Thinking about achievement, like those big wins, reminds me of this thing I did a while back. Wasn’t about sports, but felt kinda monumental to me at the time, like getting my own personal trophies, maybe five of them in spirit.
So, I decided I wanted to get really good at making this specific type of bread. Like, master it. I set myself a goal: bake five absolutely perfect loaves, back-to-back. Sounds simple, right? It wasn’t.
The Grind Begins
First loaf? Total disaster. Flat as a pancake. I didn’t even know bread could do that. Okay, fine. Readjusted. Tried again.
Second attempt was better, looked okay, but the inside was gummy. Still not right. Threw it out. Getting frustrated now. Felt like I was getting nowhere.
Third time, I watched a bunch of videos, followed instructions super carefully. Measured everything precisely. This one actually rose! Looked pretty good. Cut into it… slightly burnt on the bottom. Close, but not perfect.
Finding the Rhythm
Okay, fourth try. I adjusted the oven temp, watched it like a hawk. This time… yeah, this was pretty good. Good crust, good crumb. Okay, that’s one. Only four more perfect ones to go. Felt like the first quarter, you know?
The fifth loaf, using what I learned from the fourth, came out just as good. Alright! Two down. I was starting to get the hang of it. It was all about the little details, the feel of the dough, the timing.
- Got the mixing down.
- Figured out the proofing time in my kitchen.
- Nailed the oven settings.
Loaves six and seven came out great too. That made four perfect ones in a row. Just needed one more to hit my goal of five straight.
The Final Push
The eighth loaf. I was nervous, didn’t want to mess it up. Did everything exactly the same. Waited. Pulled it out of the oven. It looked amazing. Let it cool, sliced it… perfect. That was number five.
Man, the relief! It wasn’t a championship ring or anything, but standing there with those five awesome loaves of bread lined up… felt like a huge win. My own five trophies, earned through trial and error, and a lot of wasted flour. Sometimes, just sticking with something tough and getting it right feels like the biggest prize.
