Bread for myself is a material question. Bread for my neighbor is a spiritual one.
(Nikolai Berdyaev)
Baking is a rarity around here. I haven’t pulled out a recipe book since before Christmas. When my hubby gets desperate for a homemade sweet, often as not he ends up baking something himself — his peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are wonderful!
My biggest effort is usually a loaf of bread. Admittedly, there’s nothing easier than tossing the ingredients into a bread machine and letting it do its thing overnight so we can wake up to the unbeatable aroma of a fresh baked loaf for breakfast. And yes, I’m sure the texture of a hand-kneaded loaf is finer than what I make, but a little arthritis goes a long way towards discouraging that kind of effort.
I admire those people who can live immersed in their kitchens, loving their interaction with flour, sugar, vanilla and the like. I really do. I wish I were like them. I don’t hate baking, I just seem to have other things I’d rather spend my time on. But Love Inspired author Ruth Logan Herne comes as close as anyone to getting me back to cooking adventures. I first encountered Ruthy on the Seekerville blog. From there I’ve regularly trailed after her and the other Seekerville authors who take turns posting recipes and links on the Yankee Belle Cafe blog. I think it’s their irreverent approach to nutrition, calories and cooking shortcuts that appeals most, but I’ve collected several great-sounding recipes from them. Besides being good cooks, they’re great authors, too. Because of them I’ve been coaxed into reading genres that I never expected to enjoy.
However, this morning I’m not reading. While waiting for another loaf of just-baked homemade-but-by-a-machine bread to cool enough to slice, I am about to tackle a real baking recipe. It didn’t actually come from Ruthy, but was a result of following one of her links. It sounds outrageous, but too fascinating not to try. Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies! Who doesn’t love Sugar Cookies and Cinnamon Buns, right? So who can possibly resist the thought of a combined version? It’s enticed me back into the kitchen. I’ll let hubby do a taste test later on today and if they turn out well enough to brag, I’ll let you know.
Meanwhile, do you like baking (or cooking in general) as much as you like your other creative pursuits? What’s your favourite thing to bake? And I’ve always wanted to ask… do you nibble as you read and/or write?
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“People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
(Matthew 4:4)
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UPDATE – When Hubby says, “Can I forego lunch in favour of more of these?” you know these cookies worked out better than okay! I was a little generous with the icing glaze, but nobody ever complains about too much icing.
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MUSINGS 
Morning! Having been “eaters” of your meals & breads dD and I are always delighted to visit!!
Not doing much of it myself with dD working her 8 hour shifts from 3 or 5 o’clock so it’s mostly early suppers. I was reading a blog post the other day that said a lot of receipes are being passed around in books and blogs. (I could almost smell the aroms of that still warm bread!) mE
I printed out that recipe yesterday — let me know how they turn out! (I’ve got a recipe for Cinnamon Bun Pancakes that I made once…amazing, but SO far from healthy I don’t know if I’ll make them again, lol.)
I love to bake and cook. But I don’t do quite as much anymore since I started writing seriously. Also hubby has decided to loose weight so we don’t want to much sweet stuff around. i much prefer home made baking than anything bought. I count bread machine bread as home made!
I have never enjoyed cooking, and am thankful my family is easy to please. My favorite food to cook is chicken and rice. There are so many variations of it and they all meet with my husband’s approval. For dessert, the only sure winner for me is banana pudding; baked goods tend to burn…
I love baking cookies. I love my big Kitchen Aid thingy. I love the consistency of the oats and butter and sugar. I love getting all the spoonfuls down to the same size. Oh, and I love the smell when they come out of the oven. The extra inch around my waist? Not so much.
I gave up baking bread when hubby became wheat intolerant. Sadly, baking gluten free bread is a chore.
I rarely make time for baking these days, but you reminded me of all the baking I once did when the kids were living home.
Of course I’d rather be writing or reading than preparing food–umm I should say burning food. But what better excuse for burnt potatoes than producing a few perfect paragraphs, although I do like to say that potatoes going dry is a sign of rain. 😉
My mum is THE best bread baker around these parts and luckily she sahres with the family. No need for me to bake any. Besides, it wouldn’t even compare to hers.