I started cooking in my early 30s. Before then, I assembled more than I actually cooked. Baking was still years away. Cooking was fun and my husband and I enjoyed trying all sorts of new types of food. Cooking is forgiving, it is rarely precise. You can make small errors and often turn out with something even better. 

While I had an appreciation for baked goods, I knew that baking is exact. It is science and even small errors can totally ruin a bake. It wasn't until I started watching a baking competition that my interest was piqued. The Great British Bake Off fascinated me. It covered a range of baked goods I had never seen before and I decided to try some of the recipes used on the show. 

As it turned out, I have a knack for baking and really enjoy the mixing and kneading and shaping and piping. It is fair to say that my children prefer when I bake sweet things and my husband likes everything that I bake. But me, well,  I enjoy baking bread more than anything else. 

Bread is basic and wholesome and ancient. And there is a world of bread to try, all different flavors and textures and native ingredients. So, I have set myself a goal. I want to bake the breads of each country. Or, at the very least, each region, should I not be able to find a specific recipe for a specific country. Wish me luck.