55 Minute Homemade Bread

Oh Pig, it has been too long!  As you can see in the picture above, we have added a little lady to our family! Gracie has been so much fun, and next week she will be 6 months old!  I cannot believe it really...ahh sigh..

Anyways, we have been busy!  Busy baking bread!  Today I had to swing by the store to get some last minute items for dinner that I forgot earlier this week (I wonder how long I can use baby brain as an excuse.)  I only had to get a few things, and I really shouldn't be allowed in Target unless it is absolutely essential, so I tried to get resourceful and avoid the trip all together-for the time being that is.

Last week I made lentil-carrot meatballs and a pesto dressing.  I made extra meatballs and froze them for future use.  Today was a lazy day so I decided to use up those frozen goodies.  (I will share that recipe tomorrow.)  I already did pasta once this week so I had to utilize the meatballs another way, so subs it was!

I had no sub rolls and not a lot of time.  Thank goodness for Pinterest!  I found a great quick baguette recipe and tweaked it a bit.  When it was all said and done, we had fresh bread for dinner.

55 Minute Fresh Bread (Whole Wheat)

2 1/4 tsp of Active Yeast (or 1 packet)

2 cups Very Warm Water

2 tbsp Sugar

1 tsp salt

3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

2 1/2 Cups AP Flour

1.  Preheat oven to 425.  Whisk water, yeast, and sugar together and place on preheating oven for 10 minutes.

2.  Gradually add in flour and salt.  Use a dough hook on your mixer or a strong wooden spoon.  Mix until the dough appears elastic.

3.  Separate dough into two balls and sprinkle extra flour on top so it won't stick to the board.  Separate each ball into two more balls (four total).  

4.  Roll out small balls into long strands.  Braid the two strands together and place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Repeat with two remaining strands.  ( You will have 2 loaves.)  Let it rise on the hot oven for 30 minutes.
5.  Now that the dough has risen, take a casserole dish and fill it with ice (about 3 cups, but I just filled it so it lined the dish).
6.  Place the baking dish with the bread on the top oven rack and the dish with the ice, directly below it.  The steam will accelerate the baking process.  Set your timer for 15 minutes (may take a few extra minutes 15-18, every oven is a little different).  DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN BEFORE THE 15 MINUTES IS UP.  Nothing terrible will happen, you will just ruin the steam mojo. :)

Fresh baked bread in no time!  Plus you could add flax seed or oats, really anything you wanted.

We sliced it long ways and used it as sub rolls, but it would be great garlic bread, bread with soup, or even a hearty sandwich bread.  No artificial anything which also makes this appealing!   

Hello Fall and Bread Making!

Ahh goodbye summer, picnics, and pools but we're ok with that because it gives way to FALL and fun fall activities like pumpkin carving, planting mums, crock pot recipes, and bread making!

I had been pretty obsessed with Danielle of Blissful and Domestic and her family's plan to live on $14,000 a year.  While her suggestions are great, they don't all fit the needs of our family, HOWEVER I was intrigued that she makes her own bread all the time.  

After trying a couple of recipes, this one is by far the best and easiest!  I actually fell asleep (thanks Baby 3) during the rising stage and overshot it by 40 minutes--did not make a difference in the least!

Try baking your own sandwich bread this fall, it's a lot of work, no lie, but it really makes your PB&J sandwich special.  Plus you can devote a Sunday when you are at home watching football to make a few loaves and kids can help too!  Caroline helped me with these two loaves!

Easy Homemade Bread  (Adapted from The Wannabe Country Girl)

1 packet of yeast

7 cups of flour (bread or all purpose) 

4 cups of warm water

1/4 Olive Oil

2 Tsp Salt

1 Tbsp of Sugar

1.  Dissolve yeast according to package add sugar and let sit till foamy.

2.  In a separate bowl, add flour, salt, oil, and water.

3.  Stir that mixture ( or if you have a Kitchen Aid, attach the dough hook and give it a whirl!)

4.  Add yeast mixture and continue to stir until completely incorporated.  If you aren't using a dough hook you will have to take the dough out and knead it until it forms a ball.

5.  Once the ball is formed, plop it onto a sheet of parchment paper or saran wrap and spray the bowl you just used with cooking spray and then plop it back into the bowl.

6.  Cover with a towel and find a nice warm and dark place for your bowl.  Some people choose their stove top, but I go with the top of the the dryer.  It also forces me to do a load of wash, so I kill two birds with one stone haha.  ( You should have seen the hubby's face when I asked him to get the bread dough from the laundry room in the basement haha)

7.  Let it sit for about 45 minutes until it is nice and fluffy.

8.  Take it out and sprinkle flour on top.  Cut in half and store the half that you don't want to use right away in the fridge or freezer.

9.  Take the other half and roll it out into a rectangle shape.  Roll it up like a fruit roll up and tuck the ends inward.

10.  Spray a loaf pan and pop it into the oven at 350 for 25 minutes!

Quick Meal: Roasted Corn and Chicken Carbonara Lightener Up!

Yummy and quite the crowd pleaser!  I got this idea from Pinterest, but changed it to fit my time constraints and lightened it up a bit for a healthy dinner.

Roasted Corn and Chicken Carbonara

1 Chicken breast ( I threw mine in a mini crockpot with some chicken stock earlier in the afternoon, made this easy because the chicken just fell apart!)
1 package of Linguini
Half a pack (about 6 oz) of Fat Free Cream Cheese or Neufchetal Cheese
1 Cup Chicken Stock/Veggie Stock
6 strips of Turkey Bacon
1 1/2 cups of Trader Joes' Roasted Corn (AMAZING and should be a freezer staple!)
1 cup of frozen peas
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 garlic clove minced
Parmesan Cheese for sprinkling


1.  Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta, about 10 minutes.
2.  In a medium pot or sauce pan over medium heat, add the oil and turkey bacon.  Brown bacon will crispy.
3.  Add the chicken to the bacon and break up into chunks.  Stir and immediately add corn and peas.
4.  Lower the heat to medium/low.
5.  In a small pot, add cream cheese and chicken or veggie stock.  Stir until cheese cheese has melted and a cream sauce has been created.  Add garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. (You now have a healthy version of an Alfredo!)
6.  Once the pasta is cooked, drain, reserving about a 1/4 cup of the pasta water.  Add the pasta to the bacon/veggie/chicken mixture and pour the cream sauce on top!
7.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve!

I have some seriously picky eaters in my house, but they cleaned their plates!  :)  Plus, the hubby liked the addition of bacon to my usual pasta and pea dishes.  He would have preferred the real deal bacon, but he said that it was tasty all the same.  I save some fat and calories too.  This meal took about 35 minutes from opening the cabinet to get the pot to serving my last hungry mouth!

Quick Dinner: Roasted Tomato Polenta and Oven Roasted Chicken Breast

Oven Roasted Tomato Polenta and Chicken

This is a quick and easy "gourmet" dish.  From beginning to end it took about 30 minutes!  Plus it's economically since I only used two chicken breasts and half of the bunch of organic tomatoes!  I can use the rest tonight for dinner--Mexican this time I think.

Ingredients:

1 cup Instant Polenta (I used Ferraro)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 Chicken breasts halfed (this is where you can save money, half them so everyone gets an adequate portion without going overboard

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

a handful of fresh basil chopped

3 garlic cloves still in skin

4 organic (or not) Compari tomatoes

dash of Italian season and salt and pepper to season chicken

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Grease baking dish with olive oil. Half chicken breasts (so now you have 4 pieces of chicken) and put them in the dish (move them around a little).  Season one side of the chicken with Italian seasonings and salt and pepper and then repeat with the other side.

3.  Cut tomatoes into three parts and place them on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with a little pepper.  Sprinkle your basil on top!

4.  Place both the chicken and the tomatoes in the oven.  The chicken will cook for 15 minutes and then you will flip the pieces and cook for another 15 minutes.  At the halfway point you can take out the tomatoes and place them to the side.

5.  During the first 15 minutes of cooking, pour yourself a glass of wine or tea and hang out.  Once the first 15 minutes are up and the tomatoes are out, start the polenta.

6.  Follow the directions on the box, but I warn you polenta cooks VERY fast and you need to whisk or stir to get rid of lumps.  

7.  Once your polenta has finished cooking, add your butter and cheese.  Stir until the butter melts and then add your tomatoes.  Smash your garlic to get the skins off.  (Don't worry the garlic won't be as strong as it is in raw form)  I added a basil leaf to pretty it up, but it's not necessary!  

8.  Your chicken should be done, just check to make sure it isn't pink.

9.  Serve!