On a Hot Day...Bake Bread!

I have been saying for a long time (mostly to myself) that I want to start making my own bread more often. I really love the satisfaction that comes from the whole process of it. I really got hooked on the idea back in February when the Daring Bakers had our French Bread challenge. Yes it can be a long process but the results are always worth making it again.

It is not a surprise that after our trip to King Arthur Flour that I am totally and 100% in love with everything to do with them. I even have the Baker's Banter RSS feed on the front page of My Yahoo! About 2 months ago there was a post for a bread recipe called Scali Bread that totally caught my eye and I put it in my recipes I want to try folder. Before I went to bed last night I decided that today (well really tomorrow) I was going to make it.

Please visit the Baker's Banter for the recipe and a more detailed step by step photo essay but enjoy mine below.

This is a picture of the starter I made last night before going to bed.

This is the starter the in the morning...

I forgot to take a picture of the dough divided into 3 equal parts but here is the picture after I braided them together and in the middle of the next rise. I didn't have any sesame seeds in the house but I did have a bag of the artisan seed mix you can buy via King Arthur Flour catalog (or at the store like I did during our visit).

Fresh out of the oven and looking/smelling really good.

Review: I enjoyed making this recipe and I will totally make it again. It was fun going to bed and waking up in the morning to see if my started had "started". The next time I make this I will braid the dough onto parachment paper which I didn't do this time. I will also try to bake it on my pizza stone if it will fit. I might go out and buy just sesame seeds to see how it taste with that because the seed mixture has some strong flavors...the caraway seeds I believe.