Another year is at an end and 2018 is on the anvil with loads of promise. Every year when Valli asks us to write about the Best of the Year, she gives pointers like – best recipes, most liked ones, etc. But what I end up doing is write about my entire life in that year because this blog is my life journal. So you have to read about the boring details of my life because you chose to click here.

When I read my old posts, I am transported back to the time I made the particular dish, my kitchen and the mood then – probably my daughter tugging at the apron wanting to butt in on the dish or the husband hungrily asking if I had any more clicks left or could he eat already or my maid waiting impatiently to clean the mixing bowl and gettin on with her job or the rare occasion when it is just me, the dough and some soothing music in the background.

This year was pretty uneventful on the personal front – I stayed in one house for the entire year!! I made some amazing friends in my apartment complex and so has the daughter. She seems to have settled in her new school and I spent quite some time figuring out how to dress her up in various avatars as demanded by the school. I am convinced parenting was easier when I was a kid. Sigh!

On the blog front, this year has been promising. The reason I started this blog was to document my bread baking and I kind of lost the plot somewhere along the way. This year I have managed to bake quite a few loaves and learn a lot about baking in general and breads in particular. The highlight definitely was the April Mega Marathon when I baked 26 breads, one for each letter of the alphabet.

I also baked bread for this year’s Bake-a-thon in December.

Another highlight was our September Mega Marathon when I blogged about 26 Protein Rich Dishes

Thanks to Valli, who started the exploration of a country’s cuisine every month, I learnt about cuisines of USA, Morocco, Greece, Lebanon and Caribbean. I am hoping to do better on this front in 2018.

I know I shouldn’t but I do love certain bread recipes I made more than the others. There are a few I am partial to and simply cant help loving them a wee it more than the others. So here are my favourite recipes of the year that i blogged about –

1. Boule

This bread is special because it is the first one I baked with bread flour and the results were awesome to say the least.

2. Rewena Paraoa

I loved making a starter with the humble potato and that led to an amazing flavourful loaf. It was so much fun learning new methods and ingredients in bread baking.

3. Pain d’epi

You can’t bake bread and not be a fan of the French. The diversity and variety there is beyond imagination. This bread made me excited and a wee bit proud of my efforts in baking bread. It was on my list to bake for a long time and achieving it made me estatic.

4. Sourdough Brown Bread

I started baking with sourdough this year and this has been one of my better loaves to come out of those experiments. Also, whole wheat flour has lent a lovely flavour and texture to ṭhis beautiful loaf.

5. White Bread

I have been trying to get a hole-y bread forever now. Though I still haven’t, this loaf gave me hope that I can achieve it someday. This looks like an important step ahead in that direction.

6. Raisin Yeast Water Bread

Yeast water is an absolutely new discovery that I made this year and it is a huge ocean of knowledge in itself. This loaf is made from my first raisin yeast water to get some commendable results. Looks like an exciting area of exploration.

So that was my year. How was yours?

Happy Baking!

This is going to the Best of the Year hosted by Srivalli