Easiest Bread EVER!

I found this recipe for this oh so easy Artisan bread on this blog. I could NOT believe how easy it was and it turned out great! It is crusty and crunchy on the outside with a great texture on the inside. You could season the dough in different ways with herbs and spices. Anyway, give it a try. I made it go with lasagna and my family loved it!

Artisan Bread (makes one loaf)

Ingredients:

3 1/4 Cups Flour

3/4 Tbsp Instant Yeast

3/4 Tbsp Salt

1 1/2 Cups warm water

(I added about 2 tsps. of garlic powder to mine)

Directions: Mix ingredients together. I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer with dough hook and let it knead for about 5 minutes, but the original recipe does not call for kneading at all. I also had to add a bit more flour. The ratio of flour to water that bread recipes use really depends on where you live and the moisture content of your flour. You want the dough to not be totally sticky. It should not be sticking to the sides of the bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough sit for 3 hours (longer if you want, or need).

With Olive Oil on your hands and counter take the dough (which will be gooey and sticky) and form into a round/circular loaf and place in a round casserole dish with lid that you have sprayed with cooking spray. Rub some extra olive oil on the top of the loaf once you have it in the dish. Cover and bake in fully preheated 450 degree oven for 30 minutes. Take the lid off and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the dish, cover with a dry towel and allow to cool somewhat before slicing. Enjoy!

PS. Stay tuned for my delicious lasagna recipe!

Yesterday's Venture

So, yesterday I got crazy and decided to try making these sticky buns that I had seen on a Food Network episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. So, I found the recipe here on Food Network's website. Now, this recipe had alot of bad reviews. People said it was unclear and didn't work out. So, I did make a couple of changes:

First of all, in the recipe for the brioche dough, they have included directions for baking the brioche into a loaf. Don't do that:) After you knead the dough, put it in a bowl and cover it and put it in the refrigerator for 6 hours. That's right, 6 hours! It takes a LONG time to make these. Mine didn't get done until nearly midnight. I started at 1:00 pm. So start early, or leave the dough in the fridge overnight and make them in the morning. It makes about 15 buns, not 6!

Ok, for the ingredients in the brioche, I had to change them a bit. When I did what the recipe said, the dough was so dry that even my bosch mixer couldn't knead it. It just moved it around in circles in the bowl. So, after consulting another brioche recipe, I decided to add 2 more eggs. I also decreased the butter to 2 sticks (1 cup). This seemed to work really well. I also did not have high gluten flour, so I just added 2 Tbsp. gluten to my regular flour. Also, the lady who gave the recipe uses cake yeast. I used 2 Tbsp. of instant yeast, which you can buy at Sam's or Costco. And I did not use ice water, just regular water.

For the filling in the rolls, I increased the cinnamon from 1 tsp. to 1 Tbsp.

For the Goo recipe, I added 1 tsp. vanilla and did NOT add the water it calls for. Also, I think it is important to melt the butter, then add the brown sugar and then boil those together for a few minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved. On my candy thermometer, it reached about 250 degrees. I lined my pan with parchment paper, poured in the goo, and added an extra cup of chopped pecans to the pan. This is the way it was on the show, but they didn't write it in the recipe.

Just a note: 1 ounce=2 Tbsp.

So, all in all I thought this was a pretty easy recipe. It is VERY sweet and gooey. It took about 20 minutes longer to bake than the recipe says. I think my 9x13 pan was a bit too small. A large roasting pan would have been better. If the middle isn't done and the top is already brown, just cover it loosely with foil to keep the top from browning further.

Ok, let me know if you are brave enough to give these a try!

A Bit About Me...and a recipe

So, I thought it would be fun to do a post and tell you a little about myself. My name is Emily and I am a stay at home mom to 4 sons. I have another son on the way, due in June. Mostly my days are filled with driving kids around, making meals, and cleaning up after kids. I was raised in a family of seven girls (I am right in the middle). So, I really have no idea what to do with boys! I have learned that boys are very loud, very active, and very messy! They are also quite funny and my youngest is the snuggliest child I have ever known!

So, after finding that this baby I am carrying is going to be another boy, I was really mourning the loss of a daughter. I think this will be our last child, and coming from a family of girls it is sad for me to think I will never have a daughter. BUT, I have come to terms with it and I am trying to embrace being the mother of a basketball team!

The thing about me, though, is that I am very girly. I really like to do girly things. So, jewelry making is one way I put that girly energy to use. I also have a degree in interior architecture and design. So, I sort of have that creative energy. Another thing I like to do is bake (and eat) sweets! Unfortunately, I am NOT one of those people that can just eat whatever they want. So, sometimes I have to restrict myself from baking, because the truth is I really have no self-control when it comes to eating baked goods! BUT, since I am pregnant with my LAST child, I figure this is my last "excuse" to eat some yummy treats! So, I have been allowing myself to bake a little more lately.

Today, I decided to make homemade buttermilk donuts for my kids in honor of St. Patrick's Day. We also had these on New Year's Eve. They are not hard to make, but it is helpful if you have someone to assist you in the assembly line. I am sharing the recipe, so if you make them, plet me know how you liked them. Enjoy!

Homemade Buttermilk Donuts

2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

5 1/2 cups flour

2 tsps baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

1/4 cup melted butter

Glaze

a bowl of powdered sugar

a splash of vanilla

a little melted butter

enough milk to make it turn into a good consistency for dipping donuts

Chocolate Glaze

same as above, but omit the vanilla and add some cocoa powder (I use Hershey's dark)

Ok, so I don't always measure. If you don't feel comfortable mixing up your own glaze just find a recipe for one somewhere. They are all about the same.

Directions:

Put the buttermilk, eggs, sugar and vanilla in a bowl mix it up. I use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix it up until combined. Put a bunch of flour on the counter and plop the dough in the middle. Sprinkle some flour on top and then roll out your dough to about 1/4" thickness. Make sure there is plently of flour underneath so it doesn't stick. Cut out your donuts. You can re-roll the scraps and use them too. And don't forget to fry your donut holes...the kids love them! Fry in vegetable oil heated to 375-385 degrees. Fry until golden brown on both sides. You can test one to make sure the inside gets cooked. Drain on paper towels. I like to eat them warm, so I glaze them when they are warm. Or you can let them cool and then glaze them. To glaze them, just dip them in the glaze and them put them on a cookie sheet to dry. Makes about 2 dozen large donuts or 4 dozen small ones.