How to instantly feel you've become an artisan baker

I'd been thinking it would be lovely to get into regular bread making for a while now. Partly because I like to know what goes into the things I eat, and also because buying artisan loaves at the market is a pricey luxury (OK, maybe $5 a loaf isn't too much in the greater scheme of things, but if I can do it myself for a fraction of the cost -and with added satisfaction- then...). I just like making things myself.

A couple of shots at my trusty old family recipe for honey bread in the breadmaker were really unsatisfying though. The old breadmaker quite possibly reached the end of it's functional life somewhere in the last 5 years while I wasn't using it. And then I remembered the No-knead Bread that other bloggers' were raving about some time earlier this year.

I tell you, I truly felt like I had miraculously become a skilled artisan baker when I opened the oven and lifted the lid of my Le Creuset pot to find this beautiful loaf inside. It seemed so much more like a loaf of bread should really be than anything I've ever made before. Crusty, with a delicious chewy texture, nice holes, great flavour and it made the house smell delicious.

Amazingly, it took very little time to make, just a bit of planning and coordination to complete the steps at the right intervals: Mix dough mid afternoon between attempts to settle Baby C for his next sleep; Turn out, fold and rest dough the next morning after breakfast; Shape dough after shower; Preheat pan and oven after weekly trip to the market; Unveil spectacular bread in time for lunch. Incredibly satisfying.

On the downside, it's a bit difficult to slice and butter (the big holes have some drawbacks), the kitchen seems to be covered with flour now, and the dishcloths I love so much don't seem to be that great at tackling bread dough remnants and flour mountains. And of course there's the fact that it gets eaten really quickly leaving you wanting more... (loaf #2 came out of the oven today).

I think I need to find a handy source for good breadmaking flour now- I used Anchor special blend Bread and Pizza flour, which was at the local supermarket, and was great, but I'd like to buy supplies in larger quanities. Let me know if you have any local suggestions.