Greetings from Kentucky!
I've been lurking on this site for a few months, and just started actually baking bread within the last month. I attribute a large part of my success to the knowledge I have gleaned from this site, and figured it was about time I introduced myself.
My name's Amy, and I'm a 25 year-old New England transplant newlywed trying to make my way as a homemaker. I've been baking cookies, pies, and quick breads for a long time now, and became interested in baking bread while living with my sister and brother-in-law during my final semester of college. My brother-in-law started baking his own bread while I was there, and it piqued my curiosity. Only once the insanity of wedding planning and moving from Maine to Kentucky was well behind me did I indulge my curiosity and pick up a few bread books (Reinhart's BBA and WGB).
My first loaf of bread was a plain white sandwich loaf which turned out lovely, but not particularly to my taste...so I dove headfirst into WGB in my attempt to make a whole wheat sandwich loaf. This was the result:
I can now officially say I'm addicted!
Welcome.
That a delicious, and most perfect looking sandwich loaf. Is it 100% ww? I often make his light wheat loaf from BBA. It's great, and a real high riser but maybe it's time to move to 100%(if I ever get the book, or the recipe). I do have a request for that book at the library, if it ever comes in.
Although, I think there is a 100% formula in BBA. Yours looks so good, so maybe I'll try one. I know the BBA is probably not the same formula as WGB.
Welcome! I'm sure you already realize that you have found an excellent forum for perfecting your baking skills... not that you need it! That is a beautiful loaf. I can almost taste it!
I hope you're adjusting to life in Kentucky. Sorry the weather's been so dreadful lately. Give it a few months until the dogwoods are in bloom and you'll never want to leave (...well, at least until August...).
While you're here, be sure to try out some flour from Weisenberger Mills in Midway. They have a wide variety of flours that I highly recommend. They even carry flour milled from wheat grown right here in Kentucky! It's a little soft, but perfect for rolls, biscuits, quick breads, etc. Their products can be tough to find in the mainstream grocery stores, so you might have to give them a call and see who sells it in your area.
Good luck baking! Feel free to PM me if you have any Kentucky-related questions.
Eric
(P.S. Careful what color you wear this time of year. If you're not in Louisville, avoid red. Seriously.)
mrfrost: Yes, it is 100% WW. I made the BBA recipe before I made this one, and the BBA WW didn't rise nearly as high as the WGB one, but it still tasted fantastic.
eric: Thanks! :) I did check out Weisenberger's website, and hopefully will be able to find their stuff around here (Northwestern KY). And yes, I know better not to wear red...my husband bleeds blue. ;-) I think I promised to never wear red somewhere in our wedding vows...