Maple Oatmeal Bread March 9, 2010

I decided to put our bottle of local maple syrup to good use again!  I found a great recipe online for Maple Oatmeal Bread to make in my bread machine.  And since my bread machine and I seem to be on a roll, I decided to try the recipe out!  My husband and I were on our way for a  hike today so I felt a bit rushed to get everything done before we left.  So I made a quite a mess in the kitchen…And the flour found it’s way to my pants!

(Can you find my best bud Asher in the picture?)

So here’s the ingredients:

1 package (1/4 ounce or 2-1/4 teaspoons) dry active yeast

1 cup quick cooking rolled oats

3 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1-1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon very warm water (105F to 115F)

 And everything added to the pan:

We got back from our hike 4 hours later and had warm bread waiting on us!  It tastes very light and sweet.  I am surprised the oatmeal did not seem to change the texture of the bread…again, very fluffy.  I love that I was able to use the syrup and am thinking of making french toast tomorrow.  Check back and see!

Dinner Rolls (& Spaghetti) March 4, 2010

I used my bread machine again day.  This time I used it to make dough and decided to make some rolls to accompany dinner.  I used this recipe:

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 3/4 c. bread flour

2 tsp active dry yeast

1/4 c. water

1 egg

3/4 c. milk

1/4 cup butter (used my local butter!)

And added all the ingredients to the bread maker. 

The bread maker then took 1 1/2 hours to make the dough. 

I easily lifted it out afterwards and kneaded it gently on a floured cutting board to get rid of air bubbles. 

I then formed it into small balls and placed them into greased muffin tins.

I covered them with a towel and waited for them to double in size.  One hour later…

I think they look really fluffy and soft!  I then brushed them with egg whites so they would finish with a nice brown top.  And finally I baked them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Here’s the finished product:

Yummy, huh?!

I fixed a homemade spaghetti sauce tonight complete with organic chicken sausage, organic canned tomatoes, and my sister’s famous spaghetti seasoning blend 😉  It topped whole wheat noodles, and I think as a whole the meal turned out very well!  Here’s my husband’s plate…

P.S. He finished it 😉

Homemade Bread February 28, 2010

Does it count as “homemade” if I use a bread machine?!

I had secretly been crushing a bread machine during my last couple of months in Togo.  I told my mom and when I returned to North Carolina, she bought me one!  Today was my first day using it.  I chose a rye bread recipe because I thought it would go nicely with our bison dinner tonight 😉  So here’s the experiment…I have to say it turned out very well!

All the ingredients for this recipe: (notice the local cheese!)

Cheese & Rye

1 1/2 c. hot water

4 tsp. oil

2 tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 1/4 c. bread flour

2/3 c. rye flour

2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 tbsp. fast rising yeast

Before…

During…

After!

I am really excited and proud of myself for how well it turned out!  And, yes, I’ve had a bite…Yummy!  Now I’m off to make bison burgers…Yay for Nathan being home and hungry!