My bread making talents are due to my associations with this forum! Somewhere in the past 4 or 5 years, I became interested in sour dough starters and bread making techniques (not sure who among you was the culprit).

After a lot of trials, I can now say that my breads are definitely "edible" and downright tasty - at times. Still, my family does like plain white sandwich breads that only the grocery stores can supply - so I don't force the issue.

The latest combinations of sour dough breads with mixed grains have been sooo good. The last was made with a blend of flours, a little rye, whole wheat, cracked wheat, and unbleached white flour, and wheat germ. It came out great, and a treat when toasted with Roman cheese in the toaster oven, then served with home-made chili or soups. A treat on cool days!

I learned a lot from reading this and the Cooking Forums, and also have a book that was given me by my ex-husband's mother. The Cornell Bread Book - has been around a long time, but the instructions are great for beginners like me - not only recipes, but step-by-step instructions - with PICTURES. I've branched out since then - adding my own ideas - sometimes successfully! But the book itself is regarded almost as highly as the Ball Blue Book! - along with Fannie Farmer's cook book. In case of fire, these "important documents" will be the first to save.

My DeLonghi mixer (pricey) is a great piece of equipment - I can't say enough about it, and such a beauty in my kitchen. Some things I can scrimp on - but good kitchen equipment has been a joy for me in recent years, - the mixer is one of them. It doesn't bake, but I think it could mix cement if called upon to do so.

I've found that a small under-the-counter grow-type light is a great place to put rising dough beneath. I've placed a reddish plastic cover over it - tented and it has not failed me - yet. Not sure if the red plastic has anything to do with it - nor the grow light either, for that matter, but that's where it just happened to end up for that facet of the procedure. This is for the first rise - that is.

After the loaves are shaped, I found that the only place to safely put them is in the oven or microwave - so the microwave won out. I don't turn on any heat, but can't help wondering if the lack of "breeze" in the microwave could be a significant factor in giving a good rise???

Anyway, for some reason - I have been having some success, especially after I once conquered the urge to "fix" the stickiness by adding LOTS more flour - after removing the mixed dough from the DeLonghi. I'm sure it comes from a bad habit of not wanting to have my hands sticky dirty - which I believe I acquired when working in the medical profession years ago! Anyway, now if I dust my hands with flour a little, it helps contain that urge - and it keeps things moving a WHOLE lot better in that regard. The bread comes out much better.

I hope to try sweet dough rolls soon and my deli rye could be improved upon - I'd like it for making Ruben sandwiches, so it needs to be a bit lighter.

Bejay

I let my dough get the first rise in an 8 quart plastic bucket with a tight fitting lid. It has to be food safe, and not a one-time use styrene type bucket. King Arthur Flour sells them for an exorbitant amount of money but I found mine and a smaller one at a restaurant supply company on-line. If you have one near you, all the better, no shipping cost. It doesn't seem to matter what the room temperature is so Bejay may be right in putting it where there isn't a breeze.

I use my KitchenAid mixer to make dough following the recipes for "Everyday Bread" or "Challah" in my Julia Child book "Baking with Julia". Never fails me, and very little kneading, if at all, is required.

If you are looking for a bread machine, check out Goodwill and Craigslist or Freecycle. There seems to be a lot of them. I have three that I bought for about $15 each and like new, hardly used. I think the machines were a fad so that husbands could have some "tool" to gift their wives, and many people bought them with high hopes of having fresh bread without working at it and then didn't like the results. Mine are used to make pizza dough (easier) or whole grain bread doughs that are hard to knead.

Nancy

I have osteo arthritis so bad that I couldn't knead if I wanted to and I have to tell you that I used to enjoy doing it. I have used my bread machine but I really prefer to just use my kitchen aid...

I also use my microwave to proof...

That bread was proofed first in the microwave with the light on and then for an hour of the second rise and then I put it in the fridge overnight to proof...I woke up about 4 in the morning and since I was awake anyway and had to get up for a pain killer, I took it out to finish the second proof and then I proofed it again on parchment and then baked. It was delish.

{{gwi:963568}}

I'd love to bake bread. A lady at church gave me some starter which I left on the counter for a few weeks. She said it was bad so I threw it out. The next batch she gave me I immediately put in the refrig but after a few weeks my husband threw it out because he thought it was disgusting. I am not asking her again.

I cannot get the tech for correct heated water for adding the yeast.

Belinda,
I cannot do the yeast in water either. Now, trust me, this really works. You mix the dry yeast in with the flour. It will raise beautifully. I just make my liquid a bit warmer than you would for dissolving the yeast. I use my thermometer and make the liquid 140 degrees. You just make the bread like baking a cake or something, mix the yeast in with the dry ingredients.
My MIL used to say you can't make bread like I do. Well, she was a wonderful baker, even won state grange baking contests. In the end she told me my bread was better than hers !
Try it, Belinda, you will be amazed. I use the same recipe as Annie, other than I use butter instead of oil.
Honey really does make the best bread, I think. I use the wheat bread flour, not just reg. whole wheat, but both will work.

I also use my bread machine to knead my breadough. I have arthritis in my hands, so I just set the bread machine to the dough setting and pull it out as soon as it is done with the kneading. If I leave it in the machine to rise, it sometimes rises and then deflates into a big mess. I like to proof it on my counter in a 8 cup glass measuring bowel. I like to make sour dough rye the most.

Inspiration!! It's been so long since I made bread and it sure is the season for baking. This thread inspired me to start some starter so that I can start in on the sourdough next week. mmmmmm-mm.

I want to start baking bread too! We have a bread machine that I used regularly but that was 10 years ago. I would like to try making a few loaves myself. I don't have the time right now, but it is a project for after Christmas.

I am going to try mixing the dry yeast into the dough as suggested above. Sounds like a time saver!

I have a baking stone and have heard that bread is better baked directly on the stone. Is this true? I'd like regular shaped bread for sandwiches. Is it possible to use aluminum loaf pans with the bottom cut out? Would that work? Is there another way to keep the bread in a semi-sandwich shape and still bake it on the stone?

I bake bread, always have. Although I have to admit, I bake more in the winter months for eating with soups and stews.
It's only my daughter and myself and we only use about 1 loaf a month. Don't like white bread at all I bake either my Grammies Oatmeal Bread, variations of or Wheat Bread.
So far I can still knead if I wear the strap for tendonitis.

My baking stone stays in the oven all the time, keeps the heat even. You don't need to cut the bottom off a bread pan just place them ontop of the stone. I prefer the large square stones, not the round ones.
Someone bought me that 5 minute Artisan Bread Book, but I haven't played around with it. I understand the starter is unforgiving for variations.

Sheryl, the crust really does come out better on a stone. There are stones made in that bread-pan shape as well. A web-search should find some pretty quickly. Or if you do regular business with one of the on-line mega-stores, you should be able to find one. There is also Pampered Chef, that sells their products at those home "parties." Stones are pricier than your average pan, but well worth it.

BuzyLizzy, I tried that 5 minutes artisan bread. I didn't get the book, just read a long article on Mother Earth News web site. It is a course, chewy crusted bread that is quite enjoyable. However, it takes up a lot of space in the fridge and if you don't bake some every week, the dough can get an unappetizing appearance.

I will definitely make it again, as this bread is particularly good with clear-broth soups, but I just don't have a permanent place in the fridge for it. Overall, I prefer the flexibility of the sourdough.

I just made a great loaf of butternut squash whole wheat bread to go with some chili, it's outstanding if anyone wants the recipe:

Annie

Sure why not...I love to try new recipes. At this moment I have your wheat bread rising in my microwave...

That's a huge loaf there...

How full was your bread pan before the rise? I have never had a loaf rise up that high..I would be worried that it was over proofing....

Linda Lou, thanks. I printed your suggestion out and will save.

What's with the not working with yeast..I mean all you do is warm the water to about 110==115 degrees and toss the yeast in and let it sit for a few minutes..

If you put a pinch of sugar in the 110-115F water, measured in the warm bowl you put it in, sprinkle on the yeast, stir it with a spoon, leave the spoon in the bowl, the yeast should be creamy and a little foamy. If it just sits there then your yeast is old and dead. Buy new yeast, test again. It will keep forever in freezer, for a year in the refrig tightly double sealed. Let amount you need come to room temp to use. Don't be afraid of yeast. If your dough isn't rising, then try patience for another hour. Still not, then the recipe is not right, choose another recipe maybe.

Nancy

Annie,

I would love to have your butternut squash bread recipe. I made butternut squash soup for the freezer and have a few left from the garden.

For all of you bakers afflicted with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc., you can make bread without a bread machine. I've been baking all of our bread for about 2 years now...ever since the "No-Knead Bread" article came out in the NYT. This EASY bread is very forgiving, and I have developed numerous variations. It takes very little time to mix up...just a little planning ahead. The following is a fusion of the NYT and Cook's Illustrated recipes:
The night before you plan to bake your bread, mix together
4 c. King Arthur bread flour
1 tsp. yeast (regular or rapid-rise)
2 tsp. salt
Add the following liquid mix to the flour
1/2 c. beer(optional...may use all water) with water added to total 14 fl. oz.
1 1/2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
Mix, cover and place in warm place for 12-18 hours. The dough will be slightly wet. After rising, turn dough out onto floured surface and shape into a round loaf. If you want, you can knead the dough for about 30 sec. Place dough into a 9-10 inch frying pan (just to keep the shape) lined with parchment paper, cover and let rise 2 hours. About 20-30 min. before the 2 hours are up, preheat oven to 500 degrees and place a (cast iron, ceramic, glass, etc.) Dutch oven with lid inside to preheat, as well. When ready to bake, DECREASE THE OVEN TEMP. TO 450 DEGREES (I've forgotten to do this a time or two), pick up your dough on the parchment and plop the whole thing in the Dutch oven. COVER and bake 30 min. Then, remove lid and bake another 20 min., covering lightly with aluminum foil if bread browns too much. When done, pick up the bread with the parchment and place on a rack to cool. This technique results in a loaf of bread that looks like it came from an artisan bakery, with a shatteringly crisp crust. We do not store the loaf in a bag...just place cut-side down on your cutting board, and it will keep for a couple of days just fine while preserving that great crust!
Variations:
Use 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat flours or 1/2 semolina flour.
Substitute 1 c. oatmeal, 5-grain cereal (e.g. Red Mill), or bran for equal part flour.
Add walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, etc.
I work some crazy hours (operating room), and now even my husband will mix up this bread for baking the next day!

Just thought I would tell you annie that my bread is delish. I didn't get the amount of rise that you did but a beautiful loaf. I always start getting nervous because I have over-proofed a couple of times and had my bread deflate so maybe I just rushed the rise but it looks great and tastes even better...The crumb and crust seem perfect to me.

ruthie, I'm glad that recipe is good for you, I really like it.

Here is the Butternut Squash Bread, also very good:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water 1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup warm fat free milk
1 cup mashed, cooked butternut squash
1/3 cup butter or stick margarine, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour

1. In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar; let stand for 5 minutes Stir in the milk, squash, butter, brown sugar and salt. Add whole wheat flour. beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough.
2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with nonstick cooking spray, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down and turn onto a floured surface; divide into 20 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Place 2 in. apart on baking sheets coated with nonstick cooking spray. With a sharp knife, make shallow slashes on top of rolls. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Now, I just put all the wet stuff in the bread machine, dumped the dry stuff in on top, hit dough and let it go. I never proof yeast because I buy it in two pound packages at Sam's Club and keep half in the freezer and the other half in a quart jar in the refrigerator, I use it fast enough that it doesn't get old.

Annie

I didn't make this all into rolls, I made a dozen dinner roll sized rolls and one medium sized loaf of bread from this recipe.

Annie

Annie this wheat bread is going to be a staple in our house. As I said I bake nearly all our bread and even my husband commented on how good it was. As a matter of fact, he said, I love the taste of this bread as much as any you have ever baked....and he loves all my bread...

For the question on bread machines, I have a Breadman machine that does 1.5 or 2# loaves (I think) and I've been quite happy with it. I don't bake much bread in it, but these days I use it to make pizza dough, which I freeze. I think I paid around $70 for it about 5 years ago, and it has been a reliable appliance.

I have been thinking about using it more for bread dough, as I don't really care for bread baked in the machine, but rarely have time to make bread the old-fashioned way. Does anyone make sourdough and freeze it unbaked? It would be nice to be able to pull baguettes or rolls out of the freezer for fresh-baked bread to go with dinner.

Thanks for all the advice on bread machines - I think I have located one on my local Craigslist. It's a Sunbeam.
Now......anyone have any foolproof breadmachine recipes that you want to share with a beginner? Next post I'll probably have to ask for diet tips or a Breads AAA meeting somewhere..lol

lantanascape (or anyone else)- I'd love to hear more about freezing dough. I make pizza dough, but can't figure out when to freeze it (before it rises, after a little bit of rise, after you make it round) to get a good result. Any tips about freezing? And how to make it un-frozen when you need it?

Annie, I made your Honey Whole Wheat bread yesterday. That is the best bread recipe for sandwiches and of course to have a piece immediately with butter and/or jam.
It is VERY good, the texture is just fantastic. It came out soft and looking like REAL BREAD (I'm up and down w. breads, one never knows, but I consider this one NO FAIL!)

I made one regular loaf and 3 mini loaves and gave them to friends. They RAVED!

The only question I have is what is the substitute for yeast amounts. I don't have packets, I have a large container. I put 2.5 tsp. It came out fine. I also mixed it in my bread machine to mix all the ingredents, but baked in the oven, like Linda Lou suggested. Mixed in the yeast in the flour without wetting. Liquid ingredients first, then dry. Here's the recipe again everyone:

HONEY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups all purpose flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 pkg. active dry yeast
2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbsp. oil
1 egg
PREPARATION:
In large bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, the yeast, and salt and mix well.
In saucepan, heat milk, water, honey, and oil until a thermometer reads 120-130 degrees F (warm)
Add liquid mixture to flour mixture and stir to combine. Beat this batter for 3 minutes. Then, gradually stir in rest of whole wheat flour and enough remaining all-purpose four to form a firm dough.
Sprinkle work surface with flour and knead dough, adding more flour if necessary, for 5-8 minutes until smooth and satiny. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning the dough in the bowl to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, until double in bulk.
Punch down dough and divide into 2 pieces. On lightly floured surface, roll or press each piece of dough to a 14x7" rectangle. Starting with shorter side, roll up tightly, pressing dough into roll with each turn. Pinch edges and ends to seal and place dough, seam-side down, into greased 9x5" bread pans, making sure short ends of bread are snugly fitted against the sides of the pans. Cover and let rise in warm place until the dough fills the corners of the pans and is double in bulk, 30-40 minutes.
Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, until bread is golden brown. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. I like to brush the bread with butter when it's still hot from the oven for a softer crust.

Now, all I do is put the wet ingredients on the bottom, the dry on the top, and press the "dough" button. The machine does all the work.

Tonight I'm making butternut squash rolls with half whole wheat and half white flour, again in the bread machine. I just use any bread recipe I have to make bread in the bread machine and haven't had a spectacular failure yet. I've made Grandma's old Farmhouse White to Bernard Clayton's Frisian Bread to James Beard's sour cream loaf and they all come out just fine on the dough cycle in the bread machine.

That said, I do check the machine a few minutes after it starts the knead cycle to be sure the dough isn't too dry or too wet. Hydration depends on the type of wheat, the humidity, the temperature, many factors, so I always check, I don't just measure and take it for granted.

Annie

Thanks so much for sharing! It's a 'successful' feeling!
June Lynn

I haven't tried freezing sourdough, but I tried freezing my starter and I think it died, so I'd be wary of it. Maybe if it were already risen, though?

junelynn and ruthie, I'm so glad you like that recipe, it's one of our family favorites, even the kids will eat it.

As for the substitution of yeast amounts, I think a packet is 2 1/4 teaspoons. I buy yeast in bulk at Sam's Club in two packages. One package goes into the freezer, the other is emptied into a quart canning jar with a lid and stays in the fridge. I'm not really very exact, so I've gotten a little more or a little less without any problems, so your 2.5 teaspoons is pretty close to right on.

farmgardener, I use any bread recipe I find and put it in the bread machine, not one has failed me yet. Liquid on the bottom, dry on the top, push dough cycle button and when it's done, shape into rolls or loaves or whatever and bake it in the oven. Usually at 375F, just because.

If you'd like something special I have recipes for everything from peanut butter bread to Toblerone bread to chili bread to beer/cheese bread. My favorite is maple oatmeal but the honey wheat is the most common in my kitchen, followed by Sol's Honey Rolls, posted by solsthumper at Cooking.

Annie

Please do give us the maple oatmeal...I love oatmeal bread. I actually made the one below yesterday and it is veru good.

treefalls -

I sometimes freeze small portions of dough - to use later. My last sourdough effort yielded quite a big batch of dough, so decided to bake only 2 loaves and freeze a smaller piece for later. I let the dough "do" a first sponge rise, cut the dough into 3 pieces, 2 larger, and the smaller one. Shaped the 2 larger and let it rise again, then baked. Incidentally, it was "super."

The smaller piece was "worked" a bit, then placed on a dish and frozen in my fridge. When it was firm, I wrapped it in freezer bag and stored. I plan to use it for pizza crust.

My last effort - after freezing - was first thawed, then I rolled it out into a square piece, spread melted butter on it, chopped dates, sugar and cinnamon - rolled it into a long cylinder and cut into 1 in. pieces, baked in a glass Pyrex dish - Viola - homemade cinnamon rolls!

Actually, they were OK. However, I think sourdough is probably better for Artisan type breads, as other recipes are better and lighter for pastry types - (just my thinking).

A bit off topic, but I heard recently on TV that adding potato flour to doughnut dough, makes them lighter. Anyone know about this?

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

I recently began making bread using a bread machine and have made some very good bread including an egg bread that I made french toast out of right after coming out of the machine. My wife gave me rave reviews and bragged when we went to my parents that evening for Thanksgiving. My problem is is that the bread tends to mold, or harden quickly, say a few days. Is there a better way to preserve fresh baked bread than cling wrap or a tupperware? Should I put it in the refrigerator?

gmreeves -

One of the nice things about home made bread is that it DOESN'T contain any additives, preservatives, etc., as commercial breads do. Over the time that I have been making my own bread, I can taste the preservatives in commercial loaves - and I no longer care to eat it - tastes like cardboard.

However, for that reason, home baked bread does mold early. I keep mine in the fridge, when using, and keep in the freezer otherwise.

It's a small price to pay for the wonderful flavor of the home made kind.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

I use a homemade dough enhancer or absorbic acid and that seems to help but I don't like adding much to my bread either. If it didn't get stale and there were not a gazillion deer on our property, I'd be up to my eyeballs in bread. I know my friends are going to reach a point with my bread as the old saying goes about summer squash.

I've had longer shelf life/counter life with my breads by substituting 1 Tablespoon of Liquid Lecithin for 1 Tablespoon of the fat in all my recipes. I've also found that making smaller loaves and adjusting the recipe's ingredient ratios gives me just what we need/what we will consume in our normal time period without having so much wasted stale or moldy bread. You could do the same thing without any adjustment, use smaller pans, then use the extra dough to make a pan of biscuits - cool, cover with freezer paper, seal, and pop in the freezer for another time.

For keeping homemade bread, I follow Julia Child's advice and put it cut side down on a bread board with a thick dish towel completely covering it. That works so much better than plastic wrap, paper bags, or plastic containers. In the winter when the house air is very dry, I put a dish of water next to it to keep the humidity around it higher.

BTW - I've found that kneading bread actually helps my arthritis - "use it or lose it" my doc said. Hurts for a while but result in a day or so is an increase in flexibility in my hands, fingers, wrists and shoulders and a lot less pain for a much longer time period.

Nancy

About wrist problems - (sorry a bit OT).

I worked for long periods of time in my transcriptionist job with the computer and prior to that with a typewriter. I did this type of work for 30 years, and never experienced wrist problems with a typewriter, so why so with the computer? It would seem that resting the palms on the desk or keyboard while manipulating fingers - seems to contribute to "carpal tunnel syndrome." Also - when symptoms are bad - it is a good idea to take a "keyboard vacation" for awhile.

A wrist splint can also be helpful, but rest is better - read a book or go shopping for awhile.

Otherwise, if symptoms become severe, it might become necessary to have a carpal tunnel release - but I would much prefer other preventive measures. It seemed to be helpful in my case.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

Farmergardener: I saw that you have most likely decided on the Sunbeam, I just wanted to say that I have had a Breadman Plus that I bought from Broadway before they went out of business some +12 years ago. I will use it alot around the holidays for the rolls and then when the mood strikes me. I also recently had a yen for fresh, homemade ravioli and to properly make that, it needed lots of kneeding. I pulled out the handy bread machine and used the dough cycle and it kneeded the dough beautifully! (I am just lazy)

As for a great "Wonder White (junk white) Bread" recipe, I have it. I found this recipe in a book called "Electric Bread A bread Maching Activity book for Kids". It is a HUGE hit with kids and makes incredible rolls. Here it is:

White Bread
smaller loaf first and larger loaf is the second portion
Water
1 1/4 cups 1 1/2 cups
White Bread Flour
3 cups 4 cups
Dry Milk
2 Tablespoons 3 Tablespoons
Sugar
2 Tablespoons 3 Tablespoons

Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons 2 teaspoons
Butter
2 Tablespoons 3 Tablespoons
Yeast (fast rise)
1 1/2 teaspoons 2 teaspoons
OR
Yeast(active dry)
2 teaspoons 2 1/2 teaspoons

The nutritional information per serving is:
156 Calories
6mg Cholesterol
296mg Sodium
13% Protein
72% Carbohydrates
15% fat
But I have no idea how big a serving is...for me the whole bread could be just one serving.
Teri

temiha/Teri great. I couldn't wait for it to cool so I could taste it because it just felt good when I took it out of the pans. It is very tasty and so soft. I really like the recipe, thanks for sharing it. I think I will share it at the Harvest Forum.

I just read on another site that a dash of vinigar can help prolong bread life haven't tried it yet though we usually kill a loaf in one meal

I am sorry my mind went blank..I meant at the Farm Table...

I've done computer research/typing/transcription for over 30 years and spend much of my work day doing legal research and drafting documents. My carpal tunnel gets problematic and kneading bread doesn't help, it aggravates it.

This is one of my favorite breads, but I love everything with maple! It's great toasted and Ashley likes it for ham and cheese sandwiches:

MAPLE OATMEAL BREAD

3 3 ¼ cups flour
1 pkg dry yeast
¾ cup prepared coffee
1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats
½ (scant) cup maple syrup
2 tbls butter
1 tsp salt
1 egg

Combine a cup of flour and the yeast. Heat coffee, oats, syrup, butter and salt until just warm and butter is almost melted. Add to flour mixture along with egg. Beat with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3-5 minutes kneading). Shape dough into a ball, place in lightly greased bowl, and turn over once to grease surface of dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about an hour.

Punch down dough, cover and let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile lightly grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Shape dough into a loaf and place into prepared pan, cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (30 to 45 minutes). Bake at 350 F about 30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.

Makes 1 loaf (14 slices)

Each slice contains 149 calories, 3 grams total fat, 2 grams sat. fat, 1 gr fiber, 26 gr. Carbs, 196 mg sodium, 4 gr protein. (Contains 8% of daily requirement of iron)

Annie

I will post me Grammies Oatmeal Bread Recipe. I double the batch and make 7 loaves, freezes well. We really don't eat much bread so I don't bake all the time. I have tendonitis in my right arm and prefer to have all the pain in one day, lol.

Grammy Mabel's Oatmeal Bread Recipe

2 Cups Scalded Milk
2 Cups Rolled Oats (NOT Quick Oats)

2 Cakes Yeast, or 2 Tbsps Granular
4 Large Spoons Sugar (Tbsp)
3 Small Spoons Salt (tsp)
1/2 Cup Water Water
4 Large spoons Melted Lard or Butter ( Tbsp)
5 Cups Bread Flour

Method:
Add Scaled milk to rolled oats, mix well, let cool.

Small bowl, combine yeast, sugar water and melted lard, add a 1/2 Cup flour to the yeast mix, let stand 5 minutes.

Large Bowl, combine remaing flour and salt, adding the yeast mixture, then the cooled oats.

Toss on board, knead and shape into ball, place in greased bowl,brush top with melted butter, cover in warm place and let rise to double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Next, place on floured board, knead 1 minute, shape into 2 loaves- Put into small greased bread pans, brush tops with melted butter, cover in warm place till double in size.

Bake in hot oven 400 degrees for 15 minutes, cool over to 350 degrees bake for 45 minutes or till hollow sound.

Variation: Multigrain Rolled Hot Cereal for the Oatmeal, I get 7 Grain at the Mennonite store to make 7 grain bread.

Annie -

One more little tip about carpal tunnel - but you probably know - is to think about "ergonomics" in your work place.

It is important to have your keyboard in proper position, your monitor also, and chairs that allow the feet to be placed properly in relationship - so that the body is in comfortable alignment for long hours of repetitive work. I think employers need to do some serious thinking about this, because it has become a growing problem with this new growing computer technology.

Working at home, I found if I lowered my keyboard closer to my lap level, it gave more comfort. Also the monitor needs to be at proper eye level. Sounds a bit uninteresting, but, nevertheless, very important if one hopes to be "on the job" for years to come.

As I've mentioned before, my deafness comes as a result of long-term "cranking up the volume" on my headset - this is something to think about for anyone wearing a headset - i.e. telephone operators, etc., for many years. I found seeking quiet places to spend my holidays and days off to be very enjoyable.

Just my 2 c's.

About making bread - oh yeah - my mixer does most of the kneading - once the dough hook lifts the dough off the bottom of the bowl, it's ready to knead - but only takes a few turns - no more - then off for the rise. A good mixer all but takes over that part of the bread making.

B.

Thanks annie for the recipe.....and busylizzy.. I have your bread recipe in my files and have made it several times. It's a winner..

I still have to make that oatmeal bread, lizzy. Maybe this week, I'll bet it would be awesome with soup and we're supposed to have a "complicated meteorological event" tonight and tomorrow.

Let's see, snow first, 50 MPH winds, then sleet and freezing rain. More snow, blowing and drifing, white out conditions, power outages. Total accumulation from a foot to a foot and a half.

Yup, winter in Michigan. Too bad I don't have something ready to can. As long as the power stays on, I guess I can bake Christmas cookies.

There is a downside to snow days. I live only about half a mile from work, so I can never get snowed in. I walk to work most days, so it's just put on my boots and walk, LOL. I'll be there when no one else is there...

Annie

Ciao Annie-

We have a similar situation going on here. I stocked up on baking ingredients yesterday, so I'm making international holiday breads this week, starting with a Hungarian Christmas bread with a poppyseed, walnut, candied fruit filling. Tomorrow is German Dresden Christollen with marzipan filling. After that will be Italian Panettone.

There's nothing like baking to warm up a house during a blizzard or even wet slushy fat flakes like we had today.

I've been thinking of trying a panettone ..Do you have a fabulous recipe...I am sure I can find one on the internet or KA if it's too big a bother.....

When all else is not working out, and I feel like canning, I do dried beans.. I love having them ready to eat. Tonight we had some of my canned pinto's.

P S.... I'll be gone for about a week or so. We are leaving on a cruise. My poor husband has had his hands full the last couple of years tending to the farmstead, all that the house involves, all my tests and appointments and caring for me so we are taking off on a cruise to the Bahamas......We picked that one because it doesn't have a lot of ports of call and we can spend out time just relaxing on the ship.

I finally got a new oven, so I've been back into bread baking. My new thing is sourdough - and DH is very happy to eat the experiments. The rye bread came out really good, especially with homemade kielbasa to go with it :-)

Ruthie,
Have a great trip. Don't forget to have a big bowl of conch chowder - that was my very favorite meal in the Bahamas.

ruthie, you're probably back by now, I hope you had a great trip.

I've been doing "international" cookies too, LOL, but not because I decided to, just because that's what struck me. I just made cuccidati, a fig filled cookie that a friend sent me and I loved them. I've made Venetian rainbow cookies with almond paste, and I've made good old American toll house cookies and grandma's molasses cookies and peanut butter cookies. Elery and I are making cannoli tomorrow, and I've done the Scottish shortbread and the spritz and the pfefferneuse. I think I'm not going to do any more baking except cut out and frosted sugar cookies with the grandkids!

Now, that pannetone. Here is a recipe from King Arthur Flour for a traditional pannetone, it requires an overnight resting of the "biga", which is just the yeast with a bit of water and some of the flour, kind of like a sourdough "starter". The bread is made using the biga the next day. I didn't have orange oil or the special seasoning thing you can only get from King Arthur Flour, LOL, so I used the vanilla and some orange extract.

My family loves this recipe and since it uses dried fruit instead of the candied stuff, I like it too. I do not like candied fruit at all.

Anyway, it's easier than it looks and the recipe came from King Arthur Flour:

Overnight Panettone
This traditional Italian holiday bread will stay fresh longer when it's made with an overnight starter.

Biga (Overnight Starter)
3/4 cup (3 1/8 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/16 teaspoon yeast (just a pinch)
1/3 cup (2 5/8 ounces) water

Dough
all of the biga (above)
2 1/4 cups (9 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (2 ounces) water
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) unsalted butter
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia flavoring OR 1 teaspoon vanilla + 1/8 teaspoon orange oil
2 1/4 teaspoons SAF Gold instant yeast OR 1 tablespoon instant yeast
1/3 cup (2 1/4 ounces) sugar
1/2 cup (3 ounces) golden raisins
1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) slivered dried apricots
1/2 cup (2 ounces) dried cranberries or flavored fruit bits
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) dried pineapple, chopped
2 tablespoons orange or lemon zest

The Biga: Combine the biga ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl, cover, and allow them to rest overnight (8 to 12 hours).

Dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients except the fruit, and mix and knead them togetherby hand, mixer or bread machinetill you've made a soft, smooth dough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until it's puffy (though not necessarily doubled in bulk). Gently deflate the dough, and knead in the fruits and zest.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a panettone pan or other straight-sided, tall 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan. Cover the pan and let the dough rise till it's just crested over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour.

Bake the bread in a preheated 400°F oven for 10 minutes; reduce the oven heat to 375°F and bake an additional 10 minutes; then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 25 minutes, tenting with aluminum foil if the crust appears to be browning too quickly. Remove the panettone from the oven and cool completely.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet Newsletter, Vol. III, No. 2, December 1991 issue.

Annie

TREEFALLS,
My family and I have cooking days where we make 20 or so pizza crusts for the freezer. We let the dough rise once and then separate dough for a single pizza into quart size bag. Freeze. To thaw, we just take out one or two pizza rounds and let thaw in the frig. Once thawed, it will be good for at least a couple of days. Just press the dough onto a cookie sheet or pizza pan. Works great!
Heidi