• November 26, 2008 - Fresh Bread

Cooking A Storm

I've been cooking a storm lately.

Two days ago - I made Chicken Broth. It was the first time I had done that. And, I have a book from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) which is just on soups. Did you know, for instance, that you should always start your broth with COLD water. That is...you should put your meat and vegetables in with the water still cold. It gives it a better taste. Also, you should skim the foam off the top, that makes your broth clearer. Well, I have a special distaste for store bought soup and soup made from store bought chicken broth in general. I'm a picky eater. Yes, it is true. And, for the longest time I couldn't stand eating my own food that I made (pre and early marriage). It hardly ever hit the mark for me. But over the years and especially lately, I've been really figuring out this cooking thing. And the biggest thing to me that I notice, is that foods made the traditional way are better.

So, today I made Chicken Soup, with homemade broth and homemade noodles. Ohhhhh...it was so yummy. And my kids liked it. Well, Rachel didn't, but that's another story. She did like the broth.

And, tomorrow being Thanksgiving, I made five (count them 5) pies! And they are so yummy. Well, I haven't actually tasted them, but they look yummy. And I did taste the pumpkin insides, as I had some extra pumpkin and and made a little extra without crust. My pie secrets??? Well...

• I don't use shortening at all. I use butter. 100%.
• I put ice cubes in a bowl of water which I take my water for drizzling into the butter/flour mixture.
• I don't mix my pie crust too long, just till it just sticks together.
• Then, I use parchment or waxed paper to roll it out.
• ALSO...for the pumpkin...I used actual sugar pumpkins fresh from our garden (well, you cook them in the oven first).
• AND...this year I got some little aluminum covers to go around my pie edges so they didn't get burned.

I still have some frustrations with making pies, such as my apple pie still popped open on one side. But, it's getting better, and as time goes on I learn more. I love this about being a mom and wife and homemaker and homestead participant. I keep learning. And, I will be able to teach my kids and they will have skills starting at a young age. I'm so excited about that!

At the beginning of this week, I also made bread, which I am here to share. The bread is gone now and I'm due to make more. But I wanted to share my experience with you. I got a grain mill about a year ago and I can't rave about that enough. Whole grain quickly goes rancid and then can be irritating to your system and a cause of health problems just in and of itself.

But, there is so more to it than that. Freshly milled whole grain tastes good! It's great. That off flavor you get when you make stuff from whole grain from the store --- most of that is because the grain is rancid. Also, just within a few hours - most of the vitamins disappear out of the flour (so if you buy whole wheat flour from the store it's bound to be less nutritious). This is why, just to avoid major diseases, we had to add artificial vitamins back into our white flour, when white flour started being used so widely. Plus, the "whole wheat" bread you buy in the store just has to have whole wheat as the "flour" and even that whole wheat flour can be reconstituted. It usually contains added wheat gluten and the dreaded high fructose corn syrup.

I still buy the store bought bread, don't get me wrong. This cooking things from scratch has been a gradual process. But, it is one I find rewarding and the longer I do it - I just think it is a skill that doesn't really need to be harder - you just have to get the skill down. We find this in homeschooling all the time.

So, here is my bread. No added wheat gluten (most whole wheat bread recipes call for this). Just fresh whole grain flour, water, yeast, honey, and salt. I rise my bread a total of three times. That helps it to not need the gluten. I got my instructions for making bread from The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book. If you want to make whole grain bread, this book is a must. My original inspiration was from Nourishing Traditions, which is also just a phenomonal book. I've made the Rye/Wheat sourdough out of that cookbook and I like that very much. But, I prefer straight whole wheat for an everyday bread for sandwiches and breakfast and the like.

I would like to make a sourdough whole wheat - since the sourdough process enhances the nutrition of the bread. Alas, unlike rye flour, whole wheat flour is tricky in terms of keeping a sourdough starter going. I believe you have to be more precise with its feeding and temperature control.

But here are some pictures of my bread making process:

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