Bread and Coffee and Me

I have had a few blogs in my day. Add to that some forums that I have moderated and it seems I've been doing this sort of thing since roughly 1996 with a few breaks here and there, mainly dictated by other writing or producing obligations. But there comes a time in life when one must acknowledge the things he or she loves and dedicate some time to those pursuits. I love my family, so that was priority one. It turns out I love a lot of things and my time could easily be spread thinly between them.

But at the end of the day, there are a few simple pleasures that I always enjoy. Or, more accurately, at the beginning of the day, and frequently also in the middle and toward the end...

Only recently have I (re)discovered the joy of fresh bread. Over the years, I have had a difficult time either carving out the time to make it myself or even being successful in my own creations, so I have relied upon the odd neighborly gift or occasional visit to the bakery to experience the satisfaction that few other foods quite match. It is a warm earthiness, a rustic reminder and a savory journey that is always equal parts nostalgia and expedition. I cannot say that all my breads are equally successful, but I have found delight in each loaf, and in each step of the process along the way.

Coffee, on the other hand, has been my favored beverage since I was seventeen or eighteen years old. When I was a teen, the caffeine did not affect me and I could drink at bedtime without issue, though I never made a habit of that. I drank a lot on occasion, however, and began to appreciate it stronger and darker and more robust than I could generally get at any local diner with their kettles of brown water offending my senses. As a young adult, I experimented with consumer-grade espresso machines, French presses, exotic blends of beans, home roasting and plenty of mail-order packages of coffee. Through unexpected events, I found myself in my mid-forties running a professional espresso cart as a fundraiser for my daughter's school and it caused me to re-examine my love of the beverage as I shared it with many parents each morning, while perfecting their morning brew as well as my own.

I do not claim to be a professional barista, nor do I feel that I make the world's best coffee and espresso drinks every day. I am not a world-class baker, either. In fact, my bread recipe is ridiculously easy and my modifications are often simplistic at best with few deviations from the formula. But what I do create brings me a good deal of enjoyment, which I try to share with my family and friends. And now, with you.

I also like beer, wine, chocolate and tea... but they didn't work as well into the blog title.