Sheepherder's Bread

I wanted to share one of my staple recipes with you today. My favorite, tried and true bread recipe. This is the one I make over and over, for sandwiches, toast or sliced thick with butter to pair with a steaming hot bowl of homemade soup or stew.   There is nothing like fresh from the oven home baked bread and wow does it make the house smell g-double o- d good!
This recipe makes four loaves and I always like to bless someone with a loaf whenever I make it.  Last week it was my hairdresser, who was planning on BLT sandwiches for dinner that night - I love when things work out that way!  Wonderboy's music teacher, The Principal's co-workers and several neighbors have been happy recipeints as well.  If you are local let me know if you'd like a loaf and it can most assuredly be arranged ;-)

                                                                                                                                                                             Sheepherder's Bread  

INGREDIENTS                                   
3 cups warm water
1/2 cup oil (olive/safflower/coconut oil or combination - anything goes ;-))
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons yeast
9 cups flour

(I typically use 1/2 unbleached white and 1/2 fresh ground prairie gold wheat)

2 tablespoons melted butter

DIRECTIONS
Combine the water, oil, honey, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl.  Stir to dissolve the yeast.  Allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes (sponge) to proof the yeast.  Add 7-8 cups of flour.  Turn out onto floured surface and knead.  Add flour as needed (dough gets very sticky).  Knead for 10 minutes (by hand - if you have a Bosch or other mixture, knead for 8 minutes).  Put dough into a greased bowl to rise.  Cover with a clean towel.  Let rise until double.  Punch dough down.  Let rise until almost double.  Punch down again.  Form into loaves or rolls.  Let rise until double.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until tests done. Remove from pans and place on cooling racks, brush crust with melted butter.
*For raisin bread, I add 2 tablespoons cinnamon and 1 cup raisins(soak in warm water and drain and pat dry prior to adding in.
**  I buy the plastic bowl covers ( we call them party hats here) that come in 3 sizes at The Dollar Tree and use these instead of dishtowels - they work great if you put them on the bowl to rise in the oven with the oven light one and then one on each pan after you form into loaves.

This can easily be made into dinner rolls as well.

Yields 4 loaves or 2 loaves and 1 1/2 dozen rolls.

Do you have a stand by favorite bread you make?  Let me know if you try this recipe and how it turns out for you.

Let Them Eat Pie

I hope a relaxing and blessed Father's Day was enjoyed by one and all!!

It has become tradition in our home that if you are being celebrated you have the honor of picking the menu.  Yesterday being Father's Day was no exception.  The Principal is always so accommodating about what he wants but when June issue of Southern Living arrived and he eye balled this pie recipe it was instantly decided that this would be Father's Day dessert.    Peanut Butter-Banana Icebox Pie - wow look out hips here I come!!  It was easy, didn't require heating the kitchen up, was made ahead and was a huge hit with the men folk.  WonderBoy was quick to deem it 'a keeper'.

 We began our fun a day early with a great day Saturday in Manchester, TN Letterboxing and hiking at Old Stone Fort Archaeological State Park. This was our first time at this park but probably won't be our last.  The trail is a short one - just 1 1/4 miles but boasts 3 pretty nice water fall to play and frolic in.  There is also a museum with some interesting resources to learn about the Indian mounds that this park is structured around.  Homeschooling is always in progress even during summer break!
We had limited success in our letterboxing efforts - we searched for 4 boxes and found only 2 of them - both in cemeteries ......which for some weird reason seems to be where we always end up at some point when we are out adventuring.  This one was neat - an old family cemetery with some very old stones under a glorious magnolia tree.  It has been fenced in and was a short hike off the road in the woods.  If not for letterboxing we would never have known it was there.

SO....how was your weekend....did you do anything special?  Any fabulous dessert recipes to share? 

Speechless Cinnamon Rolls

I have test driven a few Cinnamon Roll recipes over the years and have never found one that made think I needed to stop trying others - this is the one ;-) It is a keeper and sharer for sure and for certain!!! WonderBoy crowned these 'Scrumptious' and I have had to keep a close on him around them lest they disappear quicker than they ought to !! AND if that is not enough it doubles as a hamburger bun recipe too and I would imagine with the right shaping could also lend itself to hot dog buns or submarine/hero sandwich type rolls as well (I have not yet tried these options - let me know if you do!)
Ingredients

4 to 5 cups flour ( I use 1/2 unbleached white and 1/2 fresh ground whole wheat)

2 TBS yeast

1 cup milk

3/4 cup water

1/2 oil

3 TBS honey

1 tsp salt

Cinnamon Rolls will require these additional ingredients......

1 stick or 1/2 cup butter

brown sugar

vanilla

cinnamon

cinnamon sugar

powdered sugar

milk

Directions

Mix 2 cups of flour with 2 TBS yeast in a large bowl. Heat water, milk, oil and honey in small saucepan until very warm, but not boiling. Pour into flour mixture and combine well. Start adding remaining flour until dough becomes soft and ready to knead. Knead briefly and let rest, covered with a damp dish towel for about 10 minutes. You now have 10 minutes to decide if you are making Hamburger Buns or Cinnamon Rolls - you really could do both if you want a smaller amount of each. This recipe would make enough for about 4 servings of each or 8 servings of one. You choose....

Hamburger Buns

Roll out dough on floured surfaced to a 1/2 inch thickness cut out buns with a large mason jar lid ring and let rise for 30 minutes on a greased baking sheet (get your damp dish towel out to cover again). Bake at 400 degrees for 12- 15 minutes or until nicely browned. If you wish, you can brush with a little melted butter and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds before you pop them in the oven.

Cinnamon Rolls

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a large flat rectangle. In a small saucepan, melt a stick of butter and add enough brown sugar to create a paste type consistency - probably less than a cup but more than a 1/2 cup. Add a splash of vanilla if you like - we like so I do ;-) With the back of a large plastic spoon evenly spread the mixture over your rolled out dough right up to the edges. Sprinkle cinnamon ( as much or as little as you like) over top of butter/sugar paste. Roll dough across so you have a long roll and using a piece of thread - I use fishing line ;-) Slide the thread/line under the roll, cross over the top and pull for perfectly sliced rolls. Fill a greased pan and cover with dampened dish towel and allow to rise 30 minutes. Sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar on top right before they go in the oven, if you like before baking at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges.

If you like, you can make a little sweet goodness to drizzle on top of the cinnamon rolls when they come out of the oven......in a measuring cup or anything with a pour spout add about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and about 1 TBS of milk - a little milk goes a long way- it will not seem like enough - it is. Whisk together until smooth and drizzle over your wonderful hot and yummy cinnamon rolls - grab a hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk and prepare yourself for quiet - there will not be much conversation taking place once the eating begins !!!

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Did I mention that I got a gain mill for Christmas ? I don't think I did - if you know me that may surprise you a little - it surprises me even a little still. I have always maintained a rule in romantic relationships that kitchen appliances would not and could not count as official gifts. Well this year I told The Principal that I wanted a grain mill....and I got one! I have wanted one for a number of years to work toward living a healthier lifestyle - so now I am off and running - and milling ;-) I have used it a few times in the past week and we have really enjoyed the fruits of my labors. Fresh milled flour really changes the taste of food and even better than that - it's so good for you!! So in line with the first of 3 things that I chose to learn more about in 2008 I am on my way to nuturing my family with healthy whole grain foods. My first endevor was last week when I made two loaves of whole wheat bread - they looked wonderful as you can see ........
I ran half a loaf across the street to my neighbor who thought I was nuts to be making a bread delivery in the rain - but I insisted she had to taste it warm from the oven. A few minutes later when my phone rang and the verdict was in between the sound of chewing and swallowing I knew I had a hit - and let me tell you how much it blessed me!!
Now, as for the connection of bread to all things good and Godly - I have also thought that when I get some free time (stand up comedy is one of my many side lines) that I would love to do an in depth study of bread in the bible.....for now let me share this


Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.

Proverbs 30:8



He is all we need each day - He is our daily bread!! There is a theme emerging for me this year already.....HE IS ENOUGH....HE IS ALL WE NEED IN ALL THINGS. Now obviously this is not a new concept to me, however, there is a difference in knowing something and knowing that you know something. God is whispering knowledge to me in new and wonderful ways and I pray that as the year unfolds there are things that I feel released to share with you as well dear reader. For now let me tell you that I serve an amazing God and if you do not know Him - I would be honored to introduce you. Mere words cannot begin to explain how transformed your life will be when He is holding you in His loving embrace!! I wonder do you know Him?

One final note....as I was reading thru the recipe and trying to educate myself a little as to what I was about to get into with the task at hand, I came across an article that said a good way to know when your bread was kneaded adequately was to recite the Lord's Prayer twice, pressing and folding the dough on each word. Don't you just love to pray over the food you prepare for those you love? I pray over all kinds of things.....but more on that to come......

Trusting in Him,

Leisha