Just some highlights of 2009.
- Gabe lost his first tooth
- Chloe learned how to ride a bike without training wheels (that was so fun)
- we made a spring and fall family trip to the beach
- Gabe went on his “special” hiking trip with Daddy
- went to Graceland with my parents
- hubby pulled my first gray hair (then I went on to find about four more in that same week)
- all the exciting firsts with Caleb, and he officially started walking in 2009, still mostly a crawler though
- Sophie started saying her f’s and v’s correctly (it was so sad to see that go)
- hubby and I celebrated 8 years of wedded bliss
Well, I just decided to write that before I started in on what I really wanted to post about. I know there are more highlights out there, I just can’t think of them right now.
On to my planned post. I decided that I wanted to write about my bread making experiences and share some recipes. I thought now was a good time since my good friend, Liz, is interested in some recipes and bread making tips.
First off, I need to give some background. My dear husband can be a tiny bit difficult when it comes to food. I would not classify him as a picky eater, by any means, but he certainly knows what he likes and doesn’t like. He has been all for me making bread and experimenting with recipes, but he has never really converted to “my bread.” Until recently. I think he still has some misgivings about it, but I have just kept on making it and not buying store-bought. There hasn’t been any complaints.
In his defense, it has taken me quite some time to get to where I am today. In the beginning, I really had no idea whatsoever about making bread. Looking back, I can see how God has used my husband to help me in this whole process. He always tried everything I put in front of him, even if he broke a tooth biting into it (that never really happened, but I’m sure there were times when he thought it had). Most of the time it was constructive criticism and probably a joke or two about having sandpaper toast, but I took it okay. I got frustrated a lot because I was really trying to do something good for my family. I knew that my bread didn’t taste anything like the stuff you buy in the store, but I still wanted it to be good. Even when I did make the occasional rock loaf I took comfort in the fact that it had to be better for me than the chemicals in sliced bread.
So back to why I’m grateful for my husband. Because he motivated me to keep trying. He may not realize that he did this, but he did. I was determined to put something on the table that we would all enjoy and I wasn’t going to stop until that happened. He drove me to perfection. Then I found it (well, not perfection, but a secret ingredient) the miracle to my bread making dilemma. But before I found it there were some conversion moments.
We were sitting at the table one night after dinner and somehow the discussion came up about how my bread doesn’t taste as good the day or two after making it. My husband said something like, ”It gets all dry and tasteless, not like sliced bread from the store that stays moist and delicious.” Well, that lit a fire in me to do something that I had been thinking about for awhile. I said, “Hmmm, hold on a minute, I want to show you something.” I went to my recipe box, pulled out my bread recipe, then grabbed a bread bag and proceeded to read to my family the ingredients of each. Of course, reading mine took all of 10 seconds and every ingredient was recognizable by my 3-year-old. By the time I was finished reading what was on the bread bag, my kids were looking at me like I just spoke to them in Korean. My husband smiled a little smile and said, “That was pretty good, that was good.” Now, that might have been a humorous moment for him, because he did think it was funny, but it was a huge breakthrough for me. I just gave him a really big reason not to enjoy store-bought bread, how can you when you really have no idea what you’re eating?
The second breakthrough, the conversion of my kids. Hubby occasionally gets groceries and on those days he might bring home a loaf of store-bought bread. By this time, I was not buying it anymore. We were getting ready to have sandwiches or something and he pulls his bread out of the bread box. He says, “Okay, who wants the yummy bread and who wants Mommy’s bread.” Gabe says, “The yummy bread? That’s not the yummy bread, Mama’s is the yummy bread. You like that stuff Daddy? I like Mama’s much better.” I won’t even try to describe the elation in my heart at those words.
The miracle you ask? It’s called Eagle Mills All Natural Unbleached All-Purpose Ultragrain Flour. I know that grinding your own wheat is the most nutritious way to make bread, but we aren’t there yet. I think a few years on just homemade bread, then I’ll try upgrading. But for now, I will use Eagle Mills. The problem hubby had with my past breads was the texture and how whole wheat can be pretty dense (at least mine was). Ultragrain flour can be used like all-purpose flour, but it has 9 grams of whole grain in each serving and it tastes like white flour (I can taste the difference, but it’s subtle). So I’ve just started using this flour for all my bread making needs. Like I said, there hasn’t been any complaints so I’m going to just keep doing what I’m doing.
Here are two recipes that I make all the time. I’m going to see if I can insert a picture before I share the recipes.
I have to put in that I LOVE my KitchenAid! The recipe I am sharing will make two loaves, but I doubled it to make what I have in this picture.
This recipe comes from “Catherine Clark’s Country Kitchen Breads.” The book features the “Miracle Method” in which she shares a way to make bread without using all the rise time. Her recipes are written to make the bread by hand, but I always use my KitchenAid so that is how I will write it.
Miracle White Bread
COMBINE IN LARGE BOWL (KithenAid bowl)
2 packets active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ultragrain flour (or plain white flour)
Beat until smooth. Cover; let rest in warm place 15 minutes. This is the “Miracle Riser.”
TO “MIRACLE RISER” ADD
1 1/4 cups warm water*
1/4 cup instant nonfat dry milk*
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups ultragrain (or white) flour
3 tablespoons soft butter or shortening
Beat 2 minutes with mixer. Add 3 1/2 cups ultragrain (or white) flour to the bowl and switch mixer attachment with dough hook. Mix until a stiff dough is formed. Form into a smooth ball, cover. Let rest 10 minutes.
Knead dough with dough hook on level 2 for 3-4 minutes. Divide dough in half. Mold into balls. Cover with bowl; let rest 10 minutes.
Shape loaves: roll out ball of dough on lightly floured surface to 15×6-inch rectangle, turning over once or twice while rolling. Roll up tightly starting with 6-inch side. Seal dough with heels of hands after each roll. Seal ends. Place loaf in well-greased 9×5x3-inch pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 to 60 minutes, or until light and doubled in size.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or deep golden brown. Loaves should sound hollow when knocked on. Remove from pans immediately.
*Fresh milk may be used. Omit the 1 1/4 cups warm water and dry milk. Scald 1 1/4 milk, then cool to warm.
Honey Whole Wheat can be made with a few alterations.
Substitute 2 tablespoons brown sugar for the white sugar in the “Miracle Riser.”
Use 1/4 cup honey instead of 2 T white sugar in the second step, also add 2 cups whole wheat instead of white flour.
Do all the rest the same.
As for storing bread. I slice all of my loaves, bag them and put them in the freezer. (Ha, we usually eat a whole loaf before it even gets near the freezer!) You can thaw slices, as needed, wrapped in a paper towel or just toast them. Mmmmm.
I was going to share our favorite pizza dough recipe and great tips for making the best pizza crust, but I am so ready for bed. If you’d like the recipe, let me know. I’d love to share.
Until next week…
