“A good cook knows that it's not what's on the table that matters, it's who is in the chairs.”

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Homemade bread!

No bread machine needed (that's how I normally make my homemade bread).  I couldn't fit the last two cups in with my mixer so i had to kneed by hand, but so worth it!  I made this to go with the spaghetti I made for the Alive Leaders tonight.  Got the recipe from here.

Ingredients


1/2 cup warm water
3 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup bread flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups whole wheat flour
4 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
10 cups bread flour

Directions

1.In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, stir together 1/2 cup warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 cup bread flour, and yeast. Let grow for about 5 minutes. It will bubble almost immediately.

2.Measure oats, 4 1/2 cups warm water, whole wheat flour, salt, 2/3 cup sugar, and 2/3 cup oil into the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed with a dough hook for 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed slightly, and begin adding bread flour 1/2 to 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Humidity determines how much flour you need before the bread pulls away from the edge of the bowl. It is normal for the dough to be sticky.

3.Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

4.Divide dough into 6 pieces. Shape loaves, and place in greased 8 x 4 inch pans. Let rise until dough is 1 inch above rim of pans, usually 1 hour.

5.Bake at 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C) for 35 minutes, or until tops are browned. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Strawberry jam

4 lbs of Strawberries
2 c sugar
1/4 c lemon juice

Throw strawberries in blender and smash to your desired consistancy.  In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C). Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process any unsealed jars in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate. (or buy Ball freezer jars like I did and dump cooled jam into them and freeze)

I adapted this recipe from Kelly.  I reduced the sugar (by using twice as many strawberries).

Please note... I'm not a whiz or amazing... I'm just annoyed that strawberry jam & strawberry preserves are filled with a lot of stuff that is not natural.  That's just me.  And Meijer happen to have 1 lb of strawberries for $1.