I get so proud of the bread dough. Since we grew the starter ourselves from scratch, I am very mother bear about the yeast. I am so pleased when they do their best.

This recipe was for French bread. It is very, very similar to traditional sourdough, except that you also spritz the oven with water during the first 15 minutes of baking. This witchcraft magically makes the bread chewier, with a softer crust than normal sourdough.

Look at that sourdough starter at work! My chest swells with such pride.

This is the kitchen utensil I never knew existed, but now use all the time when making bread. You can lay down a nice, even flour bed for the dough with it. You can also use it to grab more flour when you need it and sprinkle it down, instead of reaching your dough hands straight into the flour, and then throwing it down in a big clump.

I accurately predicted the outcome of the finished product. YUM. The crust was lighter and softer, from the oven spritzing I assume, and the bread was amazingly delicious and chewy. We ate it just as is, no butter or jam necessary. Its that good. Well done, my little yeast children.