Bread Baking Day

Woke up to a chilly 14°F morning here today.  Yeterday  I finally had a day to bake the skillet bread (bread baked in a cast iron pan).  It's the next best thing to baking soft rolls, but in a one skillet version.  By the way, this bread, cubed up works great for a breakfast souffle too.

It doesn't look as nice, as I used a serrated knife, thinking it would make it look better on top.  Anyway, just run a straight knife to make the lines for baking.

Here is how I bake my bread in a cast iron pan (also called skillet bread).

(Skillet Bread recipe from I Heart Eating, with adapted organic ingredients and adjusted instructions).

I do use a thermometer to check the temperature of my measured water.

1 1/2 cups warm water ( 110-115°F)

2 1/4 tsp. yeast, active dry

2 Tbsp. honey, organic

Stir and let sit.

While water, honey and yeast sit and do their thing (let sit about 10 minutes), I measure the flour, olive oil and salt for the mixer.

2 1/2 cups organic bread flour

2 Tbsp. organic olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. salt

When the yeast/water/honey mixture is ready, add it to the mixture in your mixer.

Gradually, mix in another 1 cup of flour, move your dough to a bread cloth our floured surface to knead for 5 minutes.

Recipe calls for 3 1/2 - 4 cups of the flour.  I use 3 1/2 in the mixer, and save the last 1/2 cup for kneading on my bread cloth.  Less flour makes a lighter, fluffier, softer bread in the end.

It was 7 °F outside, so I used my dehydrator to help the bread rise (has a bread raising temperature, as most larger dehydrators do, and some ovens now-a-days).  Let it rise for 30 minutes.

I cover my bowl with a damp cloth (vs. saran wrap).  It helps the dough from drying out while in the dehydrator.

Remove and made a nice ball of dough, placing in the center of a oiled cast iron pan.

The original recipe states to let the dough "rest" next, but the dough will not rise.  I put the dough in my oiled cast iron pan, and put it back in the dehydrator for another rise.  It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.  Keep an eye on it.  After 2nd rise - using my 10 inch cast iron pan.  Also, to do this, I lightly oil a piece of parchment and place that over the dough ball, then cover it all with the damp towel.  The parchment keeps anything from sticking to dough, as it rises for the 2nd time.

Using a sharp knife make two lines in one direction, and one straight down both of the previous ones. It produces a beautiful, and delicous loaf of bread.  It tastes like soft homemade baked rolls.

Bake the bread in a preheated oven at 400°F, for 20 minutes.  you may need to adjust baking time, but less than 20 minutes was not long enough in my oven.  You want the top to be browned.

Using a piece of waxed paper (or saved butter wrapper), rub butter over the crust as soon as you remove it from the oven.  It will ensure your crust to be soft when it cools completely.

It pops right out of pan when it is cooled.  Good luck getting folks in the house to wait lol!  Enjoy!

                          

A photo of the same bread I baked back in 2021.  Gosh it's been that long ago.

I am going to freeze a few pieces this time around, and see how well it stands up after thawing.  Happy bread baking!

Bread Baking Day  © December 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Cheddar and Chili Egg Casserole ~ Recipes Going Back in Slot

I used some of my homemade skillet bread to make some French toast.  My husband got special bread that is low carb, but I also made sausage patties and this.....

One of our favorite egg casseroles - it's Rachael Ray's Cheddar and Chili Egg Casserole.  I keep cans of organic chili peppers in the pantry for this and other recipes.  We love how the cottage cheese and cheese fluff this up to a light dish.

Does anyone else do this?  Pull a recipe and just put it on top inside the recipe box in a hurry (while baking/cooking)?  

Breaking this bad habit today.  I will be spending some time putting all those recipes back in their proper slot in the box.

Snow Update ~ Crochet Embellished Mini Heart Paper Clips ~ Cabbage Stew and Baked Bread (using dehydrator to raise dough)

I took this photo at 9am yesterday.  There was hardly any snow on the ground.  It looked the same in the evening.  They predicted 4-7 inches, but it was a wet and heavy snow.  Roads are clear from what I hear, so I'm hoping the upstairs carpet removal resumes today.
 

As mentioned, I wanted to also share that I also make crocheted mini hearts for embellishing paper clips.  I made homemade cards and gifted the kids with them one year.  They are great to tuck into cards, letters, or surprise gifts.  They make great random acts of kindness gifts as well.  They are easy and inexpensive to make for Valentine's Day gifts too.  I thought I had a post for making these, but I do not see one.  I may just have to get one up.

I changed up the menu yesterday.  I tossed together a cabbage/sausage soup and baked skillet bread.  I know my husband has to watch the bread in his diet, so I sent some to work for co-workers.  I linked the skillet bread recipe.  It is the next best to baking rolls, and tastes like soft rolls.

I also let my dough rise in my dehydrator.  If you have a dehydrator with pull out trays, check the top for the suggested temperature to do that. My tip for today.

 I switched from herbal teas to hot cocoa and enjoyed some schnapps in it.  It was perfect for a "snow" day with some afternoon crochet time.  I'm still working on the crochet blanket order.

Baking day and other tidbits. . .

 

Spicy Apple Crunch Cake went into the oven.  I had some home canned applesauce I needed to rotate out of the pantry.  So good!

I baked skillet bread to go with our leftover Chicken/gnocchi soup.  I'll definitely be making the soup again.  

The view out of the windows is definitely screaming fall.  However, our weather has been colder than normal.  They say we will warm up, and I hope so.  We have some work to do outside.

This and That

Woke up to 15°F, with a high of 36 today.  Wow.  Warmer than yesterday, but snow will move back in later after dinner time.

Snickerdoodles were baked.  We haven't had something sweet in a long time. We didn't get to eat them however.  This ding bat, probably stressed with too much multi-tasking, forgot to add the baking soda.  I washed the dishes and left the kitchen.  Sigh.

Yesterday was a day where I made lots of mistakes, forgot stuff or things went haywire.  I didn't get much handiwork, because in the evening our utility room sink had a leak and flooded it.  We spent the night cleaning it up, and fixing the sink drain.

Daughter K found me two more baskets that I needed.  I'm still on the hunt for one more.

The valances I ordered online for the hallway were canceled.  I received an email that they are no longer in stock and I'd be refunded.  Sigh....the hunt continues.  Window film was ordered though (it's requires no adhesive and is removable).

The bread I made is called Skillet Bread, and the recipe is online at i heart eating.com.  I got so many compliments, I thought I would share the recipe source.  I bake mine for exactly 20 minutes. 

Miss Thelma's Shenanigans ~ New Recipes Tried

My mornings are spent sipping coffee, stoking the fire, and listening to the snow plows hard at work outside.  It also has me thinking it's time to get back on the treadmill in the mornings (haven't had the motivation lately).

In case you missed the post, I caught Miss Thelma inside the feeder the other day.  Well, I went out yesterday after putting spikes on my muck boots, shoveled off 4 inches of snow and ice off the ramp (not easy with rungs on it either), to fetch eggs and feed/water the chickens.

I happened to look down inside the feeder (which when I am standing on the ground looking in, I have to tip it sideways).  She laid eggs in there.  They are confused as to where to lay eggs.  I'm going to have to build something so they feel like they are crawling inside something (in the sides of the coop).

Dinner - two new recipes.  Up  top is sweet potato/lentil stew, and below is Skillet bread.  Both are online - stew is from Taste of Home, and bread is from I Heart Eating.  Both were delicious. Sorry for the bad photos, it's been dark in the house with the cloudy skies and snow lately.