Big Bowl Bread Baking

I have a new goal: I want to bake all the bread my family uses. Okay, not ALL of the bread, not the tortillas or pitas or bagels. Just the regular, sandwich type bread that we use for everyday things. I have been baking this bread for about a month now and am getting pretty good at it!

Then, about two weeks ago, I made a purchase that has completely changed my view of bread-baking. I bought a REALLY BIG BOWL from the restaurant supply store. This bowl is huge. It is stainless steel. It rocks my world. In this huge bowl, I can mix up four loaves worth of dough, knead it right in the bowl on the floor, thus eliminating that awful counter scrubbing that happens when you bake bread, and let the dough rise right in the bowl. Afterwards, I balance the bowl over my sink (yes, it is too big to fit in the sink) and fill it with water. After soaking for a few minutes, I can wipe it out with a washcloth and clean it. This bowl makes me really, really happy.