This morning Sam and I busted out the bread machine to make another loaf of bread. A couple of weeks ago John asked me to start making our bread instead of buying it at the store. 1. It's cheaper. That is, once I got back into the swing of things with my bread maker...it took me two botched loaves to get it right. I mean really, who thought "Large" and "Large" meant two different things? In my Oster book that came with my bread maker, a "Large" loaf is 1.5 lbs, but in a different bread cookbook, "Large" must be a 2 lb. loaf because "Medium" is a 1.5 lb loaf. Anyway... 2. There's not a crazy long list of ingredients and preservatives that we know nothing about or what they are...so it's better for us. Ironically, my friend Kristen at Green Style Mom just mentioned doing the same thing in her post, Cost Of Eating...very weird...we hadn't discussed it, and both of us had to literally dust off the bread machines because it had been so long since they were used.Okay, okay and if you're thinking...And she makes her own bread too? (because I can already hear some of my friends giving me a hard time about this, thinking I've lost my marbles)...it IS NOT HARD to do with a bread machine. It takes all of 15 minutes to throw everything in the bread maker...you really do just throw it all in...and it takes less than a minute to punch the buttons, an Tada! A few hours later you remove the baked bread from the pan to let it cool. The machine mixes, kneads, let's the dough rise, punches down, let's it rise again and bakes it! And there is no better smell that bread baking...yum, yum!
I think the best part of our bread making this morning was that Sam got to use his cool new Guidecraft Kitchen Helper. Since Sam does like to "help" so much in the kitchen, I ordered this kitchen helper so he could help on the counter without one of us having to hold him while we're trying to cook. With the sides and railings, I think he's pretty secure. I just love it! And the best part about it (which sets it apart from The Learning Tower) is that it folds flat and can be stored behind something. It actually fits in our pantry. So when we're not using it, it's not taking up a bunch of space and getting in the way.
2 comments:
My loaf turned out pretty good despite the altitude! How did yours turn out? I've also been making a no knead bread (not in the bread machine) that is easy and really good. It makes a really good wine and cheese bread because it has a great crust. I'll post it or send you the recipe.
And I think we were supposed to "meet" today... I forgot until almost 1pm my time, and then I had to leave for the eye doctor.
Jen,
I had to laugh (with affection, of course)when I read this. Mainly because all my friends have been calling me Mother Earth and Betty Crocker for years now. I take it as a compliment, and am pleased to see that other "normal" people have joined the ranks as well. I like my bread machine ok, but I would also encourage you to try sourdough starting. I bet John would love it, plus you can use it for pancakes, cinnamon rolls, biscuits, etc. It's not as simple as the machine, but worth the effort :)
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