Well, I did it. I made my first batch of bread. From scratch. With my very own hands. And it was vegan too. Best part of it all: it turned out!

Learning to make bread was one of the very first things that popped into my head (and consequently the very first thing I wrote down) when I started to create my Do Tomorrow Different: The List. Why? I don’t know. It just was. So I went with it.

But it wasn’t the first thing I checked off The List. I borrowed a few bread-making cookbooks from the library earlier in the year but they weren’t very inspiring. It wasn’t until I was making a dish from the Enchanted Broccoli Forest cookbook a month ago that I noticed it had a bread section and really took an interest in making bread. That Mollie Katzen always has a way of making any food adventure seem easy and fun (it’s like having your own little cheerleader sitting on your shoulder rooting for you every step of the way). But what actually made me roll up my sleeves (literally) and try out a recipe were the folks over at Blossoming Lotus (a vegan restaurant in Kappa on the island of Kauai). Their cookbook, Vegan World Fusion Cuisine, is the BESTEST in the world. I thumb through it almost every day and it is a different experience every time. Your mood, the weather, your energy level, the day of the week, what you’ve eaten recently, and so much more all have an impact on how you perceive a recipe. So I keep my favorite cookbooks near me at all times and flip through them for inspiration. Some weeks we eat like royalty. Other times, I’m thankful for the folks at Trader Joe’s for making good hummus, having a nice selection of crackers, and always having those wonderful jalapeno-stuffed olives in stock.

Last week, I was making Blossoming Lotus’ Spicy Thai Noodles (soba noodles, toasted sesame oil, broccoli, garlic, red bell pepper, green onion, soy sauce, and cayenne pepper) and on the facing page was a recipe for Himalayan Stuffed Bread. The bread is made from a focaccia dough which is then stuffed with a simple yam mixture that includes jalapeno, onion, garlic, and coconut milk. And while it’s not a “pure” bread making experience in the sense that you don’t cut it up and make sandwiches with it, it’s close enough. I had to make the dough (with yeast!), knead it, let it rise, “thump” it, and let it rise again…and that combination of activities, my friends, counts as bread making.

Rolling out the dough.	Plopping down the yam filling.
Folding the sides around it.	And finishing it off.

Fresh out of the oven...Himalayan Stuffed Bread!

The entire process was such a delight. I’d even go so far as to say it was a high. The precious timing and tenderness required in some steps of bread making is offset by the physicality involved in other steps (kneading, punching, rolling). My greatest fear (the dough not rising) was never realized, and the final product—savory, light, textures both crisp and soft—was such a pleasant “mouthfeel” experience. (Yes, mouthfeel. It’s a real culinary term. Look it up.) I served my Himalayan Stuffed Bread with a coconut curry sauce (also from Blossoming Lotus’ cookbook) over the top. Fantastic. Emmett and I couldn’t decide if a red or white wine would go well with the meal so we had both. I still can’t tell you which one is better…they both worked wonderfully with the dish.

	The finished product with a little coconut curry sauce on top.
	A peek at what it looked like in the middle.

As an added bonus to this whole experience, I realized that the ingredients that go into bread are cheap and plentiful (who doesn’t have flour, salt, and water in the house?) so if I do f-up, it’s no big deal to start over. The only real expense of bread making is time. And I’ve got plenty of that.