very short and therefore it doesn't take much personal time to make the bread, I would have to disagree very strongly. Making that bread is a long process. Not that I am complaining, but I would not mind hearing from anybody who makes that bread and who makes other similar breads that seem significantly less time consuming to make.
Anyway, hello, and I hope I can be as much help as those who help me.