Bread

It is suddenly that time of year again when having the oven on to bake bread is a cozy thing. The past few days have been much cooler here in southern California. We even got some rain yesterday. I love making bread during the cooler months. There is something about the rhythm of making a couple loaves every week (or more) that is so satisfying. I think it is going to be even more fun this year with the addition of our new grain mill.

I use a recipe for my whole grain bread that I found online. It is Marilyn's Famous Whole Wheat Bread Recipe, and I know why it is so famous. It is simple and DELICIOUS. I use my KitchenAid and can make two loaves at a time, but I would someday love to own a Bosch and be able to handle 5 to 6 loaves at a time. Of course, I dare not tell my husband this or I will end up with another appliance that I really don't have room for.

Even the kids love to see the wheat berries turn into beautiful flour. So far I have been purchasing my wheat berries either at Sprouts Market or at Winco. They are both under $1 per pound.

Here my Kitchenaid is hard at work kneading the dough. I love that it makes the job so easy.

I always end up finishing the kneading by hand. I love the feel of the dough, and there is something about the warmth of it that soothes the soul.

After forming the loaves, they sit in the pans for about an hour to rise. The flour is such a beautiful color that the loaves already looked cooked.

It's not until they are in the oven that you get the first reward... the smell! Ahhh... fresh baking bread. Is there a better smell? Okay, maybe newborn baby breath, but fresh baking bread smells sooo good.

We can only wait minutes after the loaves come out of the oven before we slice one open and spread the slices with butter, which instantly melts. The kids always rave that it is the best bread ever, and I do believe I agree.

Yogurt

I have started making yogurt, and I love it! It tastes so good, and is so good for you. The kids have been eating yogurt daily for sometime. They are used to store sweetened yogurt, but will eat my home-made yogurt if I add some jelly or honey to it. I would love to one day not buy any more yogurt and only have homemade, but so far "their's and mine" is what we do.

Here are the steps I take to making yogurt at home:

First off, the cast of characters: milk, a little yogurt from the previous batch, a thermometer, and stock pot.

I set out the ingredients to come to room temperature while I bring a large stock pot of water to a boil. I hang the pot I am using for the milk over the one that is boiling to sterilize it and to help the pot of water to boil faster.

I use the two pots as a double boiler, pour the milk in, and bring it up to 185 degrees stirring frequently. This kills any bacteria.

When the milk hits 185 degrees I take it off the heat and set it in the sink full of cool water to bring the milk down to 110 degrees.

When the milk comes down to 110 degrees, I add in yogurt (or culture) from the previous batch. I use the ratio of 2-3 tablespoons of yogurt to a half gallon of milk.

Then I pour the milk into mason jars and put them in an ice chest. I add warm water to the ice chest to keep the jars at 110 degrees for 7 hours. I check this with the thermometer and add warm water if the temperature drops. After 7 hours the yogurt should have solidified. I then take it out and let it cool and then store it in the refrigerator.

And voila... yummy, tart, fresh, yogurt. Such a morning treat with a little granola and honey on top. A terrific way to start the day!

Some great resources on making yogurt: Cultures for Health, and How to Make Your Own Yogurt

What We Did With Them Apples

Well, we ate them, of course. Luke has been asking for them all day everyday this week. He loves walking around the house with one in hand. I do have to be careful though because he starts at one end of the apple and eats his way through to the other - core, stem, and all.

Being that these are fresh apples, organic even, I thought we should get them cooked up before some of them bruised and got mushy. So I got out the handy dandy apple corer/peeler/slicer that my wonderful husband bought me last year and went to work. We decided that a big apple crisp and some apple sauce was in order.

This is where we started. (Notice mom's iced coffee in the background, it's never far away!!)

Apple peeling is so fun and easy with this gadget! (Iced coffee strikes again!)

Not to mention you get these great peel ribbons that the kids love to eat (and drape around their bodies).

At the end of it we had enough cinnamon apple sauce for a couple days.

And a wonderful dish of simple apple crisp! We're out of ice cream, but I bet it will be great tonight after the kids go to bed... with an iced coffee ;-)

I'm thinking we may need to plan another apple picking trip before it gets too late.... yum!

Yes, He Listens...

My husband, that is.

You see I mentioned last winter that I might enjoy having a grain mill to grind our own grain to make bread. I enjoy the process of making bread, especially in the winter time when the weather is cooler. I also enjoy having some kitchen storage, but that is rather slim. I have already fashioned our coat closet into a pantry (because who needs a coat closet in Southern California, really). And most of the dishes I have inherited from my grandmother live in the garage (something I will remedy someday). Anyway, he wasn't thinking about storage. You see my husband has MANY gifts, but one of his best is searching Craigslist for a great deal. It's a hobby of sorts I guess you can say. One must be very careful what they say in front of him because more times than not within minutes he's on his phone finding that item for the person. I wonder if there are other husbands with this gift....

So Tuesday he called from work and said he had a surprise for me. I always love his surprises. 85% of the time they have to do with food, and the rest of the time they are something he heard me say in passing and has acquired and brought home for me. So lucky I am : ). I guess he has been looking for a grain mill for quite some time and finally found one for a terrific deal right in the town he works in. It's circa 1976... but it was a great deal...

I had a homeschool mom's night out that night, but left a bit early to run by Sprouts and buy some Red Winter Wheat Berries. Unfortunately this machine is so large and heavy I could not clean it up myself. I had to wait until Friday when he could help me. So we cleaned it out and ran some wheat through and it worked beautifully.

My beautiful new-to-me Magic Mill

Freshly milled flour and my Kitchen Aid kneading my dough

Finishing up the kneading process, because it feels so good this way!!

After rising in the pans, ready to go in the oven.

Now, was it worth it? A resounding YES!!!! There was so much more flavor in this bread than any I've made before. My family loved it and I loved making it for them. My oldest son even said it was the BEST bread ever.

And I think I agree!