So, before I forget, here's the current recipe!
1 T. active dry yeast (we got bulk, which is less expensive than in the packets.)
1 T. brown sugar (we use raw, organic sugar that just happens to be brownish
sprinkled over and stirred gently--
1/4 C. warm water--let this set for a couple of minutes and add
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup melted butter
Yes, we're getting into naughty territory, here...
Add 1 1/2 t. salt (sea salt is nice...)
And 1/4 to 1/2 C. honey (I got tired of squeezing the bear somewhere between those...)
Mix those into the yeast/egg/butter mixture.
One recipe called for 4 C. whole wheat and 4 C. white flour, but I was short of whole wheat, so I added a half cup of wheat germ, 2 C whole wheat and 6 of organic white.
Whatever, stir them into the liquid mixture and then turn out on a floured board and knead this it sticks together reasonably well.
Let it rise in a BIG bowl till you're afraid it's going to run over, punch down and knead again. It'll feel a lot silkier now...
(It's winter, we don't have a wood fire going, so warm places are a bit short. I half submerged the bowl in the sink in warm water, which I refreshed twice during the rising. You could probably use a heating pad too...)
Divide in two, form into loaves, and put these in buttered loaf pans. I made decorative cuts in the top of the loaves, rubbed butter on top, and let them rise again--then baked at 350 for 45 minutes.
Oh, my. VERY, VERY good.
 |
| Here's what it looked like, done--made two BIG loaves... |
(I made an organic baby romaine, yellow bell pepper, and fresh mushroom salad, with Joseph's gorgonzola dressing, J. made his herb-encrusted roast from one I got him at Christmas at Whole Foods, and we mopped up the herbs and juices with bits of bread. Doesn't get any better than that...)
 |
| This is artisan bread, also very good, but you have to keep a starter in the fridge for it...I ran out of room and time! |
Thanks Kate. I am a bread-a-holic and this look and sounds wonderful!!!
ReplyDeleteYUM! Thanks, Kate!
ReplyDeleteThat does sound good! Thanks for the recipe. It will be the next one I try!
ReplyDeleteIt IS good. Had toast and poached eggs this morning, and last night used some to sop up the lovely soup. Before that it made a great sop for the herb crust juice from the roast. Wow...making myself hungry!
ReplyDeleteUmmmmmm this is exactly what cold winter days are for!! (and then sketching the results!)
ReplyDeleteDo you two aim for a calorie/fat/cholesterol/sodium count or just try to eat sensible amounts?
ReplyDeleteannie
Good question, Annie. We try to limit fats somewhat, and I've cut back on salt in my cooking because of J's blood pressure (which is actually FINE now). Mostly we are concerned with good quality foods with few or no chemicals involved. If we can't pronounce it, we don't eat it!
ReplyDeleteWe try to keep it simple; if we buy foods we look for the fewest ingredients. We try to avoid nitrites, nitrates, most preservatives and dyes.
We switched to small luncheon plates years ago! Try not to use the full sized dinner plates often.
SO no, we don't count calories, we just try to buy and eat as fresh as we can, and stop before we're stuffed!
Cathy:
ReplyDeleteI tried your recipe and found it super. I may have misread the recipe but I found it a bit dry and had to add liquid at the Kitchen Aid mixing stage. No matter, it's SO much better than store-bought "fresh" baked bread - hah! -fresh frozen brought in by truck the night before and baked in-store to deliver that tempting fresh-baked smell so I'll buy more of their junk food.
John
Hi John--no, I don't think you misread it, it does get a bit dry, but we're still working on the second loaf now, so I guess it has a right to be! It's a month old. We ate one loaf right away and froze the other, but yes, it's got an odd texture. Slices beautifully!
ReplyDeleteOh, you mean in the mixing, not the eating...
I really love the flavor of it, very yeasty...
Yes Cathy, I meant at the mixing stage, No problem though. I just added milk (I think) until it "felt" right. Like you, I sliced the loaves and froze them right away. As a widower I only eat about one slice a day for lunch, so I just zap it in my microwave for 15 seconds and - presto - nice fresh bread soooooooooo much better than store-bought.
ReplyDeleteYes, we don't eat much bread, either. I should have sliced ours before freezing, because of course I had to thaw the whole loaf and now it's getting a bit crumbly.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like it!