Yesterday, I've discovered a great baking recipe from one of my favorite cook books on baking bread and immediately went in to the kitchen to begin books description of the afterwards result. And I have worked hard at this one, as I always do, a lot of time and I then finally opened my big oven to see what I've created only to see something I was not expecting. Boy, was I not happy. Not only I realized that this thing I made didn't look anything at all like I have seen on the photograph, but it didn't taste nowhere as good as the recipe said or as I have though I'd get either. I am going to even state that it was a bread from my nightmare.
It is true that baking bread is surely not an easy process and sometimes can be tedious, but it's all part of having a good time! I enjoy baking, but this time I have failed. The amusing thing is that I followed the recipe from start to finish from that baking recipe I read and sure did do all right. A lot of people fail to cook the bread they want because it's a delicate process and dudes often get discouraged soon after just a few failed attempts and this is the worst part, because there are hundreds of the baking recipes to experiment from and a lot of different techniques taught by hundreds of different guys and you'll become master at it all arrives with experimenting.
So, what makes you a great baking specialist? I'd say knowledge, determination and a lot of effort and practice. Some basic knowledge can change bakers experience a lot. E.g. there are techniques that stop the bread from sticking to the cooking pan this can be prevented with some fundamental understanding and yet can be extremely troublesome if you have not got that knowledge. So, having those baking recipes in your hands is only half of that equation. Also, speaking about baking recipes, - how confident are you in that the recipe you have gives you the best available way your baking can be performed? You cannot. And that's another problem there are 100's of baking-books that hold billions of various recipes in them, and not all are good.
One other crucial in my opinion and from my experience parts which can improve the the quality of your home made bread is cornmeal. You can prepare your bread much better and tastier by just adding the cornmeal, and here is how you do it: while you are oiling your cooking pan, you add the cornmeal to the pan after you slightly oil it as you usually do. This is going to cause your bread to stick to the cornmeal while you are baking and that is going to make your job a lot easier when separating your home made bread after it has finished baking. That is it! It's as basic as that, and improves the quality of your bread as well as improving average baking experience. This secret is very popular and used amongst some of the best bread-makers and will work with all types of know breads, so use it today and all the time and you won't be disappointed!