Little Sweet Pea & Homemade Bread

Monday, 18 January 2010

• Little Sweet Pea and Homemade Bread

  I just had to show you this picture of our little sweet pea.  She is growing so quickly!  She is almost 16 weeks and so smiley.  We can just squeeze her!  Grandpa takes pride in being able to settle her down when she has her times of fussiness.
  
  I thought I would also share our favorite homemade bread recipe.  This is so simple and always turns out successfully.  I have made this with all white flour, all whole wheat flour, and also half white and half wheat and no matter how I did it, everybody loves it.  The recipe calls for sesame seeds or poppy seeds on top, but you can leave it plain and then after you get it out of the oven, just rub the top with butter.  Also, you can shape loaves and  put them on a cookie sheet or put them in a bread pans.  Here is the recipe:
  Easy French Bread
  combine following ingredients and allow to foam
  2 T. instant yeast         2 1/2 C warm water      2 T. shortening ( I usually use lard)       2 T. sugar     2 tsp. salt
  
  Stir in 7 1/2 - 8 C. occident flour.  Knead until smooth.  Shape into loaves (this recipe only makes one large loaf or 2 smaller loaves, so I usually double this) (also, I use a rolling pin and roll dough into a rectangle shape and then roll it up).  Place on greased cookie sheet or into greased pans.  Make slashes diagonally across tops.  Let rise until double (I have found that if you let rise too long it developes a pocket at the top of loaf, also, I sometimes do not even let it rise the full way, for it will rise in oven).  Before putting into oven, brush tops with 1 beaten egg, 2 T. milk and poppy or sesame seeds.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.  Take out of oven and hide them, or they will be devoured immediately!
  
  
  
  
  Until next time..........