ATTENTION: Everybody in the WORLD!!!

I baked bread! And it was GOOD!

I recognize that one could argue that I bake bread for a living and that it should be no big deal. Normally, it isn't and in the controlled environment at work with fail-proof ingredients like cake yeast, it's pretty easy stuff.

But in my home kitchen, bread baking is no man's land. We don't talk about it, we outsource. Homemade? We just don't go there.

It basically boils down to the dry yeast. I can never get it to do what it's supposed to do. I add a pinch of sugar, I cheer, I coach, I beg... nothing.

That all changed today. Approximately 30 minutes ago, I pulled the most gorgeous loaf of bread I've ever seen come out of my oven, shed a tear, and then gave myself a swift "great job kid" slap on my behind.

It even looks like bread!

You might be wondering, "uh... why is it in a dutch oven?" That's actually what inspired me to try this recipe out! You bake it in a dutch oven in a wonderful pool of olive oil... 

I actually found this recipe on Pinterest (duh) and it's super easy, you add herbs, garlic and other seasonings to melted butter, add that mixture to your flour and yeast, let it rise, knead it, then throw it into a dutch oven and that's it!

I adjusted the recipe a little bit because I picked some rosemary from the garden today so I threw that in there with a sprig of green onion in place of the thyme and chives the original recipe calls for. Get the original recipe HERE.

The greatest part about it is that it seems like a simple recipe to try awesome combinations with! I'm thinking a green onion, bleu cheese and bacon combination is in my future...

For now, I'll count my blessings and appreciate this gorgeous thing. It smells like a dream and tastes even better. 

The crust is crispy from the generous coating of olive oil and the inside is soft and chewy, and as good as it is on its own, I can't wait to cover this stuff in some goat cheese and a few slices of tomato tomorrow. 

Oh, I also had a good run today and I guess that's worth mentioning too. My first solid run since the big shin splint fiasco. It was another slow one, but I was able to do three miles without stopping. 

I'm hoping to jump back into this whole training schedule right away, so hopefully the hour and twenty minute run scheduled for Sunday isn't going to kill me. It might though. 

I'll finish up the bread before then just in case. :/