At this time of the year, approaching the Holidays, every food blog is doing the last-minute gift list. I wanted to do something different.

You see, in our family, only kids get presents and us adult spend time assembling the latest Lego or Meccano set, that our kids got from their grandparents. To give you a visual: kids open their bags, take out the presents and hand it to Papa, so he could assemble it. That’s Papa’s gift! While Mama is cooking up a storm in the kitchen while entertaining the guests and filling up their drinks. That’s Mama’s gift!

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Everybody in my family loves bread. Moreover, we became quite picky when it comes to its quality. So many years ago, to stay away from the typical mass-produced sliced bread you’d find in any grocery store, I started making my own bread at home. In the last 12 years, we went through 7 different bread machines and not one of them lasted long! These days, I just knead the dough by hand and bake the bread in the oven. While it takes a bit longer, the process is satisfyingly authentic, and the result is much better. Another important thing that I learned through trial and error is that your measurements have to be much more precise than a simple measuring cup and spoon would allow. Using digital scales allows you to be more consistent and to reproduce that perfect loaf you baked last week, the one that everybody has enjoyed so much.

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