In a World of My Own

Thursday, March 20, 2014

My Bread Adventure continued: Oatmeal Bread with Molasses

Homemade oatmeal bread with molasses! #bread #homemade via caseygoduti

I am a big oatmeal fan. I was just thrilled when I came across this oatmeal bread recipe. You could add molasses or honey to add extra flavor and color. I decided to try the molasses. My Mother had molasses in her cabinet and she told me she hardly ever used it. So I decided to try it.
It definitely had nice flavor. This recipe made two loaves. If you are going to get good at making bread you have to make lots of bread.
I found this recipe in Fannie Flagg's Cookbook.
When I mentioned I put molasses in it, everyone thought it would taste like molasses but surprise, surprise it didn't.
Have to try the bread with honey.
I actually am not big on carbs in my diet. I try to stick with one carb at one meal a day. So that doesn't leave room for a lot of bread (or it means my bread just lasts a lot longer). There is always plenty to share.
What comes next is the recipe.

The bread was worth the time I spent making it, and everyone enjoyed it.

Other breads to make

Breads: The Italian Loaf

English Muffin Toasting Bread

Homemade Cinnamon Bread

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Breads: Broiche

This time I wanted to make something different, so I decided to make broiche. I hadn't made a French bread before. I was really enjoying baking breads. So this time I went to Better Homes and Gardens Complete Step-By-Step Cook Book again to see if they had a recipe. Here is what I found.

So I began making the broiche. This recipe was different then the other breads I had made. It sat in the refrigerator overnight, then it was suppose to rise again, and so it was baked the next day. The other breads I made all were made and rose the same day.
Here is what the bread looked like as it came out of the oven.

They were very tasty, if fact I shared some with my parents when I went for a visit. They were absolutely delighted. The bread is a buttery goodness, just as you would expect from French cooking.

Related Recipes
The Italian Loaf
English Muffin Toasting Bread
Homemade Cinnamon Bread

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Cream of Wisconsin Cheese Soup

Growing up my mother made us Welsh Rabbit. Our welsh rabbit contained no beer but was rather just a cheddar cheese sauce she had made, which she served on toast with a fresh slice of tomato. It was a very simple dish. Since I had enjoyed this dish growing up, I decided to try something new, Cream of Wisconsin Cheese Soup I found in the recipe book, Dining By Rail by James D. Porterfield.

I had made a recipe previously from this cookbook. A Cuban Sandwich. The soup I am sharing with you today was a menu served by The Fred Harvey Company. It was also a favorite of President Harry S. Truman.

This was my first time making a cheese dish before. I have made items with cheese in them, but not an actual cheese dish, so it was definitely an experience. After I added the roux, I thought perhaps I made made a mistake, then a added the cream, but the soup was wonderful. The only thing I did different was I used black pepper instead of white.

The one thing I can say is that I will be better when it comes to my next cheese dish. I don't cook with dairy that often, so making a cheese soup was new for me.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Breads: The Italian Loaf

This time I decided I wanted to make an old world time of bread. Like the loaves people carry when they walk home from the European bakeries. I found this recipe for Italian loaves in Better Homes and Gardens Complete Step-By-Step Cook Book and I decided that was the recipe I was going to try.It was published in 1978. Slightly outdated since it is 2014, but baking hasn't changed that much. This was the result.

They were beautiful, so I definitely felt I was doing something right.
Here is the recipe directly from the book.

There is one change I made. I had a container of active dry yeast not packages. So 2 packages of active dry yeast is equal to 4 and 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast. I discovered this thanks to a little research on the web.
With all the problems I had with yeast and temperature, I have discovered that you can usually tell if the yeast is work if the dough sticks to something but comes off cleanly (this is after all the flour has been added, even if it is slightly sticky, it will come off cleanly).
As you can see from the recipe there are a couple of ways you can fashion this recipe. I just followed the top of half of the recipe. It is nice and simple.

There is my beautiful loaf of bread. Cut open and ready to be munched on.

Monday, January 27, 2014

English Muffin Toasting Bread

I started a journey of bread when I baked my first loaf of bread. I may have had to make the same loaf about eight times to reach perfection with the yeast but I finally accomplished it. This time I decided I wanted to make an English muffin loaf because I love English muffins. The best bread is sometimes the one that goes into the toaster. It was a lot of fun making the Homemade Cinnamon Bread, so I wanted to have more of the experience.
So I decided to make Bright Eyed Bakers version of the English Muffin Toasting Bread. It was very easy to make and excellent toasted with butter.
This bread only required one rising.
It was very easy.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Homemade Cinnamon Bread

Here is the bread I made. I made this bread eight times now. I have gotten a lot of practice. I followed the Pioneer Woman's recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Bread. I have never made bread using a mixer, with a paddle and mixer.

A long time ago I had made dough by hand with a regular mixer, then kneaded the dough by hand.

I feel bad because I messed up on the most important part - when I mixed in the yeast with the milk and the butter the mixer wasn't between 120-130 F. When I made the dough before, the yeast, was either almost there, not quite, or almost dead, although I had one loaf that I was johnny on the spot without a thermometer. This loaf I was much smarter because I pulled out a thermometer a tested the temperature of the milk and butter before adding the yeast because it was so important.

You know, this bread is twice as good as Pepperidge Farm's Homemade Cinnamon Bread, as well as twice as big, and I am sure less then half the price. I can feel proud because I put hours of labor and made it by hand.

My Boyfriend was thrilled and the next day we had French toast.

And it was something to do on a cold and snowy day.