After Tim gave me a Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas, I flipped casually through the instruction book wondering what I was going to do with this big red thing on my counter.  I’d use it for pizza dough, sure, but then I saw the section on bread.  Since I’ve recently become hooked on The Great British Baking Show, I’ve been looking for something challenging to bake.  But maybe not as challenging as what the bakers on the show whip up.  Bread seemed about right.  Then I caught an episode where Paul Hollywood made some Italian bread, and it looked so easy I knew I had to “give it a go”.  I’ve made no adjustments for my high altitude location and we live about 5800 ft. above sea level.

I’m now committed to making a loaf of bread every Saturday.  I’ve been starting the dough after I get back from my run, and it’s been ready in time for a slightly late lunch.  The boys are happy to serve as my official bread testers.  They’ll basically eat anything, especially when the house is filled with the smell of freshly baked bread.  But I’m still looking for the perfect recipe.  Here’s what I’ve tried so far.