The Fox's Den in Georgia!: BREAD

Saturday, August 14, 2010

I CAN MAKE BREAD!!!

So my kids spent a good 2 weeks with my parents this summer.. they had such a great time but the thing they kept talking about when they got home.... "GRANDMA MAKES THE BEST BREAD!!!" this I already knew, My mother majored in Home Economics in college (for REAL not JOKING!!), she sewed our clothes, baked bread I can't really remember her using any kind of mix or spice packets in her from scratch cooking.. she perfected pie crusts and my great grandma's rolls.. she did her best to teach my sister and I how to sew and cook.. some things stuck.. some didn't.. I own a sewing machine and I can put together a pretty good looking sofa slip cover.. tab top curtains and pillows.. I for the life of me CANT follow a pattern.. a really good friend of mine in high school convinced me to make some shorts with her.. I totally convinced her to make them backwards it was a total disaster.. she picked hers out and did it correctly I bagged them and I think my mom finished them for me.. anyway my point to all of this is... I couldn't bake bread to save my life.. I tried many many many times to no avail...so when my kids came home with glowing reports of my mother's bread making i wasn't surprised and plainly told them aren't you lucky you get to eat grandma's baking.. can't wait for next summer ya~!.. then my mother explained to me she got a brand new recipe/theory of bread making and from beginning to end it only takes ONE HOUR!!! no joke.. which is why she bakes like a mad woman and can supply her and my dad of endless amts of bread and rarely buys anymore.. she explained to me some basics.. the fact that I'd have to get some special ingredients when I was ready she'd e-mail me the recipe... she did and I did and I MADE BREAD!!!

This may not seem like such an accomplishment to all of you pioneer women out there but for ME it IS!!! I can't tell you how many times I've attempted bread, rolls etc. I had resigned myself to only be able to make bread machine bread.. that being the case what was the since in storing wheat or the like right??? well now people I will be researching wheat and flour in BULK BABY!!!

Because this was such a stretch for me I documented this morning's baking adventure with pictures.. enjoy...

the recipe.. thanks MOM!!! I had to half the recipe because my mixer won't hold 10.5 cups of flour (my mom does this too)

measured out the flour, sugar, salt and yeast (yes I put it in cups.. i was paranoid people!! also I am terrified of killing the yeast.. it's happened to me before!) then I combined it..

then added the water and liquid Lecithin my wonderful mom even sent me a bottle but it cracked in shipment so I had to buy some myself.. I found it online my mom actually found bigger bottles but I spent about 4.95 on this bottle with shipping I got 4 bottles for under $20.0o and it doesn't take very much (1.5 tablespoons for a half recipe) it is SUPER STICKY so you don't measure it out.. just a good guestimate!!!

then you mix it for one minute.. see if you need any more water or flour then go to town for 5 minutes in the mixer.. I couldn't for the life of me find my bread dough hook... i own one but it has never been used Ben thinks it might have gotten thrown out in the move (i wasn't consulted even if I never was going to use it.. I would have at least considered it) so I had to use my regular paddle.. I couldn't do it on medium once it got really stuff.. I could only do it on #2-3 or my motor made horrible awful noises..

so did it for 5 minutes then shaped them (using NO flour just pam on my hands, pans and counter) put them in the pans and let them rise for 25 minutes.. I didn't let my dough get as sticky as the recipe calls for (rooky mistake) so they didn't rise as much as I think they could have.. (picture is before the rise.. I didn't take a picture after.. too excited)..