A few posts ago, I mentioned my terrible success with bread making. Up to today, I have attempted to make bread approximately five different times using different recipes. Regardless of how diligently I followed the recipe, it always turned out bad. Sometimes it just would not rise. Others, it would rise but still be too dense. The most disappointing loaf was somewhat of a sneak attack. I had followed the recipe exactly. It appeared to rise properly. When it was done in the oven, it was golden brown. I was so excited because it looked perfect. Little did I know, that the beautiful crust was just taunting me. It was merely a carbohydrate-rich Trojan horse, weaseling it's way into my heart just to dash all my hopes and dreams. I had plans for this bread. This bread and I were going to accomplish things like soups and sandwiches and maybe even french toast. The sky was the limit! I gently pressed the knife through the crust, waiting to see the soft bread inside. When, oh wait, what's this? Nothing! That's what. Absolutely nothing. The crust was just an empty shell. I have no idea where the inside went, but it was not where it was supposed to be.
Given my history with the act of bread making, one might think that I would stop trying. Nay! I have, however, been starting to wonder if it's something with me. I have this scene in my mind of all my failed loaves of bread coming to me and saying to me, "It is not us...it's you." After hearing about my bread complications, a friend of mine recently provided me with a "tried and true" recipe. She said that she has made it multiple times and that it turns out great every time. I thought this would be a good test to see if it really is me and that I can't make bread, or perhaps it's the recipe.
I followed the recipe exactly, and it appeared to rise properly prior to entering the oven. After I put it in the oven, I did not look at again (maybe a watched loaf doesn't bake, similarly to a watched pot). After a while it was definitely smelling like bread, but I did not let that get my hopes up. When I took the finished product out of the oven, it looked amazing. It had risen perfectly and was golden brown. Again, I did not want to get my hopes up seeing as how it may very well be empty inside. I finally cut it, and it definitely was not hollow. It was perfect! It was soft and not too dense. I had succeeded! I made bread.
Thank you, Abbie, for the recipe. I encourage you to try it! And rest assured that if I can make it, so can you!
White Bread (2 Loaves)
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups flour
2 packages active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup soft margarine
2 1/2 cups very hot tap water
Oil
1. Combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in large bowl. Stir well to blend. Add margarine.
2. Add hot tap water to ingredients in bowl all at once. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed for two minutes. Scrape sides of bowl occasionally.
3. Add one cup more flour. Beat with electric mixer at high speed for one minute or until thick and elastic.
4. Stir in remaining flour gradually. Use just enough flour to make a soft dough which leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a floured board. Round up into a ball.
5. Divide dough into two equal portions. Knead each portion for 5-10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.
6. Cover with plastic wrap then a towel. Let rest for 15-20 minutes on board. Then push down.
7. Shape each portion into a loaf and place in a greased 8 1/2 x 2 5/8 loaf pan.
8. Brush surface of dough with oil. Cover pan loosely with wax paper and then with plastic wrap.
9. Refrigerate 2-48 hours. When ready to bake, remove wax paper and plastic and let stand for ten minutes.
10. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake on a lower over rack for 35-40 minutes.
11. Remove from pan immediately and cool on rack.
Enjoy!
07 November 2010
24 October 2010
A Knitted Revolution
I like to knit. The end. Ok, maybe not the end. For some people, "knitting" conjures up an image of an elderly woman in a rocking chair diligently working away on an afghan or hideous sweater for an unsuspecting grandchild. So, when people find out that I like to knit, the response is usually, "Really?" Yes, really. I don't generally make afghans or sweaters (my two attempts at sweaters took one year each and resulted in a garment for some person who has a very short torso but freakishly long arms).
What I do make are awesome hats! These are not your typical stocking hats, though I can make those. I make hats that embody more than, "Man, it's cold and I really wish I had something to put on my head." I create hats with awesome colors that embody vibrancy, creativity and individuality. An ear flap hat with peace signs on the ear flaps? Done. A turquoise and brown striped close fitting cap complete with a tab and button? Piece of cake. How about a neon green and maroon slouchy tam? Beat you to it.
Who says hats have to be boring? Knitting does not have to be your grandmother's past time. It can be fun and funky and a way to let your individuality shine. Knitting awesome and creative things has become my personal revolution. Let boring go out with the trash this week. Here's to the Revolution!
What I do make are awesome hats! These are not your typical stocking hats, though I can make those. I make hats that embody more than, "Man, it's cold and I really wish I had something to put on my head." I create hats with awesome colors that embody vibrancy, creativity and individuality. An ear flap hat with peace signs on the ear flaps? Done. A turquoise and brown striped close fitting cap complete with a tab and button? Piece of cake. How about a neon green and maroon slouchy tam? Beat you to it.
Who says hats have to be boring? Knitting does not have to be your grandmother's past time. It can be fun and funky and a way to let your individuality shine. Knitting awesome and creative things has become my personal revolution. Let boring go out with the trash this week. Here's to the Revolution!
09 October 2010
Grow!
It may be October, but that has not stopped me from trying to grow something. In mid-September, I planted leaf lettuce and spinach in planters. They look good so far; I just hope they grow bigger, faster before it gets snowy!
I am hoping that my garden also teaches me the concept of delayed gratification. I planted garlic this month, however, it won't be ready until June or July. So long! It looks pretty sorry right now since it is really just a strip of dirt, but in eight or nine months, I should have twenty heads of garlic...I don't know if I can wait that long.
08 October 2010
The Beginning of an Adventure
When I began this blog, I decided it would serve several purposes. One of these is to chronicle my attempts at living a more sustainable life. Some may wonder what this means. Going "off the grid?" Not really.
I found myself asking questions such as "If I can grow the vegetables I like to eat, why should I buy them at the store? If all applesauce is just squished up apples, why can't I make that? What actually goes into making many of the things most people buy at the store?" These questions led to my version of trying to live a more sustainable life. I want to create a vegetable garden so that I know exactly what is going on my food. I have learned to make homemade vegetable stock, rather than buying it. I make applesauce, jelly, dog treats, and all kinds of things instead of buying them. If I can make what I need rather than buy it, I am going to try. It might turn out terribly (like my adventures in bread making), but it also might turn out incredibly (hello peach jelly!).
I have been doing many things to be more self-sustaining for a while, such as making jelly and applesauce and knitting. The vegetable garden will be a new endeavor that I am extremely excited about. Even though it is October, this endeavor has begun. I look forward to sharing my successes (and failures) with you, so check back to find out how it goes!
I found myself asking questions such as "If I can grow the vegetables I like to eat, why should I buy them at the store? If all applesauce is just squished up apples, why can't I make that? What actually goes into making many of the things most people buy at the store?" These questions led to my version of trying to live a more sustainable life. I want to create a vegetable garden so that I know exactly what is going on my food. I have learned to make homemade vegetable stock, rather than buying it. I make applesauce, jelly, dog treats, and all kinds of things instead of buying them. If I can make what I need rather than buy it, I am going to try. It might turn out terribly (like my adventures in bread making), but it also might turn out incredibly (hello peach jelly!).
I have been doing many things to be more self-sustaining for a while, such as making jelly and applesauce and knitting. The vegetable garden will be a new endeavor that I am extremely excited about. Even though it is October, this endeavor has begun. I look forward to sharing my successes (and failures) with you, so check back to find out how it goes!
06 October 2010
Here comes Fall!
What an awesome weekend! The temperature dropped quite a bit, which kicked me into Fall. What better way is there to welcome Fall than with apples? None that I could think of. And this is why I spent much of my weekend elbows-deep in them.
Last weekend, I picked more apples than I could carry on my own. I am not quite sure how large a bushel is, but if it is anything close to the size of a giant, overflowing laundry basket, then I may be on the right track. Thankfully, I own something that I call the Apple Machine. This is a metal device that suctions to your counter top that peels, cores and slices apples at lightning speed. Without this amazing invention, it would literally take weeks for me to process all of the apples.
After the peeling and coring and slicing, I put many of the apple slices in the dehydrator to turn them into apple chips. When the dehydrator was full, I put the remaining apple slices into a pot and turned them into apple sauce. This took several hours, but it did make the whole house smell like apples! There is nothing quite like eating a bowl of warm, home-made applesauce when there is a little chill in the air to put me in the mood for Fall. Soon it will be time for pumpkin patches, hay rides, and drinking apple cider.
Last weekend, I picked more apples than I could carry on my own. I am not quite sure how large a bushel is, but if it is anything close to the size of a giant, overflowing laundry basket, then I may be on the right track. Thankfully, I own something that I call the Apple Machine. This is a metal device that suctions to your counter top that peels, cores and slices apples at lightning speed. Without this amazing invention, it would literally take weeks for me to process all of the apples.
After the peeling and coring and slicing, I put many of the apple slices in the dehydrator to turn them into apple chips. When the dehydrator was full, I put the remaining apple slices into a pot and turned them into apple sauce. This took several hours, but it did make the whole house smell like apples! There is nothing quite like eating a bowl of warm, home-made applesauce when there is a little chill in the air to put me in the mood for Fall. Soon it will be time for pumpkin patches, hay rides, and drinking apple cider.
28 September 2010
Wait no longer
I know that there has been much anticipation in regards to this first post. Well, rest assured, it has arrived!
I drove with a co-worker to Chicago on work-related business today, but got pleasantly sidetracked by a pumpkin patch along the way. We went through a kids haunted house (not too scary) and went on a hay ride. The hay ride was awesome until the tractor ran out of gas in the middle of a corn field and our tour guide had to run back to the barn to get the gas can. I was mildly concerned at this point and decided the best option was to sit on the tractor and have my co-worker take my picture. After the hay ride was over, we considered getting candy corn painted on our faces but figured that it might not be best to arrive at our work-related event all painted up. Curse you, Voice of Reason.
Also, after extensive thought and conversation with my co-worker on this 10 hour drive, I realized I know very little about blimps or hot air balloons. Questions I would like answers to are as follows: Can hot air balloons "speed" forward or only up? Where do passengers sit/stand in a blimp? Does a blimp have a basket like a balloon or do passengers sit inside like a spaceship? If it's the latter, can I live in a blimp? Also, how does one in a hot air balloon get back to their departure site to land? I have a lot of research to do.
I drove with a co-worker to Chicago on work-related business today, but got pleasantly sidetracked by a pumpkin patch along the way. We went through a kids haunted house (not too scary) and went on a hay ride. The hay ride was awesome until the tractor ran out of gas in the middle of a corn field and our tour guide had to run back to the barn to get the gas can. I was mildly concerned at this point and decided the best option was to sit on the tractor and have my co-worker take my picture. After the hay ride was over, we considered getting candy corn painted on our faces but figured that it might not be best to arrive at our work-related event all painted up. Curse you, Voice of Reason.
Also, after extensive thought and conversation with my co-worker on this 10 hour drive, I realized I know very little about blimps or hot air balloons. Questions I would like answers to are as follows: Can hot air balloons "speed" forward or only up? Where do passengers sit/stand in a blimp? Does a blimp have a basket like a balloon or do passengers sit inside like a spaceship? If it's the latter, can I live in a blimp? Also, how does one in a hot air balloon get back to their departure site to land? I have a lot of research to do.
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