Oh, I try. I have a small list of basic meals I can throw together and we somehow survive. You know like pot roast, meatloaf, pork chops, hamburger helper. Thing is, all the more fancy meals seem like such a huge waste of time. And then there's all the clean up after. I have better things to do with my time. The real problem is that I never learned how to cook in the first place. My Mom was of the same mindset and never cooked a lot either. But I married into a family of cooking women. It's so bad my sister-in-law bought me The Complete Idiot's Guide to 20-Minute Meals one year for Christmas (which I love).
But occasionally I get the urge to move out of my 20-minute comfort zone and try something new. Seems like every year about this time I get the hankering for homemade bread. My mother-in-law can whip out a batch of bread in her sleep. In fact that's all they ever eat. I've watched her make it and so I basically know what it's supposed to look like when it's done.
This is not what it's supposed to look like. I'm pretty sure it was supposed to rise.Every year, in the fall, I try to bake bread. Every year it fails miserably, I feed it to the chickens and then give up. But not this year. Nope. This year I don't care if it costs me $847 in baking supplies, by golly I'm going to make a loaf of whole wheat bread. I'll keep you posted.
11 comments:
The first few times I tried to bake bread it failed too - but eventually I figured it out and now unless we're on vacation I don't buy bread any more at all! blessings, marlene
I've tried baking bread too. Very labor-intensive, and if it doesn't turn out, I feel like such a failure!
So...
I got a bread machine! It's Great! Just read the directions carefully, follow them to the letter, and the machine does all the work! You can walk away and come back later to a wonderful smelling and delicious loaf of perfect bread!
My Mom gave me a book, "Better Homes & Gardens Best Bread Machine Recipes", and I love it! Great recipes. If *I* can do it, I know *you* can! =-)
I was also a bread failure...until I met a friend at knitting group who showed me how...the only down side is the recipe makes 7-8 loaves at a time, but if you can deal with that I can walk you through it...(and you don't need lots of supplies that you don't already have!)
I had broken yeast this week too. Love your determination..
Even I can break bread, and I hate to cook. Oh. Wait. That's supposed to be BAKE bread, right? Sorry.
Really, though, my grandma had me baking bread when I was a teenager - it was really easy the way she taught me, but I haven't done it since. Check out the Chickens in the Road blog - Suzanne has loads of recipes including her famous Grandmothers Bread!!!
Do they still make bread machines?!
LOL
If you want to make SUPER EASY wheat bread, buy a bag of King Arthur's Whole Wheat Flour and follow the recipe on the back for Honey Wheat. It's excellent and soooo simple. My son has made it and he's four. :)
I bought a cheap bread machine once and it was no count, I donated it to Goodwill.
My last attempt at baking bread I used my KitchenAid cookbook and KitchenAid Mixer. It turned out pretty good, the mixer made things easy. I won't say I've mastered bread making,.....but I haven't given up.
LOL I've been in the mood to make bread too but you've gotten one step farther than me- at least trying Good for you!!
For the past 3 weeks, I've been baking my own bread rather than buying it. I bake Sally Lunn bread that doesn't require kneading--every time I try to make the kneaded kind, it turns out like a rock.
I agree, go the bread machine route, it is perfect for the person who loves to eat, but not puttz with the baking. I love mine, makes a dandy pizza dough too.
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