Bread Baking

I have been experimenting with bread recipes for a while. I was looking for a more substantial or hearty bread than the oatmeal bread, wheat bread and white bread that I've been baking for many years. In my research I came across a book called "My Bread" which involves an artisanal no-knead variety which needs to rise at room temp for 12 to 18 hours. This is pretty much what I've been looking for. Above is pictured one of the loaves I made of the white bread. There are also whole wheat and rye varieties. This is a crusty and substantial bread and we are really enjoying it. It bakes in a hot dutch oven in the oven for about 1/2 hour. The recipe follows below if any of you would like to try it...

Mix together in large glass bowl until its a very sticky dough:
3 c. flour (good flour)
1 1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. active dry yeast (yes this is correct)
1 1/3 c. cool water
Add a little more water if the dough is not sticky
Cover with plastic wrap and towel, raise 12 to 18 hours at room temp.

Then scrape dough onto heavily floured surface in one piece. Shape gently into round by gently lifting edges to the center. Sprinkle cornmeal onto linen or cotton tea towel and lift the dough onto towel, seam side down. Cover and let rise 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 and put dutch oven (with lid) into oven 1/2 hour before rising time is complete. When the dutch oven is hot, liberally sprinkle cornmeal into bottom of the dutch oven. Gently lift the raised loaf and tip seam-side up into hot dutch oven & cover.

Bake 25 min covered then remove lid (I leave it in the oven on the side) and bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove and cool completely on rack.

This bread makes me want to tear hunks off and just eat it fresh. It smells wonderful and just a little sour, although it's not a sourdough at all. Enjoy!

Remodeling Continued...

Above you see the kitchen with the oven and fridge removed and the cabinets still in place. Demolition is about to begin...

Ha! Here we are Bret on the left and his dad helping on the right. Lest you think I was laying around while the guys worked on the kitchen...look on...I am lugging one of many garbage cans full of broken drywall and plaster. Note the soffit is gone! Yay!

Below, breaking the drywall between the joists to make it easier to break off the pieces. I used the sledge hammer side of the axe to break through one layer of drywall (the living room is on the other side of the wall and we didn't want to break all the way through). Fear not! Our living room survived without a scratch!

Posing with the sledge hammer. As a trained mental health professional (although I am not currently practicing my craft) I highly recommend demolition as a stress-management technique. For those who may wish to try this at home--I do recommend that you have a plan for the repair/rejuvenation of the space before you commence destruction.

We got the walls out in one day (although there are a few tricky places that need a little more attention). We will be taking out the floor tile next. Found a layer of linoleum below the tile and subfloor...interesting...

Also, we were somewhat surprised/concerned to see no insulation in the exterior walls. No wonder the walls felt cold in winter. Not to worry--insulation was part of our plan!

Remodeling Begun!

Okay--it's time for a new project at last! The renovation of the heart of our home...

Six years ago when we bought this house the first thing I said to my husband was--"We are not leaving the kitchen for the last project!" (this was because we sold our house in Wisconsin only a few short months after completing our kitchen renovation) But, we needed a guest room for our out of town guests...and we needed to replace the flooring in our living room...and we needed to finish the basement to make it useable...and we needed a new roof...and a new fence...etc. So, you see why it is now 6 years later and we are just now getting "a round tuit".

I am not complaining---we did need to do those other projects with more urgency than the kitchen (which was usable and in good shape, if not attractive). However it is with great enthusiasm and joy that I announce that we are finally at the point of embarking on this most exciting adventure.

The above are "before" pictures. I hope you will enjoy the ensuing destruction and rebuilding as I blog about it. I have been praying a lot about this remodel and am hoping that God will use it to provide us with some opportunities to tell testimonies of God's grace and goodness. It feels a bit like a heart transplant. It also feels like a true personalizing of the space. Everything is coming out--including the walls and the floor! We are putting a personal touch on this home. Hopefully our new kitchen will glorify God and the new space will be welcoming to the people who enter our home.

Good-bye Chickens!

Yesterday we butchered our last 10 chickens. Over the past few months, egg production has diminished significantly (only about 1 - 4 per day from previously 8-10 per day) and we decided it was time (at one year old) to say goodbye. Meanwhile our freezer is full of meat again (for a while) and if we stew it slowly it should still be good--we'll see. We will probably get chickens again in a year or two, but it is very difficult to get away (even though we had awesome help from friends and family) for very long when there are so many animals to arrange care for. I'm somewhat relieved, although I will miss the sight of them running and flapping across the backyard and vying with our black lab for scraps. Schwarz occasionally would even climb through the open door into the pen part of the coop if he thought the chickens were getting a better snack than he was! :-)

(sigh) Good-bye Eggs. Good-bye Chickens. Good-bye tucking the chickens in every night. Good-bye letting the chickens out each morning. Good-bye bowls of chicken scraps (left over garden produce) on my counter.

Good night chickens. Good night mittens... Good night!