Everythings Amazing & Nobodys Happy

Fat and Happy – not me!

Today, I went to the pet store & bought two little mice for Pacman to eat. And then as Scott was running out the door to go help a friend, he came back in squealing with delight. (Really SQUEALING!) He had caught a frog on the front porch & threw it in the cage with Pacman. He gobbled up the poor little frog before he had a chance. After two mice, we did not think he would go for more food… but obviously, he is hungry. I expect that he will be lazy for the next little while.

Speaking of fat & happy – we tried a new Italian restaurant that some friends recommended. The stromboli looked great!!

Dough you love me? Flax Seed Whole Wheat Bread

I love homemade bread. I know that it’s not the best thing in the world for me, but I LOVE IT! Back in the day  [when Christopher was a baby!], Costco started carrying a new-fangled gadget called a bread machine. My sweet husband bought me one for my first official Mother’s Day.  Now, seventeen years and hundreds of loaves of bread later, my Hitachi Automatic Home Bakery II is still spinning out great loaves of bread. A few years ago I decided that I wanted prettier & newer & bought a fancy-schmancy one from my favorite kitchen store. After making one loaf of bread (maybe two), I returned it to the store because it could not mix as well as my old-fashioned Hitachi.

 

I have wanted to find a great bread recipe for sandwiches. It seems like they are frequently too crumbly or the holes are too big or… I tried this a few weeks ago (& it’s waiting to come to life in the bread machine right now) and it was perfect. I am worried tonight because it’s rainy & that changes the way the bread works.

 

 

FLAX SEED WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

1-1/2 cups water

3 tablespoons canola oil (olive oil)

1/4 cup honey

2-2/3 cup bread flour

1-1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup nonfat milk

2-1/2 tablespoons flax seed

1-1/4 tablespoons gluten

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

2-1/4 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2-3/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast (SAF yeast is better)

 

Place ingredients in the pan according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Now, I will teach you a little of what I’ve learned about using a bread machine. Start the bread machine & open the lid. (It’s okay! It’s not against the rules in the beginning of the dough cycle.) If the dough is not forming a ball, add a few tablespoons of water until everything starts to come together. If it’s too wet, add a few tablespoons of flour. Adjust until the dough looks like dough. I use this step even when I am delaying starting the bread. I let the first spin happen & make sure the dough will be right & then turn the machine off, set the timer & let everything bubble a little. My fingers are crossed for a beautiful loaf of bread at 5:35 a.m.

One of my favorite bread books, European Breads from your Bread Machine, encourages using the bread machine as a place to hold partially processed dough to help develop more complex flavors. The method is similar to making a sourdough starter, letting it sit on the counter, & then proceeding with the loaf of bread.

Part of making homemade bread is getting over the fear of it not working out. The bread machine helps by making the environment just right for rising. I guess I have some funny ingredients in my cupboards, but they seem normal to me.

Good luck & let me know if it works.

 

Update: I made this bread last night & added too much water. The dough looked a little more like cake batter than bread dough. But the taste? Still yummy. Our spread of choice? Nutella, of course.

REEDY to run… I think

I am running a 10K this morning – and guess what?! It’s downhill. Results forthcoming.