Breadmaking: Country Loaf

March 3, 2024 Sarah

Every week the boys and I try out new ways/methods of bread baking, so we can continue to learn. I wasn’t 100% impressed with this past week’s loaf, but it had a great taste and a good crunch. It needed to be baked in a cast iron pan rather than a baking sheet, as it spread too far. It needed confinement so that it would go up rather than out. But as an experiment, I wanted to see how it would perform. That is to me half of what bread making is: a science experiment. It’s great homeschooling fodder for sure.

This loaf of bread has more hands-on time than we usually make, with three separate times you must pay attention. So not a busy day bread. Make sure you will be at home for a good 5 hours time.

Country Loaf

Ingredients:

5½ cups all-purpose or bread flour
1 tsp granulated sugar
2¼ tsp quick active yeast (1 packet)
2 cups water (120-130°)
2 Tbsp olive or avocado oil + for bowl
2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

We live in a cooler home, so I use a heating pad set to middle heat for even rising. I plug it in and get it preheated while I start the dough.

Mix 2 cups flour, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl.

Stir in the water with a whisk, then beat for a minute until well mixed.

Cover with plastic wrap, set aside for an hour in a warm spot.

Stir in the oil and salt, then the remaining flour, ½ cup, until a soft and smooth dough forms.

Flour a work surface, knock the dough out. Knead for 10 minutes by hand, adding flour until the dough is smooth and springy.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in and flip it over to coat it in oil. Cover with plastic wrap.

Let sit in a warm area to rise again, about an hour.

Take a rimmed baking sheet, lightly oil it. (See the above recipe about using a cast iron pan instead. Lightly oil it.)

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Gently shape the dough into a ball, folding the dough under to make a smooth top. Place the smooth side up on the baking sheet (or cast iron pan). Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for an hour.

In the last 15 minutes, fill an 8″x 8″ glass baking pan with hot water, place it in the oven’s bottom rack, and preheat the oven to 425°.

Make 2 or 3 slashes on the dough with a sharp serrated knife. It desired, sprinkle with a bit of flour across the top first.

Place the bread in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when rapped with knuckles.

Removc from sheet or pan, let cool on a rack.

Makes 1 loaf.

~Sarah

Recipes

Thick and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls

February 26, 2024 Sarah

These cinnamon rolls were like stepping back into my childhood and eating one of my Dad’s homemade cinnamon rolls. When my Dad was young, he worked in a bakery for a hot moment (he hated the hours, though). When we were little, he and my Mom sometimes made a big batch at night. Over the years, I have tried to make cinnamon rolls but have never been happy with them. Too small. Not fluffy. They just were not what I wanted.

This recipe, though, was what I craved. It’s a true treat. And it wasn’t a lot of hands-on work. And did I mention only one rising? You can be eating them in under 2 hours.

Thick and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls

Dough Ingredients:

5 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4½ tsp (2 packets) rapid-rise yeast or quick-rise yeast
1 tsp fine sea salt
1½ cups water
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 egg, whisked

Filling:

¼ cup unsalted butter, soft enough to spread (in theory, room temperature)
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, add the butter to the water—microwave for 45 seconds or until the water feels warm and the butter is starting to melt.

Add the wet to the dry, then add the egg. Mix with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Add in 2 more cups of the flour, beating in.

Add in ½ cup more flour; the dough will be very thick.

Using your hands, knead in the remaining half cup of flour, a quarter at a time, in the bowl. The dough should be smooth, soft, and just slightly tacky.

Shape it into a ball, and let it sit uncovered for 10 minutes. (Due to how cold my house is, I turn a heating pad onto medium and use it to keep the dough warm)

Meanwhile, butter a 9″x13″ glass baking pan.

Lightly flour a work surface and knock the dough out.

Shape into a 10″x 15″ rectangle, gently rolling as needed.

Spread the softened butter over the top. Sprinkle brown sugar on, then the cinnamon.

Roll the dough on the 15″ edge. Use a bench scraper as needed if the dough sticks. Gently pressing the dough on each turn. Seal the ends.

Cut in half using a long, skinny, and sharp knife. Then, cut the two sections in half again. Each of those sections is cut into thirds, for 12 sections total.

Place them in the buttered pan.

Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for an hour. (See above for instructions on using a heating pad if your home is cold.)

Preheat oven to 350° for the last 15 minutes.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.

Place on a cooling rack.

Frosting:

Add the cream cheese and butter to a stand mixer bowl. Beat until smooth, then add in vanilla extract.

Add powdered sugar and beat smooth.

Spread frosting on warm rolls, and let set up a bit before enjoying.

Makes 12 cinnamon rolls.

Dough rising.

~Sarah

Recipes

Bread Baking: Milk Bread

February 12, 2024 Sarah

If there were a loaf of bread that was almost dessert, it would be milk bread. Milk bread is soft, lightly sweet, and heavenly in the mouth. Spread some soft butter on a slice, sit back, and enjoy that slice!

Don’t let bread-making scare you; you can do it! It’s not magic, it’s science. The more you do it, the more you will master bread making.

Milk Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water
¼ cup granulated sugar
2¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp fine sea salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg (for egg wash)

Directions:

If cooking in a cool house, plug in a heating pad and set it to medium.

Add the water, sugar, and yeast to a stand mixer bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add in the milk and salt and 3 cups of the flour. Using a bread hook, mix the dough well.

Sprinkle flour on a work surface, dump the wet dough onto it, and sprinkle more flour from the remaining cup.

Using a bench scraper, knead the dough by using it to fold the dough over and over, adding more flour as needed. Once the dough is relatively smooth, work in the remaining flour by hand, kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic, and not overly sticky (about 10 minutes total kneading time).

Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, add the dough, and flip over to cover. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel. If needed, place on a heating pad and let rise for an hour.

Lightly oil a 9″x 5″ bread pan,

Punch the dough down, fold the dough in thirds, and place in the pan. Cover the pan and let rise for 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°.

Whisk the egg, and using a pastry brush, coat the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden on top and sound hollow when rapped on with knuckles.

Pop-out gently onto a cooling rack. Let cool before slicing. Store in a bread bag, tightly wrapped.

Makes one loaf.

~Sarah

Recipes

Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal

February 10, 2024 Sarah

My children have not grown up with cereal as a breakfast choice. I didn’t set out to do it; rather, none drank milk. And let’s be honest: The only nutritionally good part of breakfast cereal is the milk – if you consume it. They all didn’t tolerate milk as babies, so it never became a thing (which isn’t shocking as I don’t tolerate lactose in milk). For them, any cereal we purchase is a dessert/snack. And with the prices in the stores (a small box is over $5, family size is $7 to 9 a box), and just how bad it is for us to eat, I rarely buy only if I find a fantastic sale, so that isn’t often. And since it’s nothing but dessert, I try not to buy it often.

This was fun, though, to make. To see if I could make a treat from scratch. The first version wasn’t a knockout success. However, it was still quite tasty to eat. It just wasn’t thin enough. You need to chill the dough for a long time. I thought 30 minutes was long enough; I would say refrigerate for an hour or overnight. It is a lot of hands-on work; this cereal is a labor of love. I learned to roll it out thinner. It’s nowhere as sweet as commercial cereal and sugar-free substitutes could be used instead (such as Sucralose).

Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of sea salt
5 Tbsp butter, cold and diced
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup cold water
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon.

Add the flour, salt, and 1 Tablespoon of the sugar mixture in a mixing bowl. Add in the butter, and work into fine crumbs with your fingers.

Add in the vanilla and the water, mixing with a large fork until a dough forms. If it is too dry, add a bit more water as needed.

Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic film, and chill for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350°, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, cutting to fit.

Roll the dough till very thin (it will fit the baking sheet in size) on the parchment paper.

Sprinkle the dough with the remaining sugar mixture, patting it into the dough.

Place the parchment paper onto the sheet.

With a pizza cutter, slice the dough into small pieces. Separate the pieces as much as you can.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cereal is golden.

Remove, and let cool thoroughly.

Store in a glass container tightly sealed to keep crisp.

~Sarah

Recipes

Bakery Treats: Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Muffins

February 5, 2024 Sarah

Do you love bakery treats? Honestly, who doesn’t? Probably someone sad in life. They need some delicious muffins! And without the cost of that bakery treats cost when you go out to eat.

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Muffins are easy to assemble and quick to bake. And might disappear quite quickly.

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp fine sea salt
1 large egg
1 cup sour cream
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¾ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk together.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, butter, and vanilla,

Add wet to dry, stir with a spatula until just mixed. Stir the chocolate chips in,

Using a 3 Tbsp disher, drop batter into the prepared muffin tin, dividing equally.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until golden on top and done in the center.

Let cool before enjoying.

Makes 12 muffins.

~Sarah