Getting Back to Baking

Ever since I was a tiny little thing, though some could argue I'm not that big these days either, I have loved baking. I was never into anything that complex, but I like dough. I like the simple acts of baking, it's a kind of therapy when you are doing it at your own pace and without any pressure.

Working as a chef for years, killed all my desire to do anything in the kitchen, other than pour myself a drink. Now that I have been safely out of that environment for 10 months, I am slowly getting back into cooking and baking.

A couple days ago my mom and little were coming over for evening tea, and I though to be a good host and bake something. I dug out my Kitchen Aid that hasn't seen anything else than dust during this year, and texted @escapist to ask her a recipe for focaccia, because she makes a really good one! She gave me exact amounts for salt, sugar and yeast, in relation to the amount of water I would use, but my kitchen scale had run out of batteries so I ended up eyeballing it all.

While I got my dough properly kneaded and I was waiting for it to raise, I embarked another baking project too. A Swiss roll cake, which is super simple and one of my favourite things to both bake and eat. I didn't take any pictures of that, because I forgot, like I also forgot to take a picture of my bread when it was out of the oven. I was too busy filling myself with carbs, sue me.

I topped my focaccia with rosemary and cherry tomatoes, and of course with a heavy amount of olive oil and Maldon salt. It came up pretty well but not as good as Esc makes it.