Back to Basics

This is my new educational toy. 

After much research, I finally decided to buy a grain mill.  I am trying to find ways to save our health and save us money.  It was a big initial investment but I am hoping the health benefits and baking from scratch will make it worth it. 

This particular mill is the Wondermill, formerly the Whispermill.  http://www.thewondermill.com/  I purchased ours from The Bread Beckers.  I was convinced of the health benefits after listening to Sue Becker's CD, which they will send you free, and watching some of the video classes they have online, which are also free. 

I tried my hand at milling this afternoon and baked bread, rolls, and cinnamon rolls.  I wasn't sure about the basic recipe and I got mixed up on the grains.  Hard red wheat is for yeast breads.  Hard white wheat can be used for yeast breads.  And soft white wheat is for pastries, cakes, cookies, etc.  In my excitement, I milled hard red and soft white instead of hard white.  My bread and rolls were okay but were pretty tasteless.  The cinnamon rolls were good.  But, hey, it was my first try.  All in all I guess it turned out okay.  We didn't have any rolls left and half the pan of cinnamon rolls are gone. 

Once I get the hang of this, I will try to do a post about the process.

New Bread Recipe

One of the challenges of home schooling through high school in a rural area is figuring out creative ways to meet requirements. I was really stressing out this summer about how to get a biology lab credit for my son when a veteran home schooling family offered to teach the labs for me. YES, I said silently thanking God for His provision. They have graduated their three sons and are still active with local home schoolers so I knew they would be wonderful. I was thrilled.

Yesterday I had to take my son for a biology lab and while he had his lab, I watched my friend make bread. Her husband makes pottery so she had these huge gorgeous ceramic bowls that she was using. I was desperately trying not to covet them. I wanted one so badly but I don't think I can afford one at $80 a piece. They are beautiful though.

She was making whole wheat bread. She showed me the right texture for the bread and sent me home with a loaf to bake and the recipe. I made the recipe tonight and it is yummy.

Whole Wheat Bread

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour (bread flour)
1 TBSP salt
1 1/2 TBSP yeast
2 TBSP oil
1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix the above listed ingredients together. Then add:

3 cups HOT water. Mix well. Let sit 5-10 minutes.

Then add: 5-6 cups of flour. This can be 1 cup whole wheat and the rest white or you can vary according to your taste.

Knead and let rise 1 hour

Knead again and divide into 3 loaves. Grease and flour bread pans, shape loaves, place into pans and let rise.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. When you start smelling the bread, it is probably done or close to being done.

Enjoy!!

Gingerbread Fun

A11 went to Wal-mart today with her Granny and came home with a gingerbread house kit. She couldn't wait until closer to christmas to decorate it so she had some early christmas fun.

She got frustrated because she didn't have enough icing to finish it and it didn't look exactly like the one on the box. I thought it was pretty cute and tasty, too.

Baking Biscuits

I have been trying to learn to make homemade biscuits. You know the ones like our grandmother's made when they took a big bowl of flour and made a well in the middle, poured in some buttermilk, added some crisco, and shaped them with their hands. I think I have finally mastered them. Here are the ones we had tonight before they went into a hot oven.

When I first started making them, my husband didn't like them at all. He likes biscuits that are soft on top and bottom. After some experimentation, I have discovered cooking them on my pizza stone works best. It keeps them from getting too brown on bottom. Makes for good biscuits and a happy husband. You can't beat that! Here they are hot from the oven and golden brown. Yummy!