Yeast - Bread's best friend

Have you ever tried to bake a loaf of bread to only be dissapointed by the simple fact that it does not rise?  Or do you think that baking bread is to complicated to make it at home?  Well - I have news for you!

Image Courtesy and Property of ColourBox

Making your own bread only seems like some sort of alchemy - it is not magic: It just comes down to understanding one basic principle about how yeast - your essential partner in this process- behaves.  Yeast is more active when it’s warm, and less active when it’s cold. The more active it is, the faster your dough rises.  A slight increase in temperature can have an exponential effect on yeast’s activity: raising the dough’s temperature by a few degrees can have a dramatic effect.

So, if your dough is rising too slowly, warm it up. If your dough threatens to growtake over your kitchen before you can even pre-heat the oven, cool it down.

 

Putting the brakes on a rapidly expanding dough couldn’t be easier–just pop it in the refrigerator or some other cool place. If, on the other hand, your dough is too sluggish (“It’s been over two hours and it just won’t rise!”) you have a few options. If you’ve got a nice warm spot in your house, you can set the it there. Or you can simulate what bakers call a “proofing box”–a warm “microclimate” that will gently warm your bread-to-be and get those yeast going. Set the dough in the oven and turn on the oven light. Alternatively, preheat the oven to 200 (or its lowest setting) and hold for five to ten minutes, then turn it off and put your dough inside. Finally, my ultimate standby, from a fellow blogger: heat a jar of water in the microwave until it boils, set the dough inside (microwave off) next to the hot water. The humidity effectively transfers the heat to the dough. I think of this process as taking my dough to the spa.

Once you understand this principle, you can use it offensively as well as defensively to speed along what is called the “fermentation” process.

If you know your house runs cool, you can plan to use one of the methods above to make sure you aren’t waiting around forever for your dough to rise. Baking books often assume you are in a warm kitchen (because, after all, that’s the environment bakers operate in), and their rising times can therefore be much faster than you’d get at home. In other words, if your dough isn’t rising, it’s probably needs more time or more warmth. 

 

Homemade bread is far better than than anything you can buy in the grocery store.  It is healthy and free from additives and everything else you find in store bought bread.

 

Enjoy filing your home with the comforting aroma of fresh baked bread!

 

 

 

 

Thanks to C for inspiring today's post!

 

Classic Four Bean Salad with a Healthy Twist

I love eating healthy delicious salads, especially those that can be made in minutes.  I have made several variations of this salad by adding different types of fresh herbs and vegetables to changing the taste of the dressing from House Italian to Fat-Free Peppercorn Ranch.   You can also substitiute the specific canned beans with any type of beans you love.



I could not decide which dressing I wanted to use, so I had a taste-testing competition between Bacon Ranch and House Italian dressing.  The House Italian Dressing won!

 
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 Classic Four Bean Salad

1 cup canned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 celery stalk diced or sliced diagonally
1 bell pepper (your choice), seeded and diced
1/4 cup dressing of your choice. I used Fat Free House Italian
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients.  Refrigerate, covered, until all the flavours are blended, at least an hour.


I hope you enjoy!

Philadelphia Style Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

I have read a lot of different methods of making ice cream, and decided to try this no cook Philly style ice cream.  It was a hit with everyone and I made it within 30 minutes.  It was a perfect time saver.  The taste is rich and creamy and reminded me of summers as a child eating soft serve ice cream with my father.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup crushed Oreo cookies

Directions:

1. Crush the Oreo cookies by placing them in a plastic bag and using the heel of your hand to crush them.
 
2. Using a wire whisk or hand mixer, mix milk and sugar until the sugar dissolves, about 1-2 minutes.
 
3. Stir in heavy cream and vanilla extract
 
4. Pour into ice cream maker and churn for about 15 -20 minutes or according to manufacturer's instructions.
 
5. Add crushed Oreo cookies to ice cream and churn for additional 5 minutes.

Red Apple Sorbet

As you may already know, I received a Kitchen aid Stand Mixer for Christmas this year.  I went ahead and ordered the Ice Cream Maker attachment.  It arrived yesterday morning.  I promptly put that bad boy in the freezer so it could freeze for the required 15 hours and while I waited I decided to prepare my first Sorbet.

Most recipes I found called for Granny Smith apples.  Now, I am not a fan of these tart apples, and since we bought a 50 lb bag of red apples in September, I pulled some peeled cored and quartered frozen ones out of the freezer and let them thaw.  I also went to the local liquor store and found a small shooter bottle of Calvados for $4 (there is probably enough to make 3-5 recipes).

I wasn't sure where to find caster sugar, so I made my own using a recipe I found posted on Frugal Living.

When I put the food colouring into the mixture I was wondering what it was going to turn out like.

 

 

 

 

Thankfully the colour was delightful!  The mixture lightens and looks so much better when it freezes.  I used regular food colouring - nothing special - however you foodies might have something fancier to use.

I am so happy I changed the recipe to use the apples I had on hand.  I love blueberries and plan to make a blueberry sorbet next.  At this rate I will need to buy another freezer and I might end up having a blog dedicated to Sorbets!

If you are using the Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Attachment, I recommend that you promptly rinse it clean with cold water after using it, this way it stays cold and you can put it back in the freezer to enjoy your next batch of ice cream or sorbet in less time!

Red Apple Sorbet

 

(adapted from Decadence by Philip Johnson)
makes about 1.5 litres (6 cups)

 

750g (1.6lbs) red apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
juice of 1/2 a lemon
250ml (1 cup) water
375g (1.5 heaped cups) caster sugar
3 teaspoons calvados, optional
1/8 teaspoon liquid green food colouring, optional

 

Place the apples, lemon juice, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook the apples until they are extremely soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Once the apples have cooled transfer them to a blender and blend until the mixture becomes a smooth puree. Stir through the calvados and green food colouring, if using. Refrigerate the apple mixture until cold.

 

Remove the mixture from the fridge and churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.

 

Once adequately frozen, transfer the sorbet to a container, cover tightly, and place in the freezer for a minimum of 4 hours.