Hi all

I've been lurking here for several months while figuring out sourdough.  I've already gotten lots of good info here without asking a single question.

Thought I would join to get a little more out of the site.

Short history.  I actually started baking bread way back in my early twenties.  Life got busy and bread didn't seem so important.

A couple of things got me back to making my own bread.  Around Christmas I got the urge to make some Weihnachsstollen.  Loved the stollen.  Didn't love how sore my arms got mixing ingredients by hand.  I needed some mechanical help.

The second nudge was when I could no longer buy my go to sourdough rye at the grocery store.  I wanted a bread that was more rye than wheat flour and had a little more oomph.

I briefly looked at mixers, but they were way too much $$ and space for the amount I figured I would use it. A breadmaker, on the other hand, was inexpensive and would do the trick for mixing, or mostly mixing the dough.

And a dozen loaves later, here I am.