Baking Bread

I love to bake.  Liam loves to help me bake.  So, yesterday, I decided to bake a batch of whole wheat bread.  And of course, my little man was ready to help.

"Do you really have to take my picture?"

"Hey mom, what is this stuff and why is it growing??"

"This is HARD to stir!"

"Really?  I can use my hands?"

When baking with a 4 year old boy, one must always be prepared for unexpected dough monster attacks!

Whole Wheat Garlic Herb Buns

Whole Wheat Bread

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rasin Bread

Everything baked and ready to be eaten.

"We made this?  Really?

Here is the recipe I use.  I have no idea where it originated, it is the recipe that my mom has used for as long as I can remember!

Whole Wheat Bread

1 cup lukewarm water

2 tsp. sugar

2 tbsp. yeast

Combine above ingredients and let rise for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, heat:

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup shortening

Once shortening has melted, add:

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 1/4 cups lukewarm water

Mix well and add yeast mixture.

Gradually add:

6 cups whole wheat flour

6 cups white flour

Knead dough for 10 minutes.  Let rise until doubled in size.

Punch down dough.  Cut into 4 pieces.

Let rise 15 minutes.

Shape and place in greased pans.

Let rise until doubled in size.

Bake at 400F for 30 minutes.

Lightly glaze loaves with shortening or butter.

Yeild: 4 loaves or 4 dozen rolls.

For garlic herb bread/rolls: 

Knead one teaspoon garlic powder and one teaspoon Italian seasoning into one loaf before shaping. 

For Cinnamon Raisin Bread:

Mix 3 tablespoons brown sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon.

Knead cinnamon sugar and 2/3 cup raisins into one loaf before shaping.

Homemade Hot Cross Bun

When it comes to food at Easter, one of the first things I think of is Hot Cross Buns.  But not the ones you can buy in the store, for me, only homemade ones will do!  

When you grow having something homemade your entire childhood, it's just gotta stay that way!  Thankfully, not only did my mother teach me to enjoy and appreciate homemade baked goods, she also taught me to bake them!

So this morning, Liam and I hit the kitchen together with my Mom's recipe to make Hot Cross Buns.  As always, he was eager to help bake but rather disappointed that we would not be putting smarties in the hot cross buns!  (I guess smartie cookies are on next weekend's baking agenda!)

Come on Mom, Let's get baking!

Here is the recipe, complete with instructions and photos!

Hot Cross Buns 

1 cup warm water

2 tsps sugar

2 tbsp yeast

2 cup milk

1/2 cup margarine

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 eggs, beaten

10 cups flour

1 1/2 cups currants (I use raisins because I like them better.)

Mix dissolve 2 tsp of sugar in the warm water.  Sprinkle in yeast.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  (Note: do this in a bowl where it has space to rise, I use a 2 cup glass measuring cup.)

Melt margarine.  In a large bowl, mix milk, margarine, 2/3 cup sugar, salt and cinnamon.  After yeast mixture has sat for 10 minutes, stir and add to milk mixture.  Add eggs, beat well. 

Stir in currants and 3 cups of flour.  Add remaining flour 2 or 3 cups at a time, stirring to make a soft dough.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, place in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled in size, usually about an hour.

Punch dough down.  Divide into 36 even pieces form into smooth balls.  Cut cross on top with a sharp knife.  (I usually make mine a little smaller, so that I get 48 buns.)

Allow to rise, again, about an hour.

Bake at 375 F for 15-20 minutes.

Glaze with sugar water.  Ice crosses when cool.

Watching the yeast rise was interesting and provoked a lot of "whys?" but for the most part, Liam was too excited and eager to do stuff that he didn't care about the answers!  

Stirring and tasting are the best parts of the job!

Adding the flour in small amounts (2-3 cups at a time) makes it much easier to mix.

Reading for kneading!

"You really want me to use my hands?  Are you sure?"

Kneaded and ready to rise.

Risen!

Every little person's favorite part . . . punching down the dough!

Shaping the buns.

Ready to rise again!

Ready to bake!

Baked and cooling!

Finished and waiting to eaten!

Chocolate Surprise

Ever wondered what you would get if you combined chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and rippled potato chips?  No?  Me either, but somebody did!  

And since discovering the recipe a few years ago from a co-worker (thanks Elan!)  It has been top of my list for Christmas baking and pretty much any event where I have to bring something sweet!  Not only are they delicious little candy goodness but they are super easy!  So easy that Liam and Daddy can make them!  (Henry is a great cook, but not much of a baker!)

First you melt a package (300 grams or 2 cups) of chocolate chips and a package (300 grams or 2 cups) of butterscotch chips in a double boiler.  (I've been told you can also do this in the microwave, but have never tried that method.)

While that's melting, throw some ruffles potato chips in a ziplock bag (fill a large ziplock about 1/3 full) and give it to your little help to crush.  You need to end up with about 2 cups of crushed potato chips.  You don't want them crushed to dust, but you do want them fairly small.

When the chocolate and butterscotch is all melted, stir in the potato chips.  Spoon mixture onto wax paper covered cookie sheets.  Put in the fridge to set.

After about 20 minutes, they will be firm enough to remove from the tray.  Try one, they are scrumptious!  

I haven't met a person who hasn't said thought this is a strange recipe, but I also haven't met a person who doesn't love them once they try them!

They are so quick and easy to make that they are perfect to package up as gifts or to make for a cookie exchange.  (We made 15 dozen yesterday for Henry's work cookie exchange!)