Tag: recipes

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/