Brown Rice and Prune Bread

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted, and I’m glad to be back. The garden has been keeping us very busy.

Well, I used the brown rice, but substituted raisins for the prunes, and pomegranate juice for the prune juice. So, maybe the title should be Brown Rice, Raisin and Pomegranate Bread?

 Anyway, I thought it was very good. We had it toasted for breakfast. But, now thinking about it, how about with some spicy mustard, smoked turkey, creamy Havarti cheese and fresh tomato slices? Ok, next time that’s on the menu.

Cool thing happened in our community garden; we received a grant from our Councilperson, Tina Ward Pugh, for an all electric zero turn riding lawn mower. It is so nice; it will cut about an acre on a charge. We had a great press conference with the Mayor, Tina, our garden board of directors and gardeners, loads of fun. If you have never driven one of these puppies, they are a little hard to handle. MJOL got the hang of it right off the bat, but for me it is a little counter intuitive. But hey, chasing friends and family around the back yard with it can be fun!

Until our next baking adventure.

Confessions of a Bread Machine User

Hi, my name is Elwood and I have used a bread machine.

…Hello Elwood…

Yes, I will admit it; from time to time I have used my bread machine. And yes, when someone asks if I use a bread machine to bake my breads, I act somewhat indignant. My machine was a gift, but I’ve heard a lot of people say they bought them at yard sales. I’ve also heard some people say they have put them in yard sales. Most of the time my Breadman Ultimate sits on the kitchen self, but like every kitchen tool there are times when it is useful.

In the 10 years I’ve had my machine I’ve probably used it around 15 times. All this musing came about due to a bread making class. I’ve taken several classes and at least one participant asks about baking in a machine…pause for some fake indignity…Really, though, the machine works well for making dough. I have rarely used it to actually bake the bread, partly because of the finished shape and partly because I just like to feel my dough. I am all about the tactile. It’s a great tool for handling wet dough and holds a great temperature for the first rise. Don’t believe that you can make great bread by just adding ingredients and presto..bread though. I usually open the lid while it’s kneading and check the dough…too wet?....too dry? Make adjustments.

My machine has a trap door where you can put things to be kneaded in during the last part of the process. Raisins, Cranberries, nuts..whatever. It does a great job with that. When the dough cycle is done, I take it out, shape it, let it rise and then bake it in the oven. Are most people any the wiser? Probably not, most everyone is just amazed that you baked bread.

I decided to make a cranberry pistachio bread, a variation of a raisin bread that is in my bread machine cook book (gasp! Yes I have one). RusticEuropean Breads from your Bread Machine by Linda West Eckhardt and DianaCollingwood Butts. This bread starts with a biga that’s mixed in the machine and left overnight. The final bread came out well. But, let’s just keep the process our little secret.

Until our next baking adventure.

Beer Bread

Bread, slightly sweetened with honey, and beer, what could be wrong with that? I made the beer bread for our assignment this time around. I found this dough really easy to work with, but I thought it was a little dry..well, if I had actually used the right amount of beer it probably wouldn’t have been as dry. Gotta watch that halving of the recipe don’t you?

I had made some red beans and rice, and doesn’t that go with beer bread? A good friend brought some fresh asparagus; literally pick an hour before I steamed it…yummy.

BTW, has anyone been watching, TLC’s Extreme Couponing? I’m a totally hooked.

Until our next baking adventure.