Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Conquering my fear of yeast

Our now-closed salvage store kept me well-stocked in bread. I didn't need to knead when I could buy all the Pepperidge Farm I wanted for fifty cents a bag. As my freezer stash dwindled, I thought about conquering my fear of yeast.

Tammy's Recipes makes scratch cooking seem easy. I printed her recipe for Amish White Bread. I bought a Williams-Sonoma Bread Machine for $6. I measured, I dumped, I pressed dough in a pan and baked it the oven. Bread! Hot! Delicious!

Now that I've baked something edible, I'm ready to try something more nutritious. Don't you just love learning new things, even if it's something everyone already knows how to do?

15 comments:

Sharon said...

Where in the world did you find a bread machine for $6.00??? I would love to own a bread machine, but I have never found one that cheap!

Anonymous said...

Sharon, it's rare to go into any thrift store and NOT find a bread machine. Since they're bulky, they're often the first to go when people clean out their kitchen cabinets.

This one had been sitting there for a month until it went half-price from $12. I remembered this model cost $200-plus when new, so I paid $2 more than the other $4 machines on the shelf.

PeppermintPearl said...

I love your blog.
I linked to you off of my blog, I hope you don't mind?

Mary said...

Good for you. I love to make homemade bread for the family.
I love to eat it too, warm from the oven, slathered with Amish butter. That explains the ten pound weight gain this winter.

Catherine at Frugal Homemaker Plus said...

Freecycle can also be a great source for bread machines- that's where I got mine. Not a Williams-Sonoma- What a find!

Alexandra said...

That recipe worked well for us too...it's my son's favorite. In fact, I have to make some more tonight.

I'm going to try the sourdough type one, where you leave the dough overnight to rise...I think I saw that one over at hillbilly housewife.

Her pumpkin spice bread recipe is really good too. I made two loaves today.

Mary Ann said...

Yeah! I totally understand the fear of yeast. I had that too, a couple of years ago. With experience, you'll find that it's not as tricky and hard as you once thought. At least that's how it was for me. :-)

Chrissy said...

I love my bread machine. I recently posted about this very thing!

Anonymous said...

You are going to have so much fun with that bread machine. I use mine at least 3 or 4 times a week. My kids are spoiled - I pack sandwiches make with homemade bread almost every day (except for the odd day that I load the machine and forget to turn it on - ha!) They prefer homemade hamburger buns and pizza crust, too, thanks to my Zojirushi.

Susan in San Antonio

Anonymous said...

Great job, Meredith! :) I don't always make homemade bread, but it's a nice treat. :) Thanks for the link, also. :) I was surprised to see it! :)

Amy said...

I feared the breadmaking process too. Don't you just feel so proud when you gain a new skill like that? Great find on the bread machine too!

Anonymous said...

ok you've inspired me to check out the thrift stores on friday for a bread machine. I've been thinking about getting one for awhile. I didn't want to spend the money as I wasn't sure I'd use it a lot.

What brands of bread machines do you recommend? Is there any to stay away from? I guess I have some research to do.

Caroline

Stephanie Appleton said...

Way to go!

I don't see bread machines around here like that! I do have one, but would love to have one that makes more normal looking loaves instead of the tall ones. For $6 you bet I'd be buying another one! :)

Anonymous said...

Stephanie, I should add that I only used the bread machine to knead and rise the dough, not to bake it. I had this sandwich style loaf pan from a yard sale and baked it in that, instead.

$6 for a bread machine is a lot cheaper than a Bosch or similar mixer capable of kneading dough.

Robin said...

Meredith,
Good for you! I also use Tammy's Amish Bread recipe with my own little changes. (For example, I use coconut oil.) I having been reading your blog for a few months now and I am really enjoying it. Would you mind if I linked you to mine. Come over and visit me.

God Bless!

Robin
www.mommaof5.blogspot.com