Author: Betty Owens

Christian writer of historical fiction and general fiction.

Homemade Bread Day 2

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens, Cooking3 Comments

I love experimenting with recipes! In my last post, I wrote about two recipes for some wonderful homemade bread. These are artisan-type loaves that produce a wonderful, chewy, toast-worthy bread. Especially the cranberry-nut loaf.

My husband loves a softer product for his sandwiches, so I set about researching and testing a few more recipes. I finally found one that is truly easy and makes a beautiful loaf of truly tasty bread. I will put a link down below for the original website. I couldn’t download and print the recipe, so I hand wrote a shortened version for my use. There was a link to print on the site, but it looked sketchy, so I didn’t click on it. However, the author does have a cookbook available that you may want to look at.

What I liked about the bread:

  • Few ingredients
  • Easy to put together
  • Knead or No-knead instructions included
  • Done in a few hours
  • Wonderful taste
  • Dense crumb
  • Easy to slice

I made one or two substitutions. Mainly with the oil. I use half olive oil, and half ghee. I think the ghee enhances the flavor slightly. I used the no-knead, but if you have a stand mixer or you just love to knead dough, this is a good recipe for that. It will be even quicker if you do all the kneading up front.

I suggest that you read through all of the baker’s instructions (she provides photos as well) before trying this bread. Then refer back to her website as needed. But once you get the hang of it, this is a super-easy recipe that comes together quickly. The bulk of the time is spent waiting for the dough to rise. I do the stretch-and-fold every 30 minutes through four repeats. If I’m writing, this gives me ample opportunities to get up and move around every few minutes.

I would like to thank Emma Fontanella for this excellent recipe. I’ve baked this bread four times now, and it is consistently good.

So, without further ado, here is my finished product:

Yes, I bought a breadbox (on Amazon*) to keep my freshly baked bread nice and fresh for several days.

*I don’t make any money off the referrals here

As you can see, the slice is beautiful! It is dense, but soft and the crust is kept soft by applying melted butter immediately following the baking. So, I suppose you could call it “butter crust” bread.

In conclusion: This bread makes wonderful sandwiches. I like to toast it slightly for mine. And it passed the grilled cheese test! It held together very nicely and came out golden brown, just the way I like it. 🙂

Note: I allow the loaf to cool completely – a couple of hours at least – before I slice it with an electric knife. It’s easier to slice that way, and my slices are more consistent.

Happy Baking!

At Home and Homemade

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens5 Comments

I love the smell of yeast bread baking! I’m inhaling the wonderful aroma right now. Recently, I began testing easy recipes for bread and found two that we love. Both recipes are super simple (no-knead) with only a few ingredients. I use organic bread flour and organic yeast. My husband, Bob, loves the taste of both of these loaves. He commented, “it doesn’t hurt my stomach the way store-bought bread does”. I had noticed that, too.

So, once a week, I bake bread. Both these recipes call for mixing the dough and allowing it to rise for 12-18 hours, either at room temperature, or in the refrigerator. I let it sit in my kitchen. The long rise allows the dough to ferment slightly, which improves the taste.

Right now, I’m baking two recipes, Honey Oat Bread (on left) and Cranberry Nut (on right). The cranberry nut is my favorite. It’s made as a rustic loaf and baked in a Dutch oven or heavy roasting pan. If you’re interested in trying these breads, there are links below to the website. There are other recipes on there, but these two are the only ones I’ve tried so far.

I have not bought bread at the grocery for almost a month now! Of course, I did buy the flour, yeast, etc. All told, I spend about 3 hours of labor on these loaves. That’s not bad, for bread-baking. And I love the process. It gives me such a feeling of accomplishment. A wonderful thing for a writer who struggles to finish her books!

Another wonderful thing–in light of recent climactic events–these breads can be baked outside. You can bake them on your grill as long as you close them up tightly in a covered pan, like a Dutch oven or covered iron skillet. This is how our ancestors got the job done.

What will I turn my hand to next? Maybe I’ll try making my own butter. I’ve heard it’s super easy.

On a different note, we had our first frost for the season last night, so my garden doesn’t look like this now. But, this is how I choose to remember it as I sit here in my warm jacket and enjoy a hot cup of creamy coffee, along with a slice of cranberry-nut bread. Yum!

My prayer for you today:

Our Father, give us this day our daily bread. For spiritual nourishment, as well as physical strength. May God’s love light your way and give you peace.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

Until next time!

Links to bread recipes: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/no-knead-cranberry-nut-bread/

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/no-knead-homemade-honey-oat-bread/

New Suspense From Marji Laine

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens

A Wolf’s Demise

A Wolf’s Demise is set in my hometown of Dallas, Texas around the time that my grandfather served as one of the fire captains in the area.

I had so much fun researching for this book! I confess, the Halling Estate is from my imagination, but it is inspired by the DeGolyer House located on the edge of White Rock Lake. Now, it is the centerpiece of the Dallas Arboretum, but in 1949, the family still lived there.

While Old Miss’s business is fiction, the building is real. It used to be called the Busch building but was purchased in 1941 and renamed the Kirby Building after John H. Kirby who was a lumber manufacturer and dabbled in oil. It’s still known as the Kirby building today, but now it is full of urban lofts and high-dollar apartments. It was built in 1913, just after the Adolphus Hotel opened and by the same Adolphus Busch. There are conflicting stories about the building. Some state that it was the first of many Busch business buildings, as Adolphus planned to move his booming beer business to Dallas. Others claim it was just a southwest hub. Either way, there are some secrets about that building that are still real today, but you have to read the book to find out about them! 😊

At the time of this story, my mom was thirteen years old. She and her cousins, who were all the same age, would hop on the McKinney Avenue streetcar and ride from Oak Cliff to Fair Park. It is more of a fairground now with museums, a permanent midway, and a huge music hall, but when my mom was a girl, it was just a park with a swimming pool, lots of trees, and grassy areas for picnicking. It even had a roller-skating rink. Mother and my great aunts would go out early in the morning and spend the whole day there, coming back just after sunset.

It’s so odd to think of Dallas, or any big city, as being so safe. Twenty years later, in the same town, my mom never considered letting me or my brother do anything like that. She barely let my brother have a paper route. And the only way she would let us out after dark was if she was sitting in the front yard with us.

Strange how quickly things can change. Good thing we have folks who tell their stories for us!

Here’s a little about the book:

“You’ve met the wolf, huh?”

Dallas, Texas, 1949

Ruby Stedman expects her first few days in the secretarial pool of a large business to be challenging, especially with her lack of training. But she’s determined to prove to the boss who doesn’t want her there that she can learn quickly and excel in whatever task she’s given. Even if it means working for some of the less than gentlemanly executives on the upper floors.

But dealing with her difficult boss becomes the least of her troubles. She doesn’t expect to be literally chased around an office. Nor does she realize she’s being set up for a rendezvous on the top floor of the building – an empty, after-hours building.

When she finds the leader of the wolf pack lying in a pool of blood, not only is she implicated in the man’s murder, she suddenly becomes a target herself. Even her favorite Dallas detective, Chris Wilson, can’t seem to keep her safe.

Can they figure out all that is going on before a killer strikes again? Get your copy of A WOLF’S DEMISE.

Buy the Book @ Amazon

Open Water – The Day After

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens

Open Water, Home Found Suspense Book 2 released yesterday but you can still download the Kindle version for only $2.99. Book One, Still Water, is also available for only $2.99.

Get yours before the price goes up! 🙂

I can’t wait to hear what my readers think of this second installment of my first suspense series. When you’ve read it, please take a moment to review it on Amazon. Short reviews are great. You don’t have to write a book report. The truth is, more reviews help our books get noticed.

Thanks so much for reading!

Buy the Book

Romance and a Winner!

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens4 Comments

My publisher has romance novels on sale for Valentine’s Day–beginning today. I’m excited about this sale. If you have never read Annabelle’s Ruth or Rebecca’s Legacy, now is a great time to do that. Click on the meme for direct links to purchase the books.

We are just four and a half weeks from the release of Open Water, book 2 of the Home Found series. I’m on pins and needles about this book. I had so much fun writing it, but let me tell you, there were tears along the way. Maybe a trail of tears. And danger.

Make a “date” to join Lisa and Jake on this second installment of the Home Found Suspense series!

Release Date: March 12, 2024

So many secrets whirl around in this second chronicle of the Home Found series. Lisa and Jake learn more about her past, and about each other, in this dramatic suspense.

Preorder the Kindle Version

Winner! Thank you, everyone who entered on last week’s blog post to win a $5 Amazon gift card. The winner is author, Terri Wangard! And it just so happens, Terri also has a book releasing on March 12. So, as a bonus, here’s a link to her new release, Seashells in My Pocket. Congratulations, Terri!