Home made delight.

I can remember the smell like yesterday... it would waft through the house, tumble down the stairs and spill in to the basement where my room was. It would hit me like a ton of bricks, but the good kind of bricks, made from foam, and as I would inhale the smell would carry me up stairs to the kitchen. Fresh baked bread.

My Mom had a bread machine and for so many years as a child I ate homemade bread. And it was delicious. Yesterday afternoon as I was making an attempt to re-organize the back pantry for the one millionth time I came across a box with my Grandmother's cook books in it. There it was... speaking to me. "Don't worry about the pantry, open me and be allured by my goodies." I fought the urge. I really did. But I caved. I tore the box open and there it was, a bread machine cook book, chock full of recipes that were making my mouth water.

I admit in that moment, I got very nostalgic of living at home and remembering that smell. I wanted Marty and the boys to know it and come to love it the way I did. I snapped out of my little "moment" and remembered a few months back Carol told me she had a bread machine she didn't use anymore and if I wanted to use it I could. A light came on, a meant to be light. Marty just happened to be at his Mom's at that moment, so I whipped my phone out and sent a text asking him to inquire if the offer still stood.

Waiting, waiting, waiting for a reply. YES! He would bring it home! Yippppppeeee! I was filled with childish joy! I added the necessary ingredients to my grocery list as Marty walked in with the machine in hand.

Several hours later, the let down. I followed the directions and set the machine. It was late, so I tried the rapid rise function. My mistake. I also didn't have my water warm enough because my little loaf that I was craving to be light and flaky was dense and hard. *big sigh*

So tonight, redemption. I am going to try again and again if I have to for that bread I remember, that light as air, delicious, flaky, perfect loaf.

On a side note, even though it didn't rise as it should of, the house smelled AMAZING.