8,934,758,346th attempt at homemade bread

while browsing through myriad websites during my substitute teaching job today, I came across an article on npr.org that caught my eye. Entitled "Conquering a Baker's Fear of Yeast" it explained through author Mia Morganstern’s point of view, that she had always been an avid baker (like me), enjoyed delighting her friends and family with scrumptious morsels fresh out of her oven (like me), but had cowered, trembling in fear at any recipe involving yeast (um, like me).

the time has come to change that.
after reading the article, and realizing that, yes! it IS possible to bake a loaf of bread!, i was even more pleasantly surprised to find recipes included at the article’s end. so, off to the supermarket i went, and returned home with a sack of flour and plenty of packets of fleischmann’s active dry yeast.

mission: “breakfast-for-dinner rolls”
status: in progress
prognosis: bleak

these little temptresses seem like they would melt in your mouth. a simple concoction of flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water, and (at the last minute, my favorite) sesame seeds, i found nothing about this recipe that i didn’t enjoy.

and then i remembered all the other times that i have tried to make bread, and it just refuses to rise. no matter what i do.

bread dough, listen. we’ve had a great relationship. i carefully selected the packet of yeast from the shelf in the baking needs aisle. i neglected important phone calls while i was tenderly kneading you. i shaped you gently into a pretty little round and covered you with a nice kitchen tea towel.

it’s been two and a half hours, dough, and you have certainly not doubled in size. what gives?

the saga will continue:

i have put the dough to rest in the fridge, hoping it might come to its senses overnight.

9 hours later...
it is now friday morning. i awoke excitedly, prepared to open the door of the good old Amana and see my bread dough happily sitting in its bowl, double its size, just begging to be kneaded, shaped, and baked.
sadly, my wish did not come true. i came face to face with a pitiful beige lump, emitting a tart and tangy yeast aroma. i figure i’ll let it sit out for a little while longer, give it one more chance, the just give up and go back to baking cookies.