Mama's Homemade Bread

There is not much that I love more than fresh baked bread!! I LOVE to bake bread and used to do it weekly for our family. As more children started coming and my life got busier and busier, I just stopped.

 Last week we ran out of bread!!!! Instead of making a trip "to town" to buy more, I decided I just needed to bake some since it had been awhile. The recipe that I like to use makes three loaves and of course you know that doesn't last too long in this house! If you don't have so many little ones eating it though, it freezes REALLY well and makes an excellent gift!

 

Hillbillie Housewife's White/Wheat Bread

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp. salt
3 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. (2 pkg.) yeast
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
6 1/2 cups white flour

Mix sugar, flour and salt. Add water. Stir well and add yeast. Let set until it rises a bit, add vegetable oil. Mix well, then add flour (add the last cups of flour slowly until dough pulls away from sides, may or may not need the last 1/2 cup or so). Then, I knead in my stand mixer with dough hooks for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl (spray with cooking spray) and let rise until doubled in size. Turn out onto well floured surface and divide dough evenly into 3 pieces. I usually knead each loaf again for several minutes. Form 3 loaves, place into bread pans, and let rise again Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

I find the kneading very therapeutic and you can never knead it to much. I have made this with all white flour too. Either way it is delicious!

 My oldest son has been begging for more so looks like I need to go back to baking it weekly!

Another Summer Favorite (Corn on the Cob)

Who doesn't love corn on the cob? This summer has been a great one for our corn crop. The corn has come in and it is plentiful and OH SO GOOD!!!!!! My husband prefers silver queen corn so that's what we planted. For those of you wondering how to know when the corn is ready to pick......watch for the silks to turn brown at the top (where they come out of the husks). When this happens, it's getting close! You can then peel it back and check to see that the kernels are plump and juicy looking.

 I spent the day today freezing corn for the winter. There are several ways to do this, but I decided to blanch it and freeze some on the cob and then cut some off the cob as well. We shucked the corn first, then blanched for 8 minutes, cooled in ice bath for 8 minutes. Final step is to wrap the corn in plastic wrap and foil to prevent freezer burn, then seal and store in freezer bag.
 If you prefer, you can cut the corn off the cob and freeze in freezer bag. This process didn't take too long and I sure am looking forward to enjoying this corn in January!

Peaches Part 2

Another fantastic and fairly simple way to preserve peaches is to freeze them. By freezing the peaches, you actually keep more of the nutrients in place. When frozen, they are great for smoothies or to use as an ice cream topping, etc. at a later date!

Simply blanch them as discussed in my previous blog (this allows the skin to peel right off). Then cut into cubes and add about 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 crushed Vitamin C capsule to them, mix and place in freezer bags. Lay flat in freezer to freeze. The Vitamin C helps to prevent them from turning brown.

For more information on this technique visit Alton Brown's site: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/frozen-peaches-recipe/index.html

Mmmmm Peaches!

Peaches are definitely a summertime treat. Whenever I think of peaches I think of the summer, which is a great reason to preserve some now for the winter! On a cold, January day I can open a jar of peach preserves and be transported back to the warm, sunny days of summer!

We do not have a peach tree or at least not one that is yielding fruit yet; so we went to our local orchard and bought some. I decided to make peach preserves for starters then hope to can or freeze some too so we can REALLY enjoy the peachy goodness this winter.

 

 

I discovered an easy way to peel the peaches while researching recipes and such. The quickest way to skin the peaches is to blanch them first (just like I do with tomatoes). You will need to place them in boiling water for 30-90 seconds depending on the ripeness of the peach. I found out the hard way that if the peach is not yet ripe enough it will need longer in the boiling water and still may be harder to peel and process. From what I have read, it is best to use fruit that is not too ripe though when making preserves.

Once your peaches are peeled and pitted, you can start chopping or mashing. I used my food chopper or mini food processor to make quick work of this. Be careful not to puree the fruit (I know my family prefers a few bits of peaches in the preserves). I also had to cook the peaches first since they were not super ripe when I started. So, I just put them in a large sauce pan over medium heat until soft about 20 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them and stir frequently to prevent burning. I found this out the hard way too! After chopping or mashing the fruit you simply measure 6 cups of fruit and 4 cups of sugar and bring to a boil, add one box of pectin then return to full rolling boil for one minute. Ladle into jars and place in water bath for 10 minutes. Now you can enjoy this super sweet summer treat until next peach season comes around!