The Simple Joy of Baking Bread

I started baking our bread several years ago because any kind of store bought bread would cause stomach issues for me. My own homemade bread doesn't cause those problems. It is healthier of course because I know exactly what is going in there - whole wheat flour, yeast, honey, water, oil and salt. No strange preservatives or ingredients!

For a long time, I made bread completely by hand because I don't have a stand mixer. Oh how I learned to respect the hard work of the generations before us. Kneading bread for 10 minutes by hand is a workout!

Recently, a friend of mine decided to get rid of her bread machine that she had never used. I really didn't know much about bread machines, but when I found out it would knead the bread for me I gladly took it off her hands!

I have an Oster brand machine. It's not a high end machine but it does a great job and has really good reviews on Amazon.

I don't like the shape of the bread when it is baked in the machine, so I let the machine just do the mixing and kneading. After the kneading is done, I sprinkle a little wheat flour on a clean tea towel and shape the dough on it.

I shake the towel out and cover the dough with it while it rises. (about an hour)

The finished product before it is sliced and put in a bread bag. I used a serrated knife and a bread slicing guide to slice it evenly.

 

 

 

I really enjoy the whole bread making process - the wonderful smell that fills the house as it's baking, the pretty golden loaves falling perfectly out of the pan and then slicing it up for my family.

The book that came with the bread machine really has some great bread recipes. I made the french bread from the book and it was wonderful.

I'm so thankful to have my new bread machine. I really had no clue what I was missing!

Organizing a Small(ish) Kitchen

When we were house hunting 9 years ago, at the top of our list was space for our kids to run and play, a spot for a garden and whatever else we could dream up to do outside. When we found this house, we knew it was perfect for us. It's a modest ranch style house sitting on 5 acres. We have a nice little trail through the woods and a creek at the bottom of a ridge. Great location, pretty central to Darrell's work and our church. This was the place!

The one thing I really did not want in a house was a galley kitchen. When we checked out the inside, of course that is exactly what I found. I wasn't thrilled, (how petty was I) but there was absolutely nothing else we disliked about the place, so it became our new home.

Today, I actually love my small(ish) galley kitchen. I have learned how to keep things simple and clutter free. That's very important since I do a LOT of cooking and baking without a ton of counter space.

I call my kitchen small(ish) because I don't consider it to be tiny. It's actually not a bad size for a galley style, but it certainly isn't large either! You can see our eating area there at the other end of the kitchen.

Keeping the counters clear of clutter and cleaning as I go while preparing food is the key to working efficiently in my kitchen. I don't have an island or any other workspace, so I have to clear things away as soon as I'm done with them!

I only have kitchen items that I absolutely need. Just the basics. I don't store away things that I'll never use, I simply don't have space for that! I don't have extra sets of dishes for holidays or special occasions. I have white Mikasa dishes in the English Countryside pattern. Those dishes were wedding gifts, so they're now 22 years old. I have had to replace a few of them over the years, but they were easy to find and inexpensive on Ebay. You can see on the far end of my kitchen that I took the doors off of the cabinets where I store our dishes. It makes them a little more accessible.

The oven, refrigerator and microwave are on the other side of the kitchen. Just a little counter space over here! I don't mind a bit that my appliances don't match but we are going to have to replace the 15 year old oven soon. Two of the eyes aren't working properly and it will not be cost effective to fix it.

The pantry had a door on it, but we decided to take it off because as you can see the laundry room door is to the right and those doors were constantly hitting each other. This is SO much nicer.

I turned this into a baking pantry for the most part. I store canned goods and cereal boxes in another cabinet behind closed doors. I bake all of our bread, so this makes getting to my baking supplies nicer and easier. It's the little things!

That's the grand tour of the little galley kitchen that I didn't think I wanted!  It serves my family well and I'm so thankful for it!

Let's Get Started!

I'm so happy to be blogging again after quite a long break! I blogged for a few years when our children were younger and we had just moved away from our hometown. Those were the days before Facebook was big and I started a blog primarily as a way to document and share with our out of town family. Little did I know I would "meet" so many wonderful people through blogging!

I'm in a new season of life now and by the grace of God I have grown and changed much! I'm 41 and now have a sophomore in college and a homeschooled junior in high school. I could not be more in awe of how God has worked in the lives of our kids and in our marriage. I hope you find my words to be real and true. I want very much to be an encouragement!

The simplest of things are important to us. I'm a deep thinker, a student of God's word and not afraid to be a little weird!

Darrell and I last month on our 22nd anniversary

Zach and Leah

That's the cast of characters! We are SO imperfect but we love and are loved by a perfect God. Thanks for reading and I hope you won't be a stranger!