Oops. I missed the new year. I should remember that I can schedule posts now.
Anyway, tomorrow, little A goes back to school. That will be interesting. We haven't been up and about before 9am these past two weeks. 7:30 is going to come a bit to quickly I think. It will be nice to get back on schedule though.
I haven't purchased bread since Thanksgiving. A number of recipes have been tried and I've finally found a winner for white bread. Here is the recipe, it's actually from my stand mixer instruction book (you could easily make this by hand, just knead until dough is the proper texture):
Basic White Bread
1/2 cup low-fat milk (I use 1%)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter
2 packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (I struggled with the proper temp for a while. Should be 105 F to 115F. I test it on my wrist like a baby bottle)
5 to 6 cups all purpose flour
Place milk, sugar, salt and butter in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm.
Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl (or just use a regular bowl, the warm water will warm up the bowl). Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4 1/2 cups flour. Mix at speed 2 for 1 minute (with the stand mixer or until combined if doing by hand. It will take longer if doing by hand).
Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl. (I use a total of 5 1/2 cups of flour) (If using the stand mixer the dough will take about two minutes to get to this point) Continue to mix at speed 2 (knead) until the dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch.
Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. (I put a bit of butter in a glass bowl and microwave about 20 seconds to warm the bowl and make the butter easier to spread. After putting the dough in and turning, I cover with plastic wrap to keep it nice and warm)
Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf, by rolling into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Starting from a short end, roll dough tightly. Pinch dough to seam seal. Pinch ends and turn under. Place each loaf seam side down in a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan. Cover. Let rise in warm place, about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
Bake at 400 F until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove pans immediately and cool on wire racks. (If you knock on the bread, it should sound hollow)
Eat.
Yield: 16 slices per loaf
Per serving: about 95 calories, 3 g protein, 18 g carbs, 1 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 148 mg sodium.
Note: I've substituted up to 1 1/2 cups of stone ground wheat flour in this recipe with excellent results.
Try this recipe. I dare you!
I'm beginning to experiment with wheat breads. Wheat flour is about twice the cost of white flour so I've been hesitant to learn the basics and experiment with recipes unless I could certainly eat the results. I'm ready for wheat and other grains now. In the past, I've found wheat breads to be much more dense so I'm looking for a deliciously light wheat bread recipe. When I find the perfect one, I'll let you know!
