Lately I've been baking our bread. I'm not really sure why I got on this kick. Afterall, I'm not usually the one jumping up to go bake! Anyway, I've been baking our bread since the beginning of the year and I'm getting better at it. That whole yeast thing is kind of tricky, in my opinion. It's so easy to kill it before it has a chance to do what it's supposed to. So I've resorted to using a thermometer and getting the temperature of the water and milk to be in the acceptable range of 105-115F. Can anyone tell me why the milk needs to be scalded then cooled? Is it okay to simply warm it up to the appropriate temperature?
At any rate, each batch seems to be a bit easier and a bit better. Here's my weekend effort ... before and after!
Mom sent me the Dilly Casserole Bread recipe -- now that brought back memories! It's a bread recipe that you don't have to knead, which is nice when you want to make a specialty bread for a specific meal.
"Let them eat cake"? No, I say "Let them eat bread"!
my parents gave us a bread maker for christmas. BEST. GIFT. EVER. :o)
ReplyDeleteDo you actually use it? Does it work?
ReplyDeletewe don't buy store bought bread anymore because we use it that much...and yes, it really is that good! on valentine's day we used it for the first time to make homemade pizza dough. SO DELICIOUS!
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love Iowa and the miles and miles of cornfields, corn (and the proliferation of it in our diet) partially prompted the whole bread-baking thing. Read the book "The Omnivore's Dilemna" and you'll start reading food labels (including bread) in a whole new way.
ReplyDeleteAmy and I use a bread machine to mix the dough and let it raise, then we bake it in a loaf pan in the oven. It works great.
ReplyDelete