I enjoy baking bread. I was fifteen when I baked my very first loaf and I think I fell in love with the process— and of course the finished product. 

I used to bake a couple loafs a month at least, but then life got busy and it was just easier to buy bread at the grocery store and before I knew it almost a decade had gone by and I’d only made a few loafs in that time.

I’ve recently decided to make up for that. I’ve started making bread again. I usually make at least a loaf a week. And I’ve been searching for new recipes to try. I still have my tried and true white sandwich bread that I’ve made since I was a teenager, but I’ve also found an Italian loaf we really like, an English Muffin bread that toasts up great, and an artisan bread recipe that makes great bread bowls. I’ve also got a dinner roll recipe that is really good. I’ve altered a few of them from the original recipes. I love experimenting with breads. Even when the finished product doesn’t turn out so great it’s still usually edible. Might not be pretty to look at or be exactly what I was wanting, but we have rarely had to throw out a loaf.

Not to mention it’s cheaper for me to make it than it is to buy a loaf a bread at the store. And it tastes better.

It seems like everyone is on a low carb diet these days. I know Keto is all the rage. Those people would probably be aghast at the amount of carbs we eat. We eat a lot of bread, rice, and noodles. We do eat a lot of carbs. But we eat them in small portions throughout the day. And it’s all homemade, none of that processed stuff from the grocery store.

I’ve lost over fifty pounds in the last year. Hubby has also lost weight, although I’m not sure how much. And we are both continuing to lose weight. Even while we’re eating all of these carbs.

I wrote a post last year where I talked about why I don’t diet and those things still hold true. It’s more about the quality of food we eat and the portion size than it is the food itself.

We’ve also gone back to only using real butter. It tastes better and as long as we’re not slathering everything in it it’s fine to eat. I’d rather have the real thing than something that was made in a lab.

I’ve also noticed a big difference in the way I feel when I eat good foods as opposed to fast foods or processed foods. I have much less trouble with heartburn, inflammation, and my overall pain level is lower. On the rare occasion we grab something like fried chicken from our local chicken place or a pizza, we’ve both ended up suffering the consequences of those meals. It’s amazing the difference a year can make.

So now I’m off to eat some bread and search for more recipes.