Forty-one down...11 to go...

What: #50 Bake a loaf of homemade bread

Where: My friend's gorgeous kitchen
When: November 24

Why: One of my favorite magnets on my refrigerator states "Domestically Disabled" and that really applies to my kitchen skills. I can boil water. Make toast. And instant oatmeal. Beyond that, I don't have much interest in other cooking skills, which I think stem from my dislike of the grocery store, so there isn't really much to cook with in my cupboards or fridge. So, when soliciting ideas for this list last fall, many suggestions from friends included learning to cook or bake. I do love really good bread, so this seemed like the benefit of the end result would outweigh any misery I'd face in having to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Luckily, my friend knows how much I dislike the grocery store, so she procured all of the necessary ingredients before we started.

 The whole process took a lot longer than I realized (another reason I don't enjoy cooking), but it was more like a science experiment with all the yeast magic and rising that went on during the 5 hours that the bread took from dough to loaf. And we got to punch the dough, which was nice for getting out some frustration. Plus, it was really cool to have a finished product I had actually created, and my friend's recipe for bread is delicious, so this was a great item to cross off the list!