Baguettes are like Mountians

 Working in the bakery, making bread, it becomes
 a challenge "for me" to make the perfect baguette.
 We've all seen that picture in your favorite
 cookbook of the baguette. Various hues of gold and
 brown, slashed lengthwise with gringe flairs showcasing
 the crumb within. 

I sometimes wonder how many baguettes
 did they make to get that perfect one for the photo shoot.
 
Everyday for me is a meditation on forming the baguette
 perfectly. Everyday I know I haven't formed the perfect
 baguette. Everyday I work towards that cookbook perfect
 picture of the baguette.  Everyday I climb that mountain. 
 
It's frustating and rewarding at the same time everytime 
 I mix and form my bread for the next day. 
 Being "un=classically" trained and working 
 from the background of someone who has opened a bakery
 and learning the trade from square one while making lots
 of mistakes along the way and learning from each one.
 
We are almost 3 years old and we are still growing
 and learning about business and making people happy.
 My wife and I know we make lot's of mistakes, but we have
 a wonderful base of customers that support us everyday, 
 each week, each month. I could go on about how we somehow
 are still in business after 3 years, but a little bit 
 each blog will reveal our struggles and rewards.
 Read my wifes blog to get a different perspedtive.
Buttercream and Roses


 For me it's a learning process of all aspects of running 
 a business to the fine art and science of breadmaking.
 I am a member of the Bread Bakers of America (bbga.org).
 On the members discussion board, a member talked about
 making baguettes (perking my interests) I read the post
 and followed a link about baguettes.
 
It was Julia Child's website with program video
 showcasing various chefs and their dishes. Baguettes!!! with 
 Danielle Forestier...I watched with the simple pleasure
 of watching her make french bread. I might as well have been
 watching porn...food porn that is in all it's glory.
 
It's always amazing to me how these simple ingredients make
 a simple but delicate delicious food. Bringing me back to
 why I started this blog in the the first place.
 Flour, water, salt and something wild is my life from day 
 to day. Some days it's a joy to pull a bagutte from the 
 oven looking picture perfect and some days I pull a lousy
 looking baguette directly relating to how I felt -
 the ups and downs of daily living affect how my bread comes
 out of the oven.
 
The baguette for me is the daily challenge, my focus on 
 making my life like the perfect baguette. Fresh, crisp,
 full of flavor and the need to make people happy with 
 every bite.  With all this talk about baguettes, here is the link
 to Julia's site.
Julia Child's
 
There are other chefs with recipes, but the baguette
 series is towards the bottom of the list.
 
Visiting Julia's site made me a little sad knowing
 she is gone. I remember many saturday afternoons, laying on
 the couch watching her shows on PBS. I learned so much
 from her and her books. Someone I never met, offering me
 a wealth of knowledge I will carry with me forever.
 Enjoy the link, and make bread, bread, bread.