Is Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalist? [Survival Today

I guess, from their experiences, we need to remember that we need to plan, prepare, but make an alternate plan, but most of all, forge ahead and don’t look back. Don’t bemoan your fate, but work to achieve new goals.<<<

That is the truth of life.

Thank you for sharing the wonderful/beautiful story of the
Saksen family, this is the real strength of America, when one gives up all they have to come here and start over again, then I am proud to have them here.

I would like to think that I might be that strong, but one does not know, until it is done.

>>>Then he came in with another contraption:<<<

LOL you sound like my wife... Big city girl that she is...(raised in a huge metropolis of about 350 residents)

To her, farm equipment is either a tractor, plow, combine - anything else is a thingy. If it pulls it is a tractor, if it moves the soil, a plow, and if it is really big it is a combine.

So that ‘contraption’ appears to me from the picture - is a Ford 8N (possibly 9N but I can’t see where the distributor is) and he is using a 3 point hitch disk. I drove our 8N tractor many many hundreds of hours doing anything you can imagine.

Neighbors like Glenn are invaluable - bake him a pie sometime.

Hope he comes on and joins in...

Fine, just really busy and getting busier by the day! Miss you guys too,

We tried to buy mostly heirloom seeds this year. I ordered Amish canteloupe and Moon and stars watermelon. The watermelon I tried many years back, but I think I didn’t get it in early enough. I’m going to give it a try again this year. We ordered some of our seeds from Jung.

“Anyone else who wants a to download copies of the threads can ask and I will ping them too.”

My husband downloaded the thread 1 files from the link at the beginning of this thread. Please ping me when you do the comments from this thread.

>>>I just picked up these biddies and have more due to arrive via mail-order on 3/18. I should have an abundance of eggs<<<

The next 22 weeks will seem like an eternity till they start laying. My Buff Orpingtons just started laying back in January, but it now seems like yesterday that they were that size - and we are now getting eggs galore...

Oh, and I forgot to welcome you to the thread... Hope we hear lots more from you.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=189333&page=2

Bonnie L

Oatmeal Bread

Makes 2 loves

4 ½ cups all-purpose flour – divided
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of the flour and the yeast. In a saucepan over medium heat, cook and stir the water, honey, butter, and salt, until the butter is almost melted (no more than 120 degrees). Add liquid to flour and yeast mixture. With a wooden spoon, beat until smooth. Stir in the oatmeal and add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time. Add only the amount of flour you need. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl, but still be a little bit sticky. Knead on a floured surface for about 6 – 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth.

Grease a bowl with shortening or oil and roll the dough in it to coat. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place about 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.

Punch down the dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough in half and shape into loaves. Place in greased pans and coat the top of the loaf with oil or shortening. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake 35 to 40 minutes. The top will be golden brown and the loaf will sound hollow when you tap the bottom.

Cool on a rack.
__________________
God bless,
Bonnie

“While we have the opportunity, let us do good to all.” Galatians 6:10

#32
Old 01/12/08, 11:42 PM

dixiegal62

wheat bread

found these while searching for recipes on the cooking board, they are not mine but I didnt want them to be lost and wanted to post them before the boards where cleaned

I’ve posted this one before...it is my favorite. Don’t find it dry at all. It comes from the Urban Homemaker site. http://articles.urbanhomemaker.com/...dex_v2&id=83&c=

Hand Method: (yields 2 loaves)

1/3 C honey
1/3 C oil
2 1/2 C Warm Water
1 1/2 TB Saf Instant Yeast
2 1/2 tsp Real Salt
6-7 C Fresh whole wheat flour
1 1/2 TB Dough Enhancer

Large Mixer Method: (yields 5-6 loaves)

2/3 C honey
2/3 C oil
6 C warm water
3 TB Saf Instant Yeast
1 1/2 - 2 TB Real Salt
16-20 C fresh whole wheat flour
3 TB Dough Enhancer

Zojirushi Bakery Supreme (Auto Baker Method)

2 TB honey
2 TB oil
1 1/2 C water (90 - 100F)
1 1/2 tsp Real Salt
3 1/2 C fresh whole wheat flour
2 tsp Dough Enhancer
3 TB Vital Gluten
1 1/2 tsp Saf Instant Yeast

Combine the warm water, yeast, and 2 Cups of fresh whole wheat flour in a large mixing bowl. Allow to sponge for 15 minutes. Add the honey, oil, dough enhancer, salt and 4-5 C (12-16 C if using the Mix N Blend or (Bosch) additional flour until the dough begins to clean the sides of the mixing bowl. Do not allow the dough to get too stiff (too dry). Dough should be smooth and elastic. It is a common mistake for the beginning bakers to add too much flour.

Knead the bread by hand 7-10 minutes or until it is very smooth, elastic, and small bubbles or blisters appear beneath the surface of the dough. Six to ten minutes of kneading by electric mixer (Use speed 1 on the Bosch Universal, and use speed 4 on the Mix n Blend - or use the Auto-Knead function) should be sufficient to develop the gluten if you are using fresh flour. If you are kneading by hand, be sure to add the minimum amount of flour to keep the dough soft and pliable by using a tsp of oil on your hands and kneading surface.

Form the dough into 2 loaves if using the hand method or 5-6 loaves if using the Mix N Blend or Bosch Universal, method. Place the dough into greased loaf pans. Allow to rise in a slightly warmed oven or other warm place until doubled in size (about 30-60 minutes).

Bake loaves for 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Bread is cooked through when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, and when the top and sides are a golden brown color.
__________________
~Teresa~

If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything. ~ Mark Twain ~

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. ~Aesop~
__________________
Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope...a slight change, and all the patterns alter.

The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.

#33
Old 01/16/08, 03:33 PM
suzfromWi
Vienna bread

yield 3 ovals or 2 rounds...

Sponge....
1 1/2 T active dry yeast. [ 1 1/2 packages ]
1T sugar
1 cup warm water[105 to 115 degrees]
1 cup warm milk. [ 105 to 115]
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Dough...
1 T salt
3 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 1/2 to 4 cups Unbleached all purpose flour
sponge above

1. To make the sponge: In a large bowl whisk together the yeast, sugar,water, milk and flour.
Beat hard until smooth and creamy. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the sponge rise at room temp until bubbly and double in bulk. about 1 hour.

2. To make the dough:Add the butter, salt, and i cup of the flour to the songe. Beat with a whisk for 1 minute. With a wooden spoon, add the remaining flour 1/2 cup ata time to form a soft dough that clears the sides of the bowl.
3. Turn the dough out on a lightly flored survace and knead for about 3 minutes to form a smooth, springy dough. Adding flour 1 T at a time to prvent sticking. The Dough should be firm enough to hold its own shape. Place in a greased deep container and let rise at room temp until doubled to tripled in size. About 2 hrs.
4. Turn the dough unto work surface and divide into 3 equal potions. Form each into an ovel taper the ends and pinch. Place seam side down on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Cover loosly with plastic wrap and let rise again until double or about 1 hr. tweny min. before baking, preheat the oven to 425. With a serrated knife make 3 parellel slices across the top. Pinch ends again to redifine. Brush the dough with a egg glaze and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Bake for 10 min. then turn down heat to 375 and bake another 25 to 30 min or until brown and crusty.
5. Egg glaze.
1 egg beaten and 1 T of water. Mix well.....
I baked the loaves in the pic. in black cast iron skillets. Liked it better on the cookie sheet....FYI.... good bread.....
__________________

#34
Old 01/22/08, 03:16 PM
heather

3 sourdough recipes to share

Sourddough Wheat Bread

3/4 C. water 3/4 C. milk 1 pkg. active dry yeat 1 C. Sourdough starter 2 1/2 C. whole wheat flour 2 Tbsp. molasses 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. butter 1/2 tsp baking soda 3 C. and 1-2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

Boil water & combine with the milk. When luikewarm, add yeast & dissolve thoroughly. Add 1 C. starter & 2 C. whole wheat flour. (I have a kitchen Aid Mixer with a dough hook). Mix on speed 1 for 1 minute. Cover and let rise for 90 minutes. Mixture will be bubbly & will have doubled in size. Add molasses, salt, butter, baking soda, 3 C all purpose flour, I use 1 cup high glueten flour and 2 C. unbleached flour and 1/2 C. Whole wheat flour. Mix on speed 1 for 1/2 minute; turn to Speed 4 for 1/2 minute, gradually adding 1-2 Tbsp flour; then reduce to Speed 3 to knead dough for 1 1/2 minutes. Place dough on floured board & allow to rest for 10 minutes. Shape into 2 round loaves & place in greased 9 inch cake pans. Allow to rise 45 minutes. Slash top of each loaf with a sharp knive. Bake at 350 and check at 30 minutes. My oven is fast. Recipe says 375 for 45-50 minutes. Yummmmmm!

Sourdough Cornmeal bread

1 pkg. active dry yeast 1 C. warm water 2/3C Sourdough starter 2 Tbsp. salad oil 2 Tbsp. molasses 1 tsp. salt 1 C. cornmeal 2 3/4 white all purpose flour I add gluten flour along with the white all purpose.

In large mixer bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Add starter, oil, molasses, salt, cornmeal & 1 C. flour. Thoroughly mix ingredients for 1/2 minute on Speed l. Stop mixer; add 1 3/4 C. flour. Mix for 1/2 minute on Speed 4, then knead dough on Speed 3 for 1 1/2 minutes. Place dough into a greased bowl & let ries 90 minutes. Punch dough down, form into a ball & let rise on a floured board for 10 minutes. Form into 2 small round loaves & place in greased 9 inch cake pans dusted with cornmeal. Cover & let rise 90 minutes. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes. This is a nice moist bread.

Sourdough English Muffins

1 pkg. active dry yeast 1/4 C. warm water 1 C. warm milk 1/2 C sourdough starter 1 Tbsp. sugar 3/4 tsp. salt 3 1/4 C. all purpose flour Cornmeal

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixer bowl. Add milk. , starter, sugar, salt & 1 C. Flour. Combine ingredients on Speed 1 about 1/2 minute. Add remaining flour by mixing dough thoroughly for 1/2 minute on Speed 4. Reduce to Speed 3, knead dough 1 1/2 minutes longer. Place dough in greased bowl & let rise 90 minutes. Punch dough and turn onto cornmeal dusted board. Roll out dough to 1/2 thickness. With a 3 inch floured cookie cutter, cut dough and place rounds cornmeal side up 1 inch apart on an ungreased cornmeal dusted tray. Let rise 45 minutes. Bake on an ungreased griddle (I use my electric skillet) at 340 setting until golden brown on each side about 10 minutes per side. Cool on a rack. Split with a fork & serve with butter or jam.

#35
Old 01/22/08, 10:25 PM
MisFitFarm

Old Fashioned Raisin Bread

I usually make white or wheat yeast bread, and Amish Friendship bread. This one is a basic Egg Bread recipe. Here goes:

Egg Bread
6 3/4 to 7 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 teaspoons salt
3 eggs

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of flour and the yeast. In saucepan, heat milk, sugar, butter, and salt just toll warm(115 to 200) and butter is almost melted.; stir mixture constantly. Add to flour mixture, then add eggs. Beat at low speed of electric mixture scraping bowl, then three minutes at high speed. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can with a spoon. Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Place in lightly greased bowl, turn once to grease surface. Cover; let rise in warm place till double, about 1 1/4 hours.
Punch down; divide dough in half. Cover, let rest for ten minutes. Shape into two loaves. Cover; let rise till nearly double. Bake at 375 for 35 to 40 minutes or until done. You can cover with foil the last 15 minutes to avoid over browing .

To make Cinnamon Swirl bread, prepare the dough as stated, but instead of shaping into loaves, roll each half into a rectangle. Brush entire surface with water, then combine 1/2 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and sprinkle half on to each of the two rectangles. Roll up jelly roll style. Drizzle with Confectioners Icing.

To make Raisin bread, add two cups of plumped raisins to the Egg bread dough as you are stirring in the remainder of the flour with a spoon. Drizzle with Confectioners Icing.

To make Herbed Bread, combine 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes; 1 tablespoon dried tarragon, crushed; and 1 teaspoon celery seed with the first 3 cups of flour and yeast for the Egg bread dough.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!!
__________________
If it needs a home, it ends up here!

Rita

Rye Bread Recipe

I love rye bread but could never get the taste I liked. This recipe comes very close. If you like rye, give it a try.

I think the secret is the starter: l cup warm potato water or I use some instant tater flakes in l cup water, l cup rye, 1 tablespoon yeast, l tablespoon carraway (I love carraway). Stir to blend and cover with plastic wrap and let sit for at least 3 days.

Dough for the bread:
Let sit for 10 min. the following: 2 cups warm water, l T sugar, 1 T yeast and the above starter.

Combine above with 2 cups rye flour, 2 T Kosher salt (seems like alot but helps give a sour rye taste), 2 T carraway, 4 3/4 cups bread flour. Mix and knead 6 min or longer with mixer. Cover and rise ‘til doubled about 2 hrs. Shape into to round or oval loaves and put on a pan sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with sprayed wax paper and let rise about 40 min. Make 3 slashes on top and bake in pre-headed oven( with a pre-heated pan of water on bottom shelf) at 375 for 40 min.
This bread stays moist, can slice it very thinly and toasts great.

#38
Old 02/05/08, 07:02 PM

marusempai

Lefse

I learned about these from my husband, whose Norse family makes them the day after Thanksgiving to roll the leftovers up in. My dear sweet departed grandmother in law made these with riced potatoes, but it tastes just as good this way, is faster, and easier. You can also use leftover mashed potatoes.

3 cups instant mashed potatoes
1 teaspoon salt (adjust salt to taste, will vary depending how salty your instant potatoes are)
1/4 cup butter (again, adjust based on how buttery your potatoes already are, but they should be fairly buttery, or it will be too dry)
1 cup milk
1 cup flour

Melt butter and salt in 1 cup HOT water. Pour mixture over instant potatoes and stir . Add 1 cup milk and 1 cup flour; stir together, then cool in refrigerator. Roll into balls, then roll out thin. I find that a little smaller than a tennis ball, makes a perfect size lefse. Cook in hot griddle until brown on both sides.

#39
Old 02/11/08, 08:40 PM
littlebit ranch

English Muffin Bread

This is the recipe as I have it written, then I will tell you what I have done to change it.

2 cps milk 1/2 cp water
5-6 cps flour 2 pkgs yeast
1 T. sugar or honey
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
cornmeal for pans

Mix 4 cps flour, yeast, salt and baking soda. Add warmed liquids. Slowly add remaining flour. Knead 3-5 mins.-dough will be sticky.
Spread in two loaf pans that have been greased and dusted with cornmeal. Cover, let rise 45 mins.
Bake at 400 degrees for 25 mins. Remove from pans immediately.

OK-I would probably use whole wheat flour or a mix of white and wheat. When I used to make this weekly I would stir cinnamon and sugar and raisins in one. Sometimes some chopped sauteed onions in another. Anyway you would play with your regular bread recipe-you can do with this one.
My recipe that I just found was typed up by one of my kids and says 2/4 tsp baking soda—not sure what she was thinking at the time-so I’m not positive if it’s supposed to be 1/2 or what—but I would go with that-I don’t think that 1 tsp would be too much either. I think it’s just an attempt to get some of those English muffin wholes in there.
I don’t use yeast packets either-I substitute about 1 Tablespoon for each packet. I also use powdered milk in most of my baking-so I would just add the powder in with the dry ingredients rather that reconstituting it, and just use warm water or potato water or whatever you like.
As I mentioned I have saved up some of the smaller (1lb.?) coffee cans and I spray them real good and dust with the cornmeal. Just looks more like an English Muffin when you toast it up.
I haven’t made this in ages, but now that the recipe is out, I think that’s what I’ll be doing tomorrow.

#40
Old 02/16/08, 03:47 PM
Lawbag

Honey Pan Rolls

For dough:
1 cup warm milk (70 to 80 degrees F)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup veggie oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

For glaze:
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 egg white

Place the first 8 ingredients in a bread machine in the order recommended by the machine’s manufacturer. Select dough setting and start. Check dough after 5 minutes to make sure it is mixing properly - may need to add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water or a little flour.

When the dough cycle is complete, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and cover. Let rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, grease two 9 inch square baking pans.
Divide dough to 24 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Put 12 balls into each of the greased pans.
Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled - about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare glaze: combine sugar, butter, honey and egg white. Mix well. Drizzle over dough when it finishes rising. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
You can brush with additional honey if you desire.

#41
Old 02/16/08, 09:30 PM

mrs oz

Made these onion rolls tonight. Turned out great!!

DOUGH
1 1/4 cups water 300 mL

1 egg, beaten 1

2 tbsp butter 30 mL

4 cups ROBIN HOOD Best For Bread Homestyle White Flour 1 L

2 tbsp sugar 30 mL

1 1/4 tsp salt 6 mL

1 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast 6 mL
FILLING
1 cup onions, chopped 250 mL

1 tbsp CRISCO® Vegetable Oil 15 mL

Preparation

DOUGH

ADD dough ingredients to machine according to manufacturer’s directions.

SELECT Dough Cycle.

FILLING

SAUTÉ onions in oil until golden. Remove from heat; let cool. When dough cycle is complete, remove dough to floured surface. Cover and let rest 5 minutes.

RESERVE 2 tbsp (30 mL) of onions for topping. Knead remaining onions into dough, adding more flour if dough becomes sticky.

DIVIDE dough into 12 pieces. Shape into balls. Place on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with reserved onion mixture. Cover with tea towel.

LET RISE in warm place (75°-85°F / 24°-29°C) until doubled (30-45 minutes).

BAKE at 375°F (190°C) on lower oven rack for 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

#42
Old 03/16/08, 01:24 PM

Wolf Flower

Martin’s Spent Grain Bread

For those of you feeding spent grain to your livestock, save a little for this wonderful bread! It is chewy, hearty, and has outstanding flavor. This recipe is designed specifically for bread machines. Courtesy Martin Carman of the Maltose Falcons.

Ingredients
Yield: 1 2lbs Loaf
1 cup 1 egg & water (to make a cup)
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
3 Tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Salt
3 cups Bread Flour
1 cup Spent Grain
2 Tbsp Vital Wheat Gluten
1 Tbsp Yeast
Method

Add ingredients to the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer of your bread machine.

Use the regular bread cycle.

After the first 5 minutes of kneading, check to see that there is a proper balance of flour to water.

If there is still dough sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a little more flour.

If the flour has not been incorporated into the dough, add a little water.

This variability is caused by the inconsistency of the quantity of wort remaining in the grain.

#43
Old 03/21/08, 07:16 PM
Ezrandi
I found this recipe for wheat bread and altered it a bit for my family,
this was the first bread I baked and The family loves it!
i wanted to share it with everyone

Original
Simple whole wheat bread

Ingrediants
3 cups warm water
2 Tbl (or pkgs) of active dry yeast
1/3rd cup of honey

5 cups of bread flour
3 tbl melted butter (unsalted)
1 TBL of salt (if using salted butter I reduce to 1 tsp)
1/3rd cup of honey
2 cups of whole wheat flour

Directions
In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeaste and 1/3rd cup of honey. add 5 cups white bread flour,
stir to combine
Let sit for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly

Mix in 3 tbl melted butter, 1/3rd cup of honey and salt.
stir in 2 cups of whole wheat flour. flour a flat surface and knead dough with whole wheat flour until not really sticky
Place in greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough
cover with a dishtowel.
Let rise in a warm place until doubled

Punch down and divide into 3 loaves, placed in greased 9X5 inch loaf pans and allow to rise until dough tops the pans

bake at 350 degrees f for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops ith melted butter when done, to prevent crust from getting hard.

cool completely

********************

Mixed grain
Ingrediants
3 cups warm water
2 Tbl (or pkgs) of active dry yeast
1/4rd cup of honey

4 cups of bread flour
3 tbl melted butter (unsalted)
1 TBL of salt (if using salted butter I reduce to 1 tsp)
1/4rd cup of honey
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1/4 cup flax seed (ground)
1/4th cup of rye flour
1 egg

Directions
In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeaste and 1/3rd cup of honey. add 4 cups white bread flour, and 1 cup of Wheat flour
stir to combine
Let sit for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly

Mix in 3 tbl melted butter, 1/3rd cup of honey and salt.
stir in 1 cups of whole wheat flour, the oats, flax seed and Rye flour
Add 1 egg
Mix

flour a flat surface and knead dough with whole wheat flour until not really sticky
Place in greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough
cover with a dishtowel.
Let rise in a warm place until doubled

Punch down and divide into 3 loaves, placed in greased 9X5 inch loaf pans and allow to rise until dough tops the pans

bake at 350 degrees f for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops ith melted butter when done, to prevent crust from getting hard.

cool completely

#44
Old 04/10/08, 06:06 PM

marusempai

So I don’t lose these...

Breadmaker Sourdough Bread (1 1/2 lb. loaf)

2/3 cup water 80F
1 cup sourdough starter
1 Tbls butter or margarine
2 3/4 cups bread flour
1 Tbl sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp active dry yeast

Add liquid ingredients, then all dry ingredients except yeast. Tap pan to settle dry ingredients, then level. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and add yeast. Program for bread select, crust color and loaf size.

SPECIAL NOTE: The amount of starter used in these recipes will produce a mild tasting sourdough bread. If you would like a stronger sourdough taste, reduce the amount of water by 1 tablespoon and increase the amount of starter by 2 tablespoons for the 1 1/2 lb. loaf and 4 tablespoons for the 2 lb. loaf.

Breadmaker Sourdough Wheat Bread (1 1/2 lb. loaf) (this one is my family’s favorite!)
1/2 cup + 2 Tbls water 80F
1 cup sourdough starter
1 Tbls butter or margarine
1 Tbls honey
1 Tbls molasses
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp active dry yeast

Same directions as above

#45
Old 07/16/08, 01:27 PM

KathyJ

Pita Bread

ok-
now I haven’t personally tried it, but I know people who have and they love it. and all the books by these two authors are highly recommended.

KathyJ

Cookbook Source: Flatbreads & Flavors - A Baker’s Atlas by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.

Pita
Khubz, Baladi - Eastern Mediterranean

Pita, commonly referred to in Arabic as khubz (”bread”) is the most widely
available bread throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. Unfortunately, in
these days of mass production even the khubz that makes its way to
restaurant tables is often the same ubiquitous too-quick-to-go-stale white
pita served in restaurants in North America. This is not true in Egypt,
however, where the local pita—called baladi—is made from 100 percent whole
wheat flour and freshly baked several times a day in neighborhood bakeries.
To a visitor, bread can seem unbelievably cheap, because it is subsidized by
the government. The quality of the baladi, as well as its price, is strictly
controlled by the governmnet; bread is an important political issue, just as
it is in many other places all around the world.

As for homemade pita, cast away any thought of those white cardboard-like
supermarket breads. Fresh homemade whole wheat pitas, or those made with
half white, half whole wheat, are quick and delicious. They are most easily
made on quarry tiles or baking sheets in the oven, but they can also be
baked on a griddle or in a cast-iron skillet on the stove.

2 teaspoons dry yeast

2-1/2 cups lukewarm water

5 to 6 cups hard whole wheat flour, or 3 cups each hard whole wheat flour
and hard unbleached white flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

You will need a large bread bowl, unglazed quarry tiles (see page 20)to fit
on a rack in your oven or several baking sheets, or a cast-iron or other
heavy griddle or skillet at least 9 inches in diameter, and a rolling pin.

In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to
dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, and then stir 100 times,
about 1 minute, in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let this
sponge rest for at least 10 minutes, or as long as 2 hours.

Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add
more flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it
out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until
smooth and elastic. Rinse out the bowl, dry, and lightly oil. Return the
dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least
doubled in size, approximately 1-1/2 hours. (The dough can be made ahead to
this point and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

To save the dough in the refrigerator for baking later, gently punch it
down. Wrap it in a plastic bag that is at least three times as large as the
dough, and secure it just at the opening of the bag; this will give the
dough room to expand while it is in the refrigerator. Then, from day to day,
simply cut off the amount of dough you need and keep the rest in the
refrigerator. After a few days, the dough will smell increasingly fermented,
but the fermentation actually improves the taste of the bread, especially if
baked on quarry tiles. The dough should always be brought to room
temperature before baking.)

If baking the breads: Place unglazed quarry tiles, or two small baking
sheets, on the bottom rack of your oven, leaving a 1-inch gap all around
between the tiles or sheets and the oven walls to allow heat to circulate.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Gently punch down the dough. Divide the dough in half, then set half aside,
covered, while you work with the rest. Divide the other half into 8 equal
pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each
piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick.
Keep the rolled-out breads covered until ready to bake, but do not stack.

Place 2 breads, or more if your oven is large enough, on the quarry tiles or
baking sheets, and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until each bread has gone
into a full “balloon”. If there are seams or dry bits of dough, or for a
variety of other reasons—e.g., your quarry tiles are not sufficiently
preheated—the breads may not balloon properly. But don’t worry, they will
still taste great. The more you bake pitas, the more you will become
familiar with all the little tricks and possible pitfalls, and your breads
will more consistently balloon. Wrap the baked breads together in a large
kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you bake the remaining
rolled-out breads. Then repeat with the rest of the dough.

To cook the pitas on top of the stove: Preheat a 9-inch or larger griddle or
cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, lightly grease the
surface of the griddle with a little oil.

Meanwhile, gently punch down the dough and divide it in half. Cover one half
and divide the other half into 8 pieces. Flatten each piece with
well-floured hands, then roll out one at a time into circles less than 1/4
inch thick and 8 to 9 inches in diameter.

Gently put one bread onto the griddle. Cook for 15 to 20 seconds, then
gently turn over. Cook for about 1 minute, until big bubbles begin to
appear. Turn the bread again to the first side, and cook until the bread
balloons fully. To help the process along, you can press gently with a towel
on those areas where bubbles have already formed, tryng to push the air
bubble into areas that are still flat. (This is a technique that will
quickly improve with practice.) The breads should take no more than 3
minutes to cook, and, likewise, they shouldn’t cook so fast that they begin
to burn; adjust the heat until you find a workable temperature. Wrap the
cooked breads in a large kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you
cook and roll out the rest of the dough in the same way. There is no need to
oil the griddle between each bread, but after 4 or 5 breads, you might want
to lightly oil the surface again.

Alternatives: You can, of course, make smaller breads by dividing the dough
into smaller pieces. The rolling out and cooking method and times remain the
same. Children particularly love smaller pocket breads.

Makes approximately 16 pocket breads, 8 to 9 inches in diameter.

Serve with any Central Asian or western Asian meal. Always have stacks of
fresh pita on the mezze table, whole or cut in wedges, and
wrapped to keep soft and warm. Use to make Toasted Pita.
__________________

#46
Old 07/21/08, 05:25 AM

stack
Oregon Trail Sourdough

Last year, someone recomended this sourdough to me. I finally got around to ordering it. You can send a self addressed stamped envelope or send a donation. I just sent 7 bucks so I wouldn’t have to mess with anything. I haven’t used it yet, but “Oregon Trail Sourdough” sounded cool.

From the flier:
“Carl Griffith’s legacy of distributing sourdough starts is being continued by the 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Preservation Society”..........

Here is the site: http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/

It comes with instructions and some recipes.

#47
Old 08/24/08, 12:50 PM

Wind in Her Hair
“Great Pumpkin” Bread
Brad’s “Great Pumpkin” Bread

(From the Gooseberry Cookbook “Welcome Home for the Holidays”)

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teapoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeng
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon double acting baking powder

16 ounces (2 cups) pumpkin
2/3 cup salad oil
3 eggs, sligtly beaten

Optional:
chopped pecans or other nuts
flour dusted raisins, craisins, or ther dried fruit bits

Preheat oven 350º. Grease two standard loaf pans. Mix the dry ingredients well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well blended. Add optional ingredients. Pour into loaf bans and bake 1 hour until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes before turning out of pans and cooling completely.

(I’m really impatient so I usually split the recipe in half and bake half in muffin tins for 25 minutes! Serve steaming hot with softened cream cheese! Yum! )

Enjoy!
__________________
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

#48
Old 02/04/09, 10:07 AM
stirfamily

Sourdough Pizza dough

I found this recipe off of Recipezaar.com
Made a great pizza dough. I changed it just a teeny bit. I added 1/2 the recipe flour to my starter and let it sit on the kitchen counter for most of the day to get nice and bubbly.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sourdough starter
4-5 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour (plus a little more or less to adjust consistency)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 500°F.
2. Mix starter, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, and flour together in a mixing bowl until it blends and forms a ball (add more or less flour to adjust consistency; if you get it too dry just add a little more starter).
3. Allow dough to rest for about 30 minutes (don’t look for it to rise, just to get the dough where it is easier to roll).
4. Roll out mixture on parchment paper or a lightly floured surface until it fits the size of your pan, turning the dough as you roll (if you want a more even circle).
5. Par-bake the crust on a pizza stone or pizza sheet for about 7 minutes, then remove from oven.
6. Before topping your pizza with any sauce, cheese, or toppings, brush the top of the crust all over with remaining olive oil (as needed), using a pastry brush (this helps keep soggy moisture out of the crust as it bakes).
7. Top as desired and cook until browned and cheese is melted.
8. If you use certain vegetables as a topping (onions are the first thing that comes to mind) you might want to cook those about halfway before topping the pizza with them (or they will be too crunchy).

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=189333&page=2

Klapton
Klapton’s Super Multigrain Bread

Klapton’s Super-Multigrain Bread

This recipe uses the “sponge” method. What that means is that you start with water, sugar, yeast, and some of your flour. You mix that and let it soak for 45 minutes to overnight if you like. The sponge will resemble a cowpie with bubbles in it when it’s done.

I grind all my own grain, and the main grain used is Hard Red Wheat. Hard White Wheat works just fine too. I also at 19 other grains, seeds, and beans to give the bread a wide variety of nutrients, fiber, and extra protien.

For the tinier seeds, you can use a “seed grinder” or a coffee grinder. Or you can just leave them whole if you like chewy-grainy bits in your bread. The other grains, beans, and seeds are ground in a grain mill along with the wheat.

If you don’t have, or aren’t interested in using ALL these crazy things, but want to do a variation of this, just use a ratio of about 2 or 3 parts of other stuff to 5 parts hard wheat. I also add a bit of vital wheat gluten to help offset all the non-gluten stuff in here. (Gluten is the protien that makes the bubbles in the bread. Too little of it, and your bread will be a brick.) When I run out of gluten, I’m going to try this recipe without it, and see how it goes.

The grain mix I list below ended up being about double what I actually needed for the recipe. No biggie. The grain mix will keep just fine in a covered bowl at room temperature until the next batch. I also usually have a few of these seeds sprouted at any given time. For whichever ones I have sprouted, I puree them in a food processor with the chia seed gel (see below) as the liquid.

I use a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer with a dough hook, and just knead a bit at the end. You can also do recipes like this using a bread machine to do the kneading, but take it out before it does the rising. You want to watch the doubling yourself to get it right. If you are hard-core, old-school and want to do it by hand, you probably don’t need me to tell you how to bake bread — knock yourself out, lol.

IMPORTANT: If you are not doing chia seed gel, which accounts for another cup of water (3 total), then adjust the sponge recipe by using 3 cups of water, and 3 cups of flour. Then use one fewer cups of flour for the latter part of the recipe.

Ingredients:

Sponge:

2 cups warm water (3 cups if not doing chia gel)
1/2 cup honey or agave nectar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups hard wheat flour (3 cups if not doing chia gel)

I usually mix the water and honey first, sprinkle in the yeast, then let that sit while I grind my two cups of flour. Mix in the flour, cover the bowl and let sit for 45 minutes to overnight. The longer it soaks, the softer the wheat fiber becomes, and the more natural fermentation happens.

I also use chia seed gel in my recipe. This helps the bread stay fresh and soft longer, and of course has fiber and nutrition. Just mix one tablespoon of chia seeds into 1 cup of water. Stir a few times over the next 15 minutes or so until the seeds are suspended in the water/gel.

Chia Seed Gel:

1 cup water
1 Tablespoon Chia seeds

Grain Mix:

5 cups Hard Red Wheat
1/2 cup barley
1/2 cup oat groats
1 Tablespoon each of the following:
Sorghum
Amaranth
Quinua
Milliet
Kamut
Spelt
Buckwheat
Flax seed
Lentils
Red Lentils
Yellow Lentils (some of these might be peas... not sure)
Split Green Peas
Great Northern Beans
Navy Beans
Small White Beans (that’s what the package said, but they look just like navy beans,lol)
Black Eyed Peas
Sunflower seeds (no shells)
Mung Beans

After the sponge is done, add the following:

2 beaten eggs
Chia seed gel and/or sprouted grain goop
1/2 stick of butter
3 Tbsp dry milk
1 Tbsp dry buttermilk (optional)
2 Tsp Active Dry Yeast
1/4 cup Vital Wheat Gluten

Let this mix a bit.

7 cups super-multi-grain flour (6 if not using chia gel)

Add a cup at a time for the first five cups or so, then add a half cup at a time for the last two. After about six cups add

1 Tbsp salt

I add the salt at the end, because the salt makes the dough tighten up. Often this alone will cause the dough to start pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Adding the salt earlier on tends to make the bread tougher. Adding at the very end makes a softer crumb.

Add the last bits of flour (and a little more if you must... but GRADUALLY!) until the dough pulls away from the side, but is still kind of sticky at the bottom.

Turn the dough out and hand-knead enough to make a nice, solid ball. Put the dough in an oiled doubling container, and let rise until just less than double. (It’s good not to overproof fibrous whole grain dough like this.)

Punch down, form into a ball again, and let rest five minutes.

Now you can form this into whatever kind of loaves or rolls you like. This usually makes two 4.5 x 8.5 inch loaves, or I like to make rolls or bagels. For rolls or bagels, I use a #12 disher (2 2/3 oz. capacity ice cream scoop). My most recent batch this way made 23 rolls/bagels. Sometimes I make 12 rolls, and one loaf.

#50
Old 02/05/09, 11:29 AM
Dirt2Dig

Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Bread

This recipe comes from www.thefreshloaf.com. It makes 3 loaves. It will make the entire house smell wonderful.

Ingredients

5 ½ cups bread or all-purpose flour
1 7/8 cups whole wheat flour
1 5/8 cups rolled oats
2 ½ cups water
3/8 cup milk
3 tablespoons honey
5 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon and ½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ tablespoons active yeast
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 cups soaked and drained raisins

At least a half an hour before you begin, soak the raisins in warm water. This will plump the raisins and prevent the ones on the surface from burning. Just prior to adding the raisins to the loaf, you’ll pour the water out.

Next soak the oats in 2 cups of the water (hot). Let stand for 20 minutes to an hour.

Proof the yeast in ½ cup of the water (warm) and 1 tablespoon of honey. Let sit for 10 minutes until it starts to foam.

After proofing the yeast, add 1 cup flour to the yeast mixture and mix. Add this to the oatmeal. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients. Lastly add raisins. Knead by hand for 5 minutes or in a stand mixer for 2 minutes on speed 2.

Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp lint free towel. Let rise for 1 hour. Then remove the dough from the bowl and knead for a few minutes. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover again. Let rise until the dough doubles in bulk again for another hour.

Divide the dough into thirds and shape into thirds. Place each loaf into a greased bread pan. Spray or gently brush each loaf with water and sprinkle with some more oats. Cover the pans with a damp cloth again to rise until the loaves crest over the edge of the pans, about 90 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place loaves in the center rack. After 5 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake for 35 minutes.

Hints, tips tricks and how to cheat
I used all purpose flour for all of the flour. I also used sweetened condensed milk for the milk and reduced the amount of honey from 3 tablespoons to 2 tablespoons.

#51
Old 02/11/09, 02:47 PM
Snowpuma

Challah or Super easy, fast white bread
Directions do look huge but its not as bad as it looks! Great recipe makes 4 loves super fast great when you have a bunch of kids and a ton to do, like me! Great after school snack!Try it you’ll like it

Step 1
1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons yeast (or four packages)

Step 2
8 cups flour (can use up to 1/2 whole wheat)
2/3 cup sugar
4 teaspoons salt

Step 3
3 cups hot water
1/3 cup vegetable oil or olive oil

Step 1:.
Pour into 1 quart Mixing bowl:.
1 cup Warm Water.
Sprinkle on top:.
3T Yeast ( or four packages).
Do not mix set aside.

Step 2:.
In 4 quart Bowl combine:.
8 cups Flour (can use up to 1/2 whole wheat).
2/3 cups Sugar.
4 teaspoons Salt.
Mix well.

Step 3:.
Stir yeast and water mixture and add to this:.
3 cups hot water.
1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil.

Step 4:.
Pre heat oven to 350.
Stir the yeast and water/oil and mix together with the flour.
Add enough flour to the sticky mixture to make a soft easy to handle dough.
Knead for 1 minute.
Divide dough into four equal mounds.
Shape each into greased loaf pans/ or coated with a non stick spray.
Cover loosely and let rise 30 minutes.
Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Hints and Tips and how to make Challah:.
For a more golden crust mix 1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoons water and brush on bread just before placing in oven.

To tell doneness:.
Top will be springy and bottom will sound hollow if thumped.

Challah:.
( I will usually take aside two loaves and make into Challah to do this take two or one mound of dough, depending on how many Challah you want to make)

Per each mound of dough;
Take the mound of dough and separate into three relatively equal pieces make each piece into a long strands.

Now with your three long strands lay them length wise in front of you, take each piece at the top and pinch just the tips together.
Braid loosely like a hair braid and then pinch the ends again when done.
Tuck under the pinched edges.

Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and cover lightly with a towel, lightly damp paper towel or lose tin foil.

Let rise 30 minutes.

Pre Heat Oven 350

Bake 30 minutes or until golden

>>>Of course I have some French cut beans<<<

Hey, there is no extra charge for the added protein.

Mrs. DelaWhere asks me every once in a while what I am going to do with some of those old store bought cans we still have. Given the choice, I choose the ones we canned.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/forumdisplay.php?f=66

Private listings of homes and farms for sale in the U. S.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=189363

Pickles, Jams, Jellies, Canning, Drying, Freezing, etc.

They have pickled every thing, most look good to me, but I am not up on processing and will let you check first....Please.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=189400

Main Dish Recipes, Chicken, Duck, Turkey

“I just discovered that if you right-click on the FR post number and select “copy shortcut” or “copy link address”, you get the URL for that post, which you can then paste where you need it. I’ve been typing them in manually. D’oh!”

Thanks for that information. I was wondering how people do that. I’m slowly learning how these computer things work.

That is a very interesting link! Thanks for posting that one.

http://www.thistothat.com/

[Gives glue to use to attach this to that...]

Because people have a need to glue things to other things

Attach to

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/970721b.cfm

(editor’s note: Rae specializes in common sense advice. Here she passes along some sites that have proved useful to her.)

Having plumbing problems? At Ask the Master Plumber, you can email a question and get free answers from a master plumber with over thirty years experience. You can join a chat room or participate in a forum for plumbing, heating, and air conditioning problems.
clickit.com/bizwiz/homepage/plumber.htm

Home Improvement and Repair offers help in categories such as decks and patios, landscape and garden, paint and decorating, flooring, and much more.
hometime.com

The Fabric Stain Removal Guide lists the treatments for individual stains, like fingernail polish, chewing gum, or tar.
chemistry.co.nz/stain.htm

At The Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Site, you click on a room, such the bathroom, and you’re presented with helpful hints on cleaning that room. Did you know you can clean and deodorize a shower curtain with baking soda? At the kid’s room, you’re given instructions on how to make play clay crafts or simple science experiments using baking soda.
armhammer.com/

Ziploc Brand Bags offers Ziploc tips, freezer and refrigerator tips, and recommended shelf times.
ziploc.com

At The Mining Company’s Interior Decorating site, you will find do-it-yourself projects, wallpaper and paint estimators, and more.
http://interiordec.miningco.com/

Toiletology 101: A Complete Course in Toilet Repairs shows how to test for leaks, preventive maintenance, emergencies, and anything else you could possibly want to know about toilets.
toiletology.com/index.shtml

Ask the Builder offers hints to everyday building and remodeling problems, manufacturers for specific products, etc.
askbuild.com/

The Old Farmer’s Almanac is now on the Net, with their usual advice for gardening, weather, and more.
almanac.com/

Do you have a time or money saving idea that wasn’t included in this article? Please send it to tips @stretcher.com. We get the best ideas from our readers!