Let me just start out by saying, the only bread education I remember from my childhood is my mom telling me not to hold the can of Pilsbury rolls close to my face as I precariously pulled the little cardboard zipper. Oh, and my grandma’s propensity for burning the dinner rolls (or rather for making almost-edible hockey pucks.) I come from a long line of non-breadmakers.

Bread from scratch really makes one appreciate the novelty of a pre-made bread mix, especially in my case. Gluten-free bread is an art form that just so happens involve all that high school Chemistry I diligently ignored at age 15. Thankfully, this woman undertook to figuring out all that stuff (how to keep bread molecules together without that essential GLUE-ten) and she leaves a trail of fantastic recipes in her wake.

I made GF Millet Oatmeal Bread today (all afternoon and evening.) Forget the idea of a quick loaf of bread, and that miracle of modern breadmaking, an exploding can o’ rolls, while you’re at it.

I think beginning bread makers should be required to go through the entire process of greasing the pan, combining all the ingredients, activating the yeast, letting the dough rise (for a long time), baking the bread, letting the bread cool and finally tearing off a hunk of that warm, chewy goodness. After seeing what it takes to make that lunchtime staple, you might then appreciate a bread machine (or your great grandma) all the more.

So, back to my first go at GF bread from scratch:

I ended up with tapioca flour in my hair and more dishes than I’d care to talk about, but I did it! I made something that costs $6.99 at Whole Foods, for a sliver of that cost.

Next on my list is to figure out how to work this odd contraption (because it has its own accompanying art form and guidelines and recipes, yikes.) Talk about roadside finds, I found this bad boy in fab condition one afternoon in Park Slope, left out with unwanted books, clothes and other re-useable items. Did you notice the price tag attached to one of these wonders of modern baking??

Forget all the talk about breadwinners, let’s hear more about breadmakers.