Bread Adventures - Almond Brioche

I know it's been forever since I've shared my bread adventures....  I have 'catching up' on my To Do List but I think that today I will jump in and share where I am!

As some of those who've been keeping up with me for a while know, I have been slowly and methodically baking my way through Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francoise.  (See their website www.artisanbreadinfive.com)

It has definitely been an adventure for someone as kitchen- challenged as I am....  or should I say USED TO BE :-)  I have spent the last year or so working on different kinds of bread - using the simple methods in this book!  And I have become a bread maker.  At least I have been creating breads that people are actually eating.... and today I made something called Almond Brioche.

It uses make-ahead Brioche dough........ is rolled out in a flat rectangle.  I made a filling using almond paste (an item I went to my favorite go-to place on the internet for - www.nuts.com).    I spread the filling on the dough and rolled it up like a jelly roll.  Then cut in 8 pieces and put into a prepared cake pan to rise.

Before baking, it is topped with sugar, orange zest & almonds... and voila!

How does it taste?  Like a french pastry.... oh my goodness.... I never would have thought I could do this :-)

And my beloved husband... who neither complains nor praises food.... well, he said, matter-of-factly.... "I would pay money for this.  I would pull off the highway to buy one of these"

You'd have to know my husband to appreciate the high praise in that statement...

Unbelievable pastry!  Get the book... if I can create this, anybody can :-)

I'll leave it at that.

Bread adventures! Montreal bagels

Pretty day ahead!!  I wore a coat on my morning walk and came back home ROASTING!  I hope that I can spend some more of my time outdoors today :-)

We will be heading out to the chiropractor soon... my beloved still can't drive (which he is not handling well).  My shoulders are still bugging me, but his need is the more urgent.  I do have to resist an urge.... men are so FUNNY when they are ill.  I need to bite my tongue to refrain from saying.... okay where WERE you these last few months when my shoulders have been acting up?  Because you, my readers - YOU know who got out the Christmas decorations and put them back.  YOU know who has been hauling boxes around... and you also know that many things simply haven't been done.

But I am chuckling about this - because I also know that he will do what I ask him to do - and I am NOT good about asking for help.  And I can't fairly PUNISH him because he IS good at it :-)  I AM discovering how blessed I am - because my DISHWASHING has doubled lately... I miss our walks together in the morning - but am enjoying my solitude too.  Changes, changes.... but all is well.

I will be working on the house this afternoon when I get back... tomorrow morning I will pick up my granddaughter for an overnight.  We are very excited but there is a good bit to catch up on after all the excitement of the week..... FLOORS to do when I get home!

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Bread Adventures

More bagels from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day!  It has been fun for me to have so many of you talk to me about this book :-)  I would be curious how many books have been purchased because of this blog... but I am having so much fun learning!  Within another month or so, I will be beginning to add in some of the recipes from the authors' second book - Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

In the grand scheme of things, this bagel project moved more smoothly than the first one.... in the midst of it, however.....

...The first batch of dough didn't rise well......  I thought it might be me!

I went to make another batch to see... and noticed a typo (maybe) in the book.  It calls for 1 tablespoon of yeast (which supposedly equals 1.5 packets).  What I noticed is that the 1.5 packet descriptor is on all the breads - and they all call for 1.5 Tablespoons of yeast.  I wasn't sure which was correct.... so I did an online search.  The answer is that a packet is approx 2/3 tablespoon (actually it is 2.25 tsp and 3 tsp = 1 Tbsp) 

And then I checked the FAQ on the website and it said that you actually could use a whole lot less yeast if you wanted - it just needed a lot more time to rise.   So after 2 days, that batch number one is still pretty small.....

I decided to make another batch with the 1.5 Tablespoons of yeast and see what happened!

The end result was that both batches reached the same size... much smaller than the other breads... so there ya go :-)  It was less dough than the other batches I have made but it was also firmer and easier to work with.

I still can't seem to get the size right for bagels - or maybe they are supposed to be a monster size :-)  I used about as much as a tennis ball.... and they ended up still larger than a hamburger bun.

This batch was definitely easier to do - and hence - more fun for me!

Beautiful, beautiful bread... two batches worth so I have plenty to share :-)

Taste testers concur..... this bagel tastes a LOT like a soft pretzel that you buy.... and since it is much easier to work with than the other dough.... IF I were inclined to go to the work of making pretzels..... I will use this dough!

Yep - this recipe is a keeper!

Bread - Prosciutto & Olive Oil Flatbread AND Thrive in Five Update Day 18

Next chapter in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day - Flatbreads!   The first one is Prosciutto and Olive Oil Flatbread..... it was awesome!  I followed the recipe for the first loaf and it was beautiful!

I found the prosciutto on sale for about $5 for 4 oz. which made two loaves.  Inside the bread was prosciutto ham and rosemary - it smelled heavenly.

And then, because I didn't have more prosciutto on hand... it is lunch meat here!  We are such plebians....  we switched up the recipe using regular ham lunch meat and shredded cheddar

and it was the bomb!  This one we have made over and over..... like the strombolis, it has become a regular request.

The book is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzog and Zoe Francois.... and this unskilled cook is still baking away!

*****Thrive in Five Update Day 18*****

I had a MAJOR epiphany last night....  I have been thinking for several weeks now what my WHY would be to get motivated to really work on losing weight again.  Why do I want to be thin?   A slap in the head moment.... I DON'T!  Not thin per se...... losing 60 pounds 4 years ago was fantastic - but also frightening.  At my age, to all of a sudden be getting that much attention - and kinds of attention I don't really look for... well, it was disconcerting.  I did enjoy some of the compliments... but more than that, I enjoyed FEELING GOOD!  I enjoyed energy.... THAT is the key to my re-gaining some of what I lost - THIN is not enough.

 My life didn't change enough because of my focus on THIN.  The things I did with THIN as a focus could not last because the trade-off didn't work.  The work to STAY THIN wasn't worth the resultant changes.  Lots of small things changed, yes - but I encountered even more problems and changes..... Nothing that LASTED because my focus was in the wrong place.

Deep down inside, I don't care about 6-packs and race medals and new clothes.

I'm a mom and grandma with a sedentary lifestyle... I read, I craft, I write, I garden. It's what I like to DO and it's okay. BUT I can think of a bazillion reasons why I want to LIVE longer and be STRONGER and feel good when I wake up in the morning.

Focus shift to HEALTH and ENERGY (and I will find the THINness that is my birthright).  THIN now becomes a RESULT of my focus on HEALTH.

"THIN" feels like a vanity that isn't mine..... "HEALTH" feels like my birthright and I need to claim it!

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Seems like I turned a corner in my body yesterday.. 

Enough thinking and praying and listening and learning .... and the right actions will come to you.  You KNOW what to do... just like I do.

This morning I woke energetic and ready to greet the day... go figure...  I will remember this little victory!

Thank you, Hannah, for the insights and prayer!  Remember that the Thrive in Five program is on sale until the end of January - go to www.hannahkeeley.com and order it!  You'll be glad you did.... (okay, it's not expensive.... you've spent more than this on miracle products that don't work!)

Bread Adventures - Pretzels and Bialys / Thrive in Five Day 11

Beautiful morning!  Still walking my mile :-)  My husband had a business trip today so I saw him off and then my pup and I went for our walk.  She is not really happy with our morning mile.. but it is as good for her as it is for me..so she is just going to have to get used to it.
It looks like it will be mild weather today so I will make sure that I get some things done outside.  Last week was my "entrance zone" but I wasn't able to get out to work every day so I am glad that I scheduled ONE outdoor area each month..... but then I live in a temperate climate where this is feasible.

Off to make my morning rounds... one load of laundry (with a few squats, etc)... gather food items for dinner (wait, hubby won't be home...but I will take a couple of minutes to gauge the leftover situation and decide on a healthy dinner for ME!) ... pet maintenance... quick round through the bathrooms...  will be back in a bit!

I am still excited about the power of the 15-minute focus bits.... my 15 minutes outside my entrance cleared out the second of 2 garden beds & cut down a small tree.. (something I pass multiple times daily and say....'I gotta clear this up and cut that down').   GOOD changes!  This is a habit that is working FOR me!

For our bread adventures from Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day this week, I want to share my pretzels!  The story is similar to the bagels.... I struggled with the SIZE and the rolling and playing with the dough... mostly because I think I got impatient with it.  One of the pretzels below looks pretty good :-)  The rest - not so much!

But the process AFTER I created the shapes was the same as the bagels... boil in a pot of boiling water.....lay on dishtowels to drain..... peel them off, sprinkle with salt and get them to the pan & bake

What was funny - is that my sons wouldn't touch the bagels... but ate ALL the pretzels!  Funny to me because the process and the dough are the same... the only difference in composition was the salt versus sesame / poppy seeds.

I also made bialys according to the instructions but forgot to take photos!  Sorry :-(  But I can tell you about them.  First of all, I had no idea what they are.... and there was no photo in the book.. so I was kind of shooting blind.  At any rate, the process was similar to the bagels only you don't make a HOLE, you make an impression - like a little cup.  And, before you bake them you fill the impression with sauteed chopped onions.  Oh my, they were good!  And, since then I have googled them and found a photo at http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/Bialy.htm

Of course - mine were nowhere NEAR as pretty as this since I didn't know what I was doing..... BUT as I keep saying... pretty is not as important as TASTY... and these recipes work!

*****Thrive in Five Update  Day 11*****

It gets harder to focus on what I am supposed to be doing... I am trying to make sure I get the proper food servings in - and am reducing the amount of non-nutritive stuff in my system.  This is when I start having a hard time keeping up with changes and need to start having more faith in the process.

Life gets busy and I don't focus on my own personal balance.  It is good to have a little audio reminder that MY health and well-being matters :-)  Because this body of mine... albeit overweight... is a marvelous creation that has kept me moving for more than 50 years.  It has born children... and MUCH life!  MUCH joy and MUCH pain... and it is still going strong.....  I am blessed.

I like the visual that the FAT is protection from toxins... but I also know that the FAT is a hated wall I hide behind.... a fortress and a prison.  It is MY time to shed both the THOUGHT processes AND the non-food toxins that are keeping me from my best life... the life God intends for me to have!

Don't forget... the Thrive in Five Program is available from www.hannahkeeley.com for the same cost as a couple of exercise dvds... seriously!

Bread Adventures - Bagels! and Thrive in Five Day 4

 Slow and sluggish getting up this morning... I think some of my problem is allergies - mental note: change air filters.... I need to make sure it happens monthly!    Itchy watery eyes (but NOT DRY :-), thank goodness... sneezing and sniffling... it was VERY hard to get out and walk the dog today.  Lately though, my husband has been going with me... how EASY it would be to just let him do it!  But I'm kind of proud of me, I didn't do that!

*****Thrive in Five**** .... Update Day 4

www.HannahKeeley.com

Taking charge of emotions.  uh-oh.....I am STRONGER than my emotions..... wow.... yeah, I know, I've been saying it for a while but it sure feels good to have somebody say it to ME!  Hearing Hannah's voice really helps me more than I thought it would.   I have been working a LONG time on loving myself... on NOT beating myself up.... on recognizing truth and deciding to make changes - rather than bemoaning my fate and whining about it. (Okay, I admit it - I still whine :-)

Much of the work we do on setting goals and living our best lives requires us to change up our thinking.  It requires us to be responsible for the direction of our thinking... NOT ignore our feelings - but recognize them for what they are - and CHOOSE how we wish to respond.

What I FEEL... what I DESIRE.. right now.... might not be the way I TRULY want to LIVE my LIFE..... it takes a little work and a little trust to figure that out... Join me and make the decision TODAY to live a healthy life.

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And...... on to my Bread Adventures as I bake my way through Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois  Bagels.... this is funny :-)

What a hoot!!

I am such a clown in the kitchen!  Making the dough was easy.... getting up the nerve to make the bagels took a few days!

First, you break off a piece the size of a small peach.... okay - well, that size is a moving target in my head.  I've had this problem before when choosing between a ball of dough the size of a cantaloupe... or a grapefruit.  Unfortunately (or not), I live in America, the super-sized... I have seen both of these fruits in various sizes.  It helped a lot when I knew that the batch of dough made either 3 loaves (canteloupe-sized piece) or 4 loaves (grapefruit sized piece).

In this case, my dough was supposed to make 20 bagels... but my 'peaches' only got 11.   More on that later......  I made some BIG bagels :-)  Lesson learned late!

After my little balls rose for about 20 minutes... I had to boil them..

Dropping them in the boiling water was problematic (because they were monster-sized).  But I marched onward.... they sure looked weird to me after boiling......

Then they had to drain on some dish towels sprinkled with flour.  I THINK the flour was supposed to keep it from sticking - didn't quite work well for me.  Or maybe I have the wrong kind of dish towel or something... anyway.. it was a tricky process and I ended up with some really gummed-up towels.

Then to bake...baking time increased substantially since they were so big (and I wasn't sure what they were supposed to look like)....

In the final analysis... they tasted like fresh bread out of the oven and that was all good.  They looked like small loaves of bread with holes in the middle... oh well.... I tried..  BUT I didn't have fun so I will probably not make bagels again..

...except..... oh no.... there are more bagels in the book.... maybe practice will make it easier :-) Because I AM going to get through the book :-)

I did enjoy the challenge of creating the bagels ....  I was told that these look like gourmet bagels that this person paid $8 for.  Maybe so.. I never saw an $8 bagel :-) (people pay $8 for a bagel?)

The same dough will make something called Bialys and also soft pretzels...

 The dough is already made and waiting for me.. so maybe Bialys tomorrow?  Hmmm.... wonder what THEY look like...

Bread Adventures - Getting Used to It - Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Half of the fun I am having with Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day is using what I am learning to follow through on my own ideas....  I have been doing this long enough now to get a little comfortable!

I used the cheese dough to make cheese rolls...

I used the Broa (yeasted cornbread) dough to wrap hot dogs in for pigs in a blanket...

Not very pretty but they tasted great :-)

For Thanksgiving this year, I was able to offer potato bread and yeasted cornbread with cranberries (instead of Pillsbury crescent rolls :-)

I made both rye bread & onion rye bread for a potluck dinner...

Calzones are requested at my house most weeks .... my family is almost getting used to having fresh bread... how cool is that?

Somehow for me, this isn't just about making bread... it's about doing something audacious!  I've never felt comfortable in the kitchen.... coming up with meals is a real chore for me... so I've never felt able to cook.  Creating beautiful breads is liberating... and it's helping me grow and see myself in a new light.

FOCUS AREA Update:

I was SO tired when I came home yesterday evening ... knew I had to fix dinner (lucky I already had a few planned out of the pantry).. and was going to skip my 15 minutes of deep clean in the kitchen.. but.....go ME!!  I did not skip it.  I didn't have the mental fortitude to pull things out of cabinets (and get them back!) so I spent my 15 minutes with a spray bottle wiping down the outside of all the lower cabinets & the fridge...  Also pulled out one of the little baskets in the cabinet I cleaned out the other day and washed that ( 3 more to go for those).  THREE more days in the kitchen and I can move on....   (the good thing for me - I am such a scattered being that I have also gotten several things done in other areas but am MAKING myself come back for the specified 15 FOCUS AREA minutes.    Later I will share what I have done in the other January areas.. when I get there!

Also did well at the grocery store.... only bought what would supplement items I have already planned with the exception of canned pumpkin and black-eyed peas.  They were on a deep clearance and are a good addition to the pantry (to the BACK OF THE PANTRY)...

Bread Adventures - Potato Bread - Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

   This week before Christmas I have been playing with breads so that I have loaves to give away & loaves for our Christmas celebrations ... I have given away a couple of loaves of English granary bread.. and am ready with some Broa (Portuguese corn bread) and Olive Bread.

Click on the links to find where I originally made them from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day!

I plan on making more so will give details next week!

But first I have to tell you about the next bread in the recipe collection -

OMG Potato Bread!

I have to say that this particular bread is the hands down favorite of my clan!  See the picture below?   That is loaf #6...  the SIXTH loaf I baked..... the other were inhaled so quickly that I forgot to get a photo!

Each batch of dough makes 3 loaves... the instructions say 4 but apparently I don't see it that way :-)

I have to tell you that this bread smells like a giant potato pancake when it comes out of the oven!  There are instructions on making the mashed potatoes used for the bread but I used my own mashed potato casserole.. (chunky with garlic and cheese).  It is exquisite!  The chunks of potato IN the bread were an added bonus according to my people :-)

The mashed potato makes the bread very moist and you definitely do NOT need butter!

I also baked the next bread - Potato Rye Bread - which is really moist.  I have to say though that I liked the rye bread we baked earlier in the book better. 

Bread Adventures Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day English Granary & Granola Bread

    As I continue my baking adventure in Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
I finally got to the English Granary Bread.  Nowhere in my physical world was I able to find wheat flakes or malt powder.... so..... online (of course) I found a company called King Arthur Flour who managed to help me out!

This dough was pretty stiff!  I almost had to knead it to get it all mixed together.  But I managed to get it done with my spoon alone :-)

The center of the loaf turned out really chewy... almost like it wasn't done.  So I tried it again in a loaf pan just to see if I had made an error.  The second loaf turned out the same.... the consistency of the center reminds me of the way white bread gums up in your mouth.  Not my favorite!  The taste is fine.. nice and grainy.. but I don't think I like the texture.  That's just me though - if you like the texture of white bread, it might work for you!   (And since I had to order the ingredients online - and I have a lot more of it, I'll be making it again here!)


The next one was the Granola Bread...

This one was fun!  There is a recipe to make the granola.. which I did :-)  It was pretty good and a fun new thing for me to try.  (Seriously though... I either need to use purchased granola OR I need more practice!)

  It is a super breakfast or snacking bread.... especially warm with butter or honey :-)

If you haven't tried any of these yet, you should!  If I can do it, anyone can :-)  I'm even negotiating with Santa for a pastry mat and rolling pin (for flat breads and pizzas) and a pizza peel.  A friend gave me a stone she didn't use much so I will be experimenting with that soon!

Bread Adventures Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day - Spinach Feta & Sund-Dried Tomato & Parmesan

Still baking away from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day !

This week, I have had fun with holiday potlucks!  Do you have any idea how cool it is to show up with bread you baked yourself?  Well.. maybe you do if you are a baker of desserts... but I am the lady who brings the salad (since every potluck needs one :-)   So now - I bring salad and bread  - what fun!

anyway - the loaves below were a blast! 

Spinach Feta... most people say YUM..... sounds dubious to me...  I DO like feta cheese - and I do like fresh spinach.. but cooked?  Even steamed spinach is not something I care for... but in the interest of experimentation, here I go!

I did substitute frozen chopped spinach... and then another dilemma... each batch of dough is supposed to make 4 loaves though I seem to only get 3.... but still... who wants 3 loaves of something no one will eat?   The directions say that it is easy to double or halve.... double, I agree... but to HALVE it, I need to figure out half of 1.5 tablespoons of yeast.... and this is too much work for me!   But it's okay - I am finding that bread is a very forgiving thing to make :-)

Next fun bread is Sun-Dried Tomato and Parmesan Bread

before I roll it up!

I baked extra loaves for my church group and do have some willing victims to try it out so we will see what happens!  AND I need to figure out what to do with the leftover spinach....  chop it up and hide it somewhere...

Both breads were demolished when I shared them..... I thought the spinach bread was okay - but others raved about it!  I was really surprised.... I might be able to use that extra spinach in more bread for gifts or potlucks :-)   The sun-dried tomato - parmesan was exquisite!  It was reminiscent of pizza so even the tomato haters loved it.  I will definitely make that one again!

Bread Adventures (Batch 11) Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Life is funny.... I remember when days simply DRAGGED by.... and now they are rushing past!  Just when I stop to catch my breath.... well... it's tomorrow already!

I am still driving into town 3 days a week to take my son to his martial arts classes.... which is an hour and a half round trip travel time..... too long to go back home.... so I run errands.. or sit and write cards, crochet, read.... quiet things... but the home stuff is still waiting for me when I get home (just like everyone else!)  Habits again... and LISTS - they save my life!

My grandbaby is coming to spend a couple of nights with us so my HOME time is also in a whirl of 'getting ready for a toddler'.  Seriously, she will help us figure out what needs to move out of the way... but I want to do important things like find and clean up a few beloved toys that are packed away.... and clean, of course!

Meanwhile.... the baking continues because I don't have to be HOME all day to do it!  The dough is prepared and I can make home-baked bread for dinner any time... provided I think ahead enough to allow for the 1 hour rising that is going on with the loaves I am cooking right now :-)   Remember, we are following along with  Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking

      The next loaf on my list is Oatmeal Bread .

  For this bread, I finally had to break down and order online... I could not find oat bran anywhere! I found it at a place called Nuts Online...  www.nutsonline.com   They are AWESOME!  Same day shipping.. incredible :-)

***(funny AFTER note....  the two things I finally ordered from nutsonline.... oat bran and hulled pumpkin seeds... I found in the store later!  I could not figure out WHY I couldn't find oat bran... I found wheat.... and then I FINALLY located it with the cereals and oatmeal.. NOT the specialty baking items.  with the exception of basic flour and yeast, NONE of the items I have had to locate have been with regular baking supplies - all are located in the organic or the gluten-free section.   The hulled pumpkin seeds.. I finally found them in the Hispanic section in the cellophane packages.  I like to get spices there because they are less expensive.... anyway.. the seeds are called PEPITAS.... and now you know :-)

It called for 2 things I did not have on hand and didn't think about in advance... whole milk and 100% maple syrup... I was so focused on hunting down the various brans that I didn't pay attention!  BOO!  Out of time (okay - out of patience is more like it), I substituted my almond milk and sugar free syrup.

This bread is dense and yummy!  But I liked the next one better...

The second loaf that used the Oatmeal dough is called Raisin-Walnut Oatmeal Bread.... doesn't that just SOUND like breakfast??

The dough makes 3 loaves.... I thought about another raisin-walnut loaf but opted to try something different.  I decided to make tiny loaves that were muffin-sized.  I decided that what would work for a large loaf in a regular loaf pan.... should work for a tiny loaf in a muffin tin...

So I split the dough in 6 sections.... flattened them out, added the raisins & rolled them up like the larger loaves.....  and popped them in a muffin tin

Another grand success!  Just like dinner rolls.. but nutty, full of fiber & moist from all those raisins!  Too good to be healthy :-)


    I tried a salad from the book..  Jamie Oliver's Watercress, Rocket, Sweet Pear, Walnut & Parmesan Salad - hmm..... first challenge... where on earth to purchase watercress & arugula (the common name for 'rocket')?  Found it first try when I went to Martin's - my first choice for new and strange items.  Well, actually Krogers is my first choice because their prices are better... but I was on Martin's side of town...

   Put it together for a lunch that my husband could share with me... he was not impressed!  I didn't think he would be but at least he tried it... so I didn't have to eat all of it!

    I thought it was interesting.... the watercress has a flavor that I really enjoyed... I think I might do it again for a large family dinner just to try something new.  So.. it was okay for me - but mostly my in-house family is fairly basic in taste.... they are not much into trying new foods!

So there you have our adventure for the week....  the book is probably in your local library but if you are like me and have so much fun you can't stand it.... you can purchase it by clicking the button to the left of this text!

Happy breadmaking!

Bread Adventures (Batch 10) Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

         I am getting a little tired of all the time I am spending in the kitchen!  Not because of the bread baking... but all the other summer chores!  And I shouldn't even whine.... I am not home that much.  But the tomatoes are ripening daily... and the peppers are exploding!  My freezer is filling up!   I am almost glad that one of my squash plants died and I forgot the beans.  The cucumbers and watermelon went in late.. but they are experiments anyway so we'll see what comes of them :-)

       I had to skip past the recipes for both the English Granary Bread and Oatmeal bread -  don't have oat bran, malted flour or malt flakes... honestly - locating some of the ingredients has been challenging.  The bran may be available, I have one more store to check... the malt I will have to order on line.  I want to verify about the oat bran though before I actually place the order.   I think it would not be so difficult in a more urban setting - I guess that is the price I pay for living in the country and getting to look at a river from my front porch.  The nearest stores are 30 miles away... I can get most of the ingredients.  The others I would probably be able to find within an hour and a half travel time, but I am not inclined to spend either the gas or the time when they are available here with a quick click!

First - the Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread - good but a little boring from my perspective.  Definitely not a dessert bread - I think I like pumpkin better for dessert.  The pumpkin flavor was not very noticeable.  perhaps that was because I used canned pumpkin instead of roasting my own pie pumpkins..... but tell me... even if you were so inclined to do it.... where would I get a pie pumpkin at this time of year?

Using the same dough, I made Oatmeal Pumpkin Seed Bread. Oops, I forgot the egg wash on the crust... my bad.... I am not sure what that means - but the taste of this bread is super!  I think this might be another addition to Thanksgiving.  One of the things I am enjoying the MOST is that even a kitchen dummy can bake fantastic bread :-)

la

The next bread - which my family has been eagerly awaiting - is Vermont Cheddar Bread. I didn't have plain cheddar to shred, so I used had large bag of shredded Monterey Jack & Cheddar instead. It worked fine though the flavor was not as cheesy as I would have liked :-)

We had a bit of a crisis with this bread.... I baked 2 loaves.. one for a potluck and one for us.  But WHILE they were cooling....... one of the loaves disappeared...  So... AFTER I talked to each of my men..... we settled on the dog as our culprit.  He HAS stolen from the counter before and is quite talented at leaving NO CRUMBS.... oh my... a very bad but HAPPY dog...

Lucky is the big dog in the back..... I wonder if he shared... or got the whole loaf in a big gulp!  I gues more of my family was waiting for the cheese bread than I thought!

My gang scarfed the other loaf... so this is another time when I had to repeat the dough to get a photo!  This time, I put the loaf into the microwave to cool!  Also I made this one with shredded cheddar as specified!

 That melt-y cheese is just oozing - oh my, is it good!  There is 4 loaves worth of dough and I am going to make rolls with some of it!


Remember to check this book out at the library..... or buy it at Amazon by clicking the link below :-) 

Bread Adventures (Batch 9) Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

..still baking away following  along the Artisan Bread book!  I am still having a blast :-)

The next oh so yummy bread is called  Yeasted Thanksgiving Corn Bread with Cranberries.. can you say Thanksgiving? 

  This bread uses the Broa dough with corn meal and the zest of half an orange (what the heck is that?)   It took me a while to figure out that my jar of orange peel (which I am not sure WHY I already had it) is the same as orange zest.... why not just call it PEEL?  What does ZEST mean anyway.... okay - back to baking...
   Now the jar says that 1 tsp of dried orange peel is the same as 1 tsp of fresh orange peel... but the recipe calls for 'the zest of an orange'.   Uh-oh... here I go again... how much is that anyway?

     wellll.... if zest = peel, then I suppose I can imagine how much that might be if the peel of an orange were dried and in a bowl in front of me :-)  So I flatten out my dough ball and sprinkle sweetened dried cranberries and my 'guess-timated amount of dried orange peel on it.... rolled it up like a jelly roll and popped it in the prepared bread pan.  Voila!  Time to rest and then pop in the oven!  Done!

Another success for the kitchen-impaired!  It is really good!  I had hoped for a new family favorite to use for Thanksgiving and I think I found it :-)  I might even attempt to take the dough and try to make individual rolls out of it...hmmmm..... getting creative in my old age!

I got side-tracked here because the men were begging for pizza again....  so I whipped up another batch of Olive Oil Dough, made some pizzas and another loaf of beautiful Olive Bread for me :-)

We tried the next whole wheat recipe - Chris Kimball's Whole Wheat.  Total thumbs up for this bread!  It is lighter than the last loaf and more family and sandwich friendly :-)   I made my husband's lunches with it all week.... he's getting noticed at work because his sandwiches are made on home-baked bread...  I'm going to have to be careful... this baking success is ruining my reputation as a non-cook!

Have you tried this book yet?  Check it out at the library to try it... and then come back here to order it from Amazon if you find you can't turn it back in :-)

btw, if you are interested in finding more family-friendly recipes... my friend, Bev, has a TON of recipes on her site - http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/kitchen.html   I particularly like the breads... (I know that is a surprise for you :-)

Bread Adventures (Batch 8) Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

 Follow along with me as I bake my way through Artisan Bread in Five Minutes. a Day.  It really takes very little time - I am thrilled with the results!

This week I moved on to semolina or durum flour.  I've heard of this one - they make pasta from it.  While I did locate it in a store - hooray! - it comes in small package that holds about 3 cups.  This was just enough to use for one batch of dough - I managed a pizza, a calzone and a loaf of bread.



I tried the recipe rustic Wild Mushroom and Potato Pizza Provencal. .... with sliced red potatoes & mushrooms with shredded parmesan.... not bad but I'm not sure it would be a family choice.  The boys looked at me like I was insane :-)  I added onions because we like them and the pizza seemed a little bland ....  I think I could do this again with different veggies for myself and my husband.. the new potatoes were yummy... but on pizza?  It's a bit of a stretch for us!  But the flavor of the crust was unbelievable!








To reward the boys for trying the potato pizza, I also used the dough to make a calzone... stuffed with sauce, pepperoni and cheese..  Nice and traditional.... (and, she says smugly, demolished!)










..and then a sesame seed studded loaf just for fun. 


This beautiful loaf is my husband's favorite so far :-)



   I will need to hunt a little more to see if I can find semolina flour in a little larger quantity.  We really liked it for pizza crust but need to find a more cost effective way to purchase it!

Have you checked this book out yet?   I still can't believe I can turn out beautiful breads with MY schedule!

Try it from your library first..... if you decide to purchase it from Amazon.com, please click a link on one of my bread blog pages - usually the title of the book or the cover graphic.  Thanks :-)

Bread Adventures (Batch 7) Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

      Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day!    Come join in the fun :-)  There is nothing quite as satisfying as pulling hot homemade bread out of the oven - and when you can mix the ingredients... shove it in your fridge and come back the next day to play and bake.... well, there's nothing quite like it :-)

   The next basic bread in the book is called Light Whole Wheat Bread - this one looks like a basic loaf.  I am getting lazy lately and enjoying using my loaf pans.  At least I know these won't go flat :-)

     The "trouble" I have with some of these is that the dough makes 3 - 4 loaves.  It's not really trouble since the bread is EASY to give away when you have too much :-)  I haven't tried freezing it yet... but I DO need to use up all the dough before moving on to the next one... because I am me and I USE UP!

At any rate - this made a nice loaf that we used for sandwiches.   My sons aren't quite buying into the idea of making sandwiched with my bread, but they will learn!

I did decide to make rolls with some of this dough.  The rolls I created worked well with sandwiches.  These turned out about the size of hamburger buns.

Next time I will make them a little smaller and try to flatten the tops.... maybe that is something I will learn about when I actually GET TO rolls :-)  This was all me taking a detour!

The next recipe - 100% Whole Wheat Bread - is absolutely delicious!  The only complaint I got was that it is really dense..... I think that is not a real complaint though - I think that is an observation!  Most of us who have always used 'store-bought' loaves are not accustomed to how heavy whole wheat bread actually is.

The specialty bread for this week is Limpa - a Swedish bread flavored with ground anise seed, cardamom & orange zest.  I never could find ground anise seed, when it occurred to me that I could try to grind them myself with my blender.  DUH!!  Took me weeks to figure that one out... I told you, I have NO kitchen sense!   That shows you how good this book is :-)

My blender was a wedding present - so it is a bit ANCIENT.. I suppose I could say VINTAGE.  But it did do the job.  I would say that the seeds were MOSTLY ground :-) And that seemed to be adequate!

   

This bread has a super flavor - but again, I was in a quandary about the four loaves I was going to have to deal with.   My neighbor said it would make great bread pudding (I don't care much for pudding so never tried it).  She made some for me to try and she was right!  Her bread pudding really didn't remind me of pudding per se... it reminded me of a sweet version of stuffing.  And this bread was terrific for that purpose!

Follow me to the next bread adventure, Batch 8, where I get to play with semolina dough... (what in heaven's name is that anyway?)  Hmm..... back to the stores....

Get your copy at Amazon by clicking the link below!

Bread Adventures (Batch 6) Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois - Come follow along :-)

I am still having a blast in my kitchen!   I have to make 2 kinds of bread now since my men won't eat rye or pumpernickel!   That means TWO tubs of dough in my refrigerator and bread baking most days.  I cannot emphasize enough how EASY and SUCCESSFUL this book makes breadbaking!

Still using some of the rye flour, I have moved on to pumpernickel.  What a great flavor!  I still get a chuckle thinking about ME making pumpernickel bread.   The recipe called for caramel color but I had no clue where to get any... so I skipped it.  The bread still turned out the right color so I am not sure why it is needed!

Right after the regular pumpernickel, I discovered Pumpernickel Date and Walnut Bread.  I DO love how each batch makes several loaves.  You just go back to the refrigerator the next day and get another hunk of dough to play with.  For this particular loaf, I flattened out the dough, sprinkled it with raisins and chopped walnuts.  Then I rolled it up and put into a greased bread pan.   It doesn't get much easier!  I didn't have dates handy so I used raisins.  I am constantly surprised at the incredible flavor of the breads.

I really thought this bread would be more like a dessert - but it isn't - still bread just better :-)

.

I took this one to my Vacation Bible School workshop and it was demolished..... I am already getting questions asking which breads are coming to the next workshop!

Research is telling me that more flour might take care of the tendency to go flat - I tried it with the Bran enriched dough and it seems that it might be true!

What I liked about this dough is that my boys got "white" bread they enjoyed and an extra dose of fiber to make me happy :-)

  With the last bit of pumpernickel dough, I tried the onion rye recipe I wrote about last week.  No photo, sorry - but it looked pretty much the same as regular pumpernickel outside.  The inside was flattened out and sauteed onion rings spread out on it.  The the dough was rolled up like a jelly roll.   Oh my goodness, it is AWESOME,,,, this is ONE easy, impressive recipe I will use for potlucks..... both pretty and unusual

I still used a pan for this one, thinking that I might not be able to get the extra flour mixed in well enough to be invisible in the dark bread.

Hope you are having fun!  Has anyone gotten the book to try the recipes?  It should be called breadmaking for dummies..... honestly, if it works for me - it will work for ANYONE :-)

Let me know if you try it!  

Bread Adventures (Batch 5) Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

     I am having a blast baking my way through the book - Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois   and learning so much!

The next bread in the chapter is Tapenade Bread.... okay - food dummy here.... no clue what this is.  But the recipe calls for olives (only I will eat these), capers (no clue WHAT they are - but I can tell you where to buy them and how much they cost :-), and anchovies (no way!)..... hmm.... I need more information to get a feel for the end product

Back to the search engines.....

Armed with several recipes for various versions of olive tapenade, I may just make this sometime when I know more people will be around.   The same with the Bruschetta recipe.  I live with men who won't eat tomatoes SOOOOO I will leave this for a larger gathering!

The Deli-Style Rye recipe is next and is incredible!  It has caraway seeds inside and also dusted across the top.  I love how beautiful the loaves are coming out of the oven! Again, I am the only one in the house who likes rye OR the next bread - pumpernickel - so I keep hunting for people to give bread to :-)

The dough from the Deli-Style Rye is versatile and is used for the next two rye recipes.

The next recipe, Caraway Swirl  Rye was yummy - but turned out all flat!  I am not sure why yet but will keep baking and see what I can figure out.  At any rate, the dough is flattened a bit and more caraway seeds scattered across it.  I rolled up the dough like a jelly roll so the extra seeds are in a swirl inside....  I think that, while I liked it.. I would not like a LOT of it... the seeds are a little more powerful than I thought!

The next recipe also uses the dough from the Deli-Style Rye.  It is called Onion Rye and is handled the same way as the Caraway Swirl, except with sauteed onions rolled in the center.  This one flattened a little as it rested too - I still don't know the answer so I put it into a bread pan instead and it did just fine.  The flavor is incredible!  I think that the onions make it amazing.... I will definitely put this in a FAVE recipe folder!

All three of the rye breads were fun to have a slice or two.... and give the rest of the loaf to willing volunteers :-)

So, while I was playing with the rye bread dough, I put together the next bread dough that I thought my family would eat - Bran Enriched White Bread.  They love it!  But it made 4 loaves and I am having to give it away :-) Now my neighbors are starting to love me too.....

I forgot to cut vents into the top of the bread - and it vented itself!  But that didn't affect the taste - so we are still good :-)  The one on the right is the white bread!

My boys like it as soon as it is cool enough to cut - slathered with butter.... there is nothing like fresh hot bread from the oven!