..... Our Old Homestead

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Amish Country Bread

Homemade bread. Nothing tastes or smells better than bread baking in the oven. I remember my Grandma baking bread. She always wore an apron.....I don't think I had ever seen her without one. I remember her hands kneading the bread and making sure the loaves had risen just right.

My Grandma wouldn't just bake a loaf or two. Oh no!! When she made bread, she made sure it would last the week and with a ton of grandchildren running in and out every day between haying, feeding the chickens and playing in the barn ..... well let's just say there had to be a LOT of bread. We would get hungry, you know!

I am always on the lookout for new bread recipes. I have tried many. Some have failed and some have been a success. I can't say there is just one I use consistently. I like trying different recipes. So .....

I found another one. This link showed up on my Pinterest page and well, in memory of my Grandma, I donned my apron and I just had to give it a try. I was thankful I did.

Amish Country Bread

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons butter

3 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups of hot water

2 tablespoons of rapid rise yeast

5 cups of flour

Directions:

Put all the ingredients into a large bowl (or in the KitchenAid mixer if you have one) and let it sit for a few minutes so, as Lindsey likes to say, "the yeast can do it's thing".

Add the flour in small batches and mix with a wooden spoon until all flour is added, then turn onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or dough is smooth and elastic (or mix with a dough hook for 8 to 10 minutes if using a KitchenAid).

Place dough in a well greased bowl and let rise until doubled in size (approximately 30 minutes if your kitchen is warm).

Punch down and divide in half into 2 rounds and place on a well greased cookie sheet. Cut decorative slits in top. Let dough rise again.

Rub an egg white wash (1 egg white + 1 tablespoon water) over the top and sprinkle with kosher salt. I added parmesan sprinkled on the top at this point. You can also sprinkle dried rosemary.

Bake at 400 degrees for 17 to 20 minutes.

It makes a flat(er) round loaf. Ours did not last long. In fact the two loaves did not make it to include it with dinner.

Delicious.

Have fun baking and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

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Good morning everyone! Grab a cup of coffee or a cuppa tea, have a seat and let's chat on porch. Each week I join Patrice and Wendell over at Everyday Ruralty and chat with the ladies. Being a slowpoke, I am always answering the questions from the previous week.

QUESTIONS :

1. Are you doing anything special for Valentine's Day?

2. When you attend something that isn't totally casual, are you likely to wear dress pants or a dress?

3. Do you use a regular toothbrush or the battery run kind?

4. Did you have Valentine's in school when you were a child?

5. If you could learn a new craft tomorrow, what would it be?

Everyday Ruralty

ANSWERS :

1. No, we didn't do anything special. I had to work and when I stepped in the door, hubby had dinner on the table and that was just what I needed!

2. It would depend on the season. If it was summer, I would wear a dress, if it was winter, dress slacks with a jacket.

3. Just the good old regular kind.

4. Oh yes! The whole week that was Valentine's was spent getting the classroom decorated and making our little Valentine pouches for the Valentine's to be put into. Such fun!

5. I guess I would have to say, spinning. I would love to learn how to spin wool but then I would need an endless supply of wool and I am just not set up right now for sheep! lol

Glad you joined me for a chat this morning! Why not pop over to Patrice's and see what the other ladies are up to? Have a great Tuesday and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Sorting the Seeds

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Oooh, excitement is starting to build. It is almost time for starting the seeds indoors for this year's garden!

We typically cannot start planting here in Minnesota until the end of May and sometimes until as late as the beginning of June. Many old-timers say after the first new moon in June ..... others say after the long weekend in May. I just wing it and take a chance when I think the temperatures will be warm enough overnight to prevent the seedlings from freezing.

What to plant this year? Hmmmm. We have some plans for a bigger garden and raised beds so decisions will have to be made soon.

Last year, I saved some seeds from heirloom plants and will attempt to plant them and hope they grow. The veggies and fruit we gleaned from those plantings were delicious!

Tomatoes, beans, broccoli, peppers, radishes, cucumbers, squash, carrots, zucchini and herbs are our old standby and are planted each year. If all works out with the larger addition, I would like to try pumpkins too! We use quite a bit of pumpkin puree around this homestead once winter hits so there is nothing better than the taste of growing your own!

So I better get busy and start drawing up the plans for which plant goes where. We make sure each plant is rotated as not to deplete the soil of valuable nutrition the plants need.

Have you started your seeds indoors or have you already begun to plant outside? I would love to hear what you have planned.