It's all in the bread

The smell of fresh bread is intoxicating in Europe.
It wafts through the narrow streets, enticing passersby to enter bakeries and purchase fresh bread in the morning and afternoon. Europeans, especially the French, are obsessed with fresh baguettes and with good reason.
A loaf of bread costs only $1.50 there, which makes it an affordable luxury for anyone.
When my husband and I were in Barcelona this fall I felt as if I’d entered a special heaven where it was mandatory to sell affordable cheese breakfast pastries, croissants and demi-baguettes (half-loaves).
So why is bread so expensive here? Sometimes I feel the urge to hurl flour at the makers of bread products as I browse a store’s selection just to remind these folks that bread should be cheap. Sara Lee bread runs around $4 a loaf at the grocery store. And fresh bread, well you’re probably more likely to see a Keebler dwarf sitting atop chocolate chip cookies then you are inexpensive bread. Cub charges $3.99 for a 14 oz package of Ciabatta bread.
I am sure there’d be a European Yeast Revolt if they were suddenly forced to pay 3 Euros for a mediocre loaf of bread.
Thankfully there is a way out of this rather battered situation. Put on an apron and bake your own bread.
Readers rest assured: the image you have of a woman kneading dough and monitoring the bread rising for hours was left behind with black and white television.
A quality bread maker is a great way for a beginner to learn about baking.
I purchased a “Breadman” bread maker from Bed, Bath and Beyond for $60 two years ago. It is not a cheap investment, but once you realize you can make bread for roughly $1 a loaf it is well worth the price.
This kitchen tool comes with a recipe book for yummy breads such as French, honey banana whole wheat, rye and cinnamon raisin. As an added bonus not discussed in the manual -- it makes your home smell like a bakery in the morning.
All you need to do is place water, yeast, salt, flour and any other required ingredients in the bread maker and press start.
I’ve graduated to the next level of baking bread now that I purchased a copy of “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.” For those not familiar with the book, authors Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (both of Minnesota) developed a method for bread baking that requires no kneading.
You simply mix ingredients in a large container and let the dough rise for two hours. Once the process is done you simply refrigerate the container and use the flour whenever you want to bake bread. It keeps in the fridge for two weeks!
The authors also use the steaming method to help the bread cook. You simply place a broiling pan under your bread and throw a cup of water in there. Half an hour later you’ll have a delicious loaf of bread and the added bonus of a nicely smelling home. Their recipes include mouthwatering olive oil bread roasted red pepper, Vermont cheddar bread and olive fougasse.So don’t be intimidated by that image of grandma wrestling dough with a rolling pin. This is America, where you can get inexpensive fresh bread with the touch of a button.