First time; Long time

I've been an active lurker (non-registered) here for the last 3 or 4 years. I've always been the baker in my family tree, but stuck to cakes, pies, cookies, and quickbreads until about 5 years ago when I first decided I would start making challah every week. After a while I decided to expand my bread repertoire, and I now not only make challah weekly, I make all the bread I expect to use in a week. The vast majority of my breads are sourdough, and since I moved back in with my parents recently, I've been venturing into whole wheat breads, because they're friendly for my dad's diabetes. Over the years this site has proven to be an outstanding and invaluable resource.

During a last minute run to the grocery store to pick up more flour and yeast before Thanksgiving, I had an encounter with a total stranger who was making his first ventures into bread baking. Halfway through the conversation, I found myself telling him, "You know, there's this really great website with lots of information, tutorials, and recipes for exactly what you're looking to do - thefreshloaf.com." And it dawned on me as I was wishing him a happy holiday season and farewell that if I'm enthusiastic enough about this place to recommend it to a complete stranger, that it was long past time for me to register and become a vocal member of this community myself. I've gained so much from it, and it's well past time that I began contributing.

So, hi. I'm JennyLeah. I bake a lot of bread. I still consider myself a relative newbie - I have about as many failures as I do successes, but they're all pretty tasty, so I don't mind. Other than my bread habit, I am also an obssessed and avid knitter. It keeps my hands busy while I'm waiting for my loaves to rise. :)