Home baked wholegrain bread is not only nutritious, economical and easy but the bread making process is soul satisfying. Kneading becomes a relaxation exercise and we all know the effects of this age-old aromatherapy.

As winner of more than 20 ribbons for bakedgoods at the Los Angeles County Fair, I feel qualified to teach you the art of bread making. But you may be more impressed with this credential: I have never baked a dense, hard, unenjoyable loaf of bread.

Yes, bread making is an art and it requires judgment. Just following recipes is not the way to approach it. The most important element is a kinesthetic sense of knowing when the dough is just right. This is not difficult to acquire; once you have experienced a mass of gooey ingredients become "smooth and elastic" (feeling like living flesh with a mind of its own) you will always know what you are working towards (and won't stop until you get there.) Therefore, you will never be disappointed.

Before trying any of my bread recipes, please read Bread Making Tips and Terms of Art. Also read through the Basic Whole Wheat Bread recipe, which details the basic procedure upon which most of the other recipes rely.

The procedure for white breads is the same, they just don't require as much effort in kneading or as great attention to the freshness of the flour. After all, white flour, even the unbleached kind, has a very long shelf life.

I hope that after trying some recipes, you will improvise and create your own signature breads. I would love to hear about them. Maybe you would like to share them with all of us. There is a form for submitting recipes to these pages. And you can always email any questions, concerns, tips, accolades. All are welcomed.

In addition to the recipes, you may want to read my articles About Yeast, About Crusts, Supply Sources and Nutritious Additions.