The frugal gourmet

Bit · 06-18-2010, 08:11 AM

Urs, please let us know how the lemon butter comes out! If it's good, I'll try it for Gryph, who lovvvvves lemon.

Elle, I read Bakers' Banter every time there's a new post! LOVE that blog! I've gotten some of my best recipes from KA Flour!

I really want to make our bread, but I have to find a bread machine first. My wrists can't handle kneading anymore, and after the fiasco with the pasta machine, I'm not willing to take a chance on a second-rate bread machine. That means it's probably not on the list until next year's tax refund.

It's gotten really humid here in Wichita and the heat is in the 90s day after day now, so I find myself less and less willing to actually cook. Maybe I'll make tuna salad for supper tonight... that sounds heavenly cool to me right now!

femmennoir · 06-18-2010, 02:03 PM

Bit, with this bread making method you do not have to knead the dough! You just mix the ingredients together, let it rise once, put the dough in the fridge where time does the job, and when you want to bake a loaf, you take some out, let it rise again and bake it, et voilà!
The bread is wonderful, and no work!
Elle*

Chancie · 06-18-2010, 02:32 PM

I had a health scare which requires me to eat a low to no fat diet, and there's very little wiggle room.

Luckily, we just picked up our third farm share, so Pete and I have been making really delicious pasta with greens.

On Tuesday, I made pasta with every green we got, including the beet tops.

I heated mild miso with a little organic chicken broth, garlic, ginger and the scallions we got from the farm.

When the pasta was al dente, I poured it over the greens in the colander to blanch the greens, and poured the sauce over the greens and the pasta.

We had grilled shrimp that night, but there were several portions left, and we've been eating really delicious pasta all week.

Bit · 06-18-2010, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by femmennoir

Bit, with this bread making method you do not have to knead the dough! You just mix the ingredients together, let it rise once, put the dough in the fridge where time does the job, and when you want to bake a loaf, you take some out, let it rise again and bake it, et voilà!
The bread is wonderful, and no work!
Elle*

Ooohhhhh, Elle, could you share the recipe? Or tell me where to find it? Is it a KA recipe?

How big is the bin? I thought you were talking about a crock of sourdough starter--didn't realize it was a no-knead bread!

femmennoir · 06-18-2010, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bit

Ooohhhhh, Elle, could you share the recipe? Or tell me where to find it? Is it a KA recipe?

How big is the bin? I thought you were talking about a crock of sourdough starter--didn't realize it was a no-knead bread!

It is not a KA recipe, it is from a book called "Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day" and "Healthy bread in 5 minutes a day"... They sell the book cheaply at jessica's biscuit
http://www.ecookbooks.com
which is a wonderful cookbook site, with many thousands books available at unbelievable prices!
But I will post the master recipe when I have more time!
I used to have a bread machine, and this is by far better! The bins are sold by KA among others, and you choose a size that works for you. I make the master recipe, around 7 cups of flour, depending on what flour I use, it makes two large loaves or three medium ones, which works well for me!
Elle*

femmennoir · 06-18-2010, 06:49 PM

They have a website (the people who wrote the book), with the master recipe and some tips!
here:
http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/
try it, it's fantastic!
Elle*

Oneida · 06-18-2010, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by femmennoir

http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/

Great site...thank you!

Random · 06-18-2010, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by femmennoir

They have a website (the people who wrote the book), with the master recipe and some tips!
here:
http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/
try it, it's fantastic!
Elle*

Elle,

Thank you so much...

I have a bread maker, but it just feels like cheating to me.. But on the other hand, I don't have the hand and shoulder strength to kneed dough to the proper consistancy any more...

I'm so trying this tomorrow...

Ursy · 06-18-2010, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by femmennoir

Bit, with this bread making method you do not have to knead the dough! You just mix the ingredients together, let it rise once, put the dough in the fridge where time does the job, and when you want to bake a loaf, you take some out, let it rise again and bake it, et voilà!
The bread is wonderful, and no work!
Elle*

That sounds wonderful, Elle! I'd like to bake our own bread more often - the only thing that puts me off is the rising time etc... while it's not really that onerous, I often don't have a spare hour or two to do it, especially since I'm working full time at the moment.

Ursy · 06-18-2010, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bit

Urs, please let us know how the lemon butter comes out! If it's good, I'll try it for Gryph, who lovvvvves lemon.

It was good hon, and super easy.

Next time, I might add more lemon zest. It had a lovely mild flavour but I think it would be even better with a bit more kick.

If you use it warm and straight off the stove, it's the consistency of a sauce and would be lovely with crepes. It thickened up a little after being chilled in the fridge, kind of like a soft jelly.

If you're going to use it on toast, I'd say add half a tablespoon or so more cornstarch, just to give it more body.

oblivia · 06-18-2010, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bit

I really want to make our bread, but I have to find a bread machine first. My wrists can't handle kneading anymore, and after the fiasco with the pasta machine, I'm not willing to take a chance on a second-rate bread machine. That means it's probably not on the list until next year's tax refund.

Sparx makes all our bread for home, all our pizza dough, day to day bread, buns, rolls, etc. We just don't buy it anymore and it has saved us a bucket of $ and I've now totally lost my taste for commercial breads because they taste very bland and artificial now by comparison.. but we started off by craigslist hunting for a used but good quality machine.

You can find some AMAZING deals on bread machines, used, because people are often given them as giffts or buy them and then just never get around to using them. I managed to get Sparx's a couple years ago for like $50 and it was a nice one that makes horizontal loaves...

Although... ultimately I could have gotten a totally different one because Sparx never bakes it in the machine. What She does that really seems to make it fun is she uses the machine for the mixing and kneading, and then unplugs the machine and lets it rise a bit, then pulls it out and shapes it into whatever (baguettes, buns, rolls, loaves, rounds), and if she wants it to have a really crusty outside she sprays the crap out of the dough with a bunch of water (she always mists it lightly while it rises to keep it moist but for a crusty/chewy crust, get it pretty darn damp) and then bakes it. She's finally perfected focaccia which is pretty easy and once you get the hang of it is one of the easiest ones....

We now buy 10kg (20lb?) bags of flour for like $7, and that plus sugar (or honey), yeast, a bit of salt, bit of oil, some powdered milk for white breads - gives them a nice texture) and we figured that our cost per loaf is something ridiculous like $.58-$.60 and omg is it yummy.

Once the bread has cooled, we put it into a plain white kitchen garbage bag to keep it from getting dry/hard too quickly - and it freezes well too (but we have a tiny freezer). LOL

Ursy · 06-20-2010, 06:35 AM

I made pureed cauliflower as a side tonight - it was on a cooking program last week and I was intrigued. Well, we weren't huge cauli fans before that, but we are now! It was a hit!

I was a bit frightened by the amount of butter the recipe called for - I didn't use quite as much as it says below, and it was still really really yummy.

Ingredients
½ head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup milk
125g (1/4 lb) unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes

Place cauliflower in a food processor and process until finely chopped.
Place the cauliflower and milk in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 8 minutes until cauliflower is very soft.
Remove from the heat, then add 1 teaspoon salt and the butter and stir until well combined.
Blend in a small blender or food processor until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing down on the solids with a plastic pastry scraper.

Kätzchen · 06-20-2010, 06:51 AM

Here's what I do when I make bread (I make it by hand, not machine):

When I make regular bread and it has just come out of the oven, I brush down the whole loaf with olive oil (herbed with rosemary) and then when it's not so warm, I wrap it in cheesescloth to help it remain soft.

For those of you who want to reduce dependency on plastic, I have found that cheesecloth works great for various purposes!

Ursy · 06-20-2010, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALovelyKiss

Here's what I do when I make bread (I make it by hand, not machine):

When I make regular bread and it has just come out of the oven, I brush down the whole loaf with olive oil (herbed with rosemary) and then when it's not so warm, I wrap it in cheesescloth to help it remain soft.

For those of you who want to reduce dependency on plastic, I have found that cheesecloth works great for various purposes!

That's a great idea - washable, reuseable, and biodegradable too! Plus it would let the bread breathe

Random · 06-20-2010, 05:29 PM

So I made the bread today..

Umm.. Yummy.. Yummy..

I made one batch extra wet.. (1/2 cupish more water) and it turned out lovely.. I was shooting for a ciabatta like bread that didn't have to mix for ten years...

The white? well, I found out that it only likes one rising after it's been formed... So, I will be handling it much more carefully next time..

( I only have one baking stone and thought to try a cast iron skillet.. nope.. not great results, so the other loaf that I had proofing in another skillet I tranfered to the baking stone and it deflated... pooh..)

The ciabatta was wonderful with soup.. lovely.. yum...

femmennoir · 06-20-2010, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Random

So I made the bread today..

I am glad it turned out well! I just love this method! Even for just one person (me), it works out well, because I can bake two loaves at a time and freeze one if I want to, or bake a larger loaf and freeze half of it! Once you are organized, it is a breeze, and you can experiment with the master recipe, I add whole grains etc...
Elle*

06-18-2010, 06:49 PM	#6
femmennoir Member How Do You Identify?: femme, naturellement Preferred Pronoun?: Elle Relationship Status: single Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: new york Posts: 686 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 76 Thanked 1,223 Times in 478 Posts Rep Power: 5661332	Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day! They have a website (the people who wrote the book), with the master recipe and some tips! here: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/ try it, it's fantastic! Elle*

06-20-2010, 06:35 AM	#12
Ursy Member How Do You Identify?: Femme Relationship Status: Engaged Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 274 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 606 Thanked 661 Times in 206 Posts Rep Power: 2127933	I made pureed cauliflower as a side tonight - it was on a cooking program last week and I was intrigued. Well, we weren't huge cauli fans before that, but we are now! It was a hit! I was a bit frightened by the amount of butter the recipe called for - I didn't use quite as much as it says below, and it was still really really yummy. Ingredients ½ head cauliflower, cut into florets 1 cup milk 125g (1/4 lb) unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes Place cauliflower in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Place the cauliflower and milk in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 8 minutes until cauliflower is very soft. Remove from the heat, then add 1 teaspoon salt and the butter and stir until well combined. Blend in a small blender or food processor until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing down on the solids with a plastic pastry scraper. __________________ My art My Zazzle My Printfection

06-20-2010, 05:29 PM	#15
Random Senior Member How Do You Identify?: femme Relationship Status: Married Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: back in the land of trees and snow Posts: 2,072 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 8,017 Thanked 5,327 Times in 1,378 Posts Rep Power: 21474854	So I made the bread today.. Umm.. Yummy.. Yummy.. I made one batch extra wet.. (1/2 cupish more water) and it turned out lovely.. I was shooting for a ciabatta like bread that didn't have to mix for ten years... The white? well, I found out that it only likes one rising after it's been formed... So, I will be handling it much more carefully next time.. ( I only have one baking stone and thought to try a cast iron skillet.. nope.. not great results, so the other loaf that I had proofing in another skillet I tranfered to the baking stone and it deflated... pooh..) The ciabatta was wonderful with soup.. lovely.. yum... __________________ ~Volunteer~ "It gets in your blood"

06-18-2010, 08:11 AM	#1
Bit Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Stonefemme Relationship Status: married to Gryph Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 2,177 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,126 Thanked 3,770 Times in 1,264 Posts Rep Power: 10778870	Urs, please let us know how the lemon butter comes out! If it's good, I'll try it for Gryph, who lovvvvves lemon. Elle, I read Bakers' Banter every time there's a new post! LOVE that blog! I've gotten some of my best recipes from KA Flour! I really want to make our bread, but I have to find a bread machine first. My wrists can't handle kneading anymore, and after the fiasco with the pasta machine, I'm not willing to take a chance on a second-rate bread machine. That means it's probably not on the list until next year's tax refund. It's gotten really humid here in Wichita and the heat is in the 90s day after day now, so I find myself less and less willing to actually cook. Maybe I'll make tuna salad for supper tonight... that sounds heavenly cool to me right now!

06-18-2010, 02:03 PM	#2
femmennoir Member How Do You Identify?: femme, naturellement Preferred Pronoun?: Elle Relationship Status: single Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: new york Posts: 686 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 76 Thanked 1,223 Times in 478 Posts Rep Power: 5661332	Bit, with this bread making method you do not have to knead the dough! You just mix the ingredients together, let it rise once, put the dough in the fridge where time does the job, and when you want to bake a loaf, you take some out, let it rise again and bake it, et voilà! The bread is wonderful, and no work! Elle*

06-18-2010, 02:32 PM	#3
Chancie Senior Member How Do You Identify?: queer femme-inist Relationship Status: I'm lucky. Join Date: May 2010 Location: Western Mass Posts: 3,774 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 9,518 Thanked 14,540 Times in 2,744 Posts Rep Power: 21474855	I had a health scare which requires me to eat a low to no fat diet, and there's very little wiggle room. Luckily, we just picked up our third farm share, so Pete and I have been making really delicious pasta with greens. On Tuesday, I made pasta with every green we got, including the beet tops. I heated mild miso with a little organic chicken broth, garlic, ginger and the scallions we got from the farm. When the pasta was al dente, I poured it over the greens in the colander to blanch the greens, and poured the sauce over the greens and the pasta. We had grilled shrimp that night, but there were several portions left, and we've been eating really delicious pasta all week.

06-20-2010, 06:51 AM	#13
Kätzchen Member How Do You Identify?: Femme Join Date: May 2010 Location: Sharing my life with my granddaughter, family & friends. ツ Posts: 16,155 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 29,540 Thanked 33,579 Times in 10,686 Posts Rep Power: 21474868	Here's what I do when I make bread (I make it by hand, not machine): When I make regular bread and it has just come out of the oven, I brush down the whole loaf with olive oil (herbed with rosemary) and then when it's not so warm, I wrap it in cheesescloth to help it remain soft. For those of you who want to reduce dependency on plastic, I have found that cheesecloth works great for various purposes!