Thursday, March 20, 2014
One day last summer while perusing a yard sale, I found this little gem.
Brand spanking new for $3!
I more than cheated the seller out of it, but he deserved it.
I very nicely asked him, “How much for the bread maker, sir?”
and he gave me a very condescending look and replied, “ That's not a bread maker dear, that a deep fryer.”
Ohhhhhhkkkkaaayyyyyyy.
“How much for the deep fryer then?”
“For you sweetheart, $3.”
Sold!
So I brought this baby home, and………………. it sat in my kitchen for about 4 months.
Yeah, I know.
Anyway, one day in early January, I finally decided to give it a go.
Although the machine was brand new-label on and everything, it didn’t come with the manual.
My husband did a quick search found it right away on this site.
I looked through the manual and picked out the basic bread recipe and got to making some bread.
Very easy stuff, you just add the ingredients in the order the manual tell you too-in this case, water, sugar, salt, flour, and yeast.
It made my house smell amazing. It looked absolutely gorgeous.
The taste however, was not my favorite. It tasted like cardboard.
I went on a hunt for a better recipe and my friend directed to me to this:
And is it ever!
The only adjustment I make to the recipe is that I use 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 2 cups of bread flour. I cook it on the Basic Bread setting though. I tried to do 2 cups whole wheat and 1 cup bread flour, but the bread didn’t rise as well. I’ll keep playing with the recipe until I can make it completely whole wheat.
Its been almost three months since I’ve gotten store-bought bread and I’m never going back.
The machine has 9 different settings including a dough setting and a jam setting.
This appliance has been one of my best and favorite purchases ever. It is ridiculously easy to use.
I make 2 loaves per week.
The only bad thing about making your own bread is the shelf life. It last about 3 days, but on the 4th day it becomes moldy. My son is the only one who eats bread on a daily basis, so most of the time I have a few slices that end up developing mold. I’ve experimented with a bread conditioner, but no luck so far.
If anyone has any suggestions send them my way!
*If you are interested in buying the machine I use, its on the Amazon carousel at the end of this blog.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Big healthy changes are happening in my kitchen. I’m very slowly
weeding out all processed foods from the kitchen. My family is headed
into a more clean way of eating. I signed us up for a CSA from a local
farm this spring/summer season and I cannot wait for it to begin. I
truly wish this process was easier, but today’s society is so dependent
on processed foods that its big pain in the ass to make the switch, but
I’m doing it. I’ve also starting baking my own bread and jam (more on
that later). My boys are in line with the new foods I’m introducing (as
if they have a choice) and so far, have adjusted according.
Changes are also happening in my medicine cabinet. I’m slowly
converting from pharmaceuticals to naturopathic and alternative medicine
to treat any illness A friend of my mine is currently obsessed with
essential oils and swears by them. I recently bought a starter kit to
treat a chronic sinus infection I’ve been fighting since October. I’m on
my third round of antibiotics for it, even though its obvious that’s not going to work. I’m pretty desperate and shelled out some moola to pay for
them. Hopefully these oils provide me with some relief in time for
allergy season. We shall see.
Spring is next week and I’m so ready for that change. This winter has been brutal and way to long. I can’t wait to finally enjoy being outside again. My SADD symptoms were pretty mild considering, but still. Bring it on Spring.
Any changes in your life?
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