Wednesday 8 January 2014

How to Make Bread in a Breadmaker 101


For Christmas this year I received a breadmaker. I've never used one before but it's an enclosed machine how can this go wrong? Well I did manage to make bread so I was pretty excited about that but the bread came out a bit undercooked my first try. I also managed to burn myself very badly... yes you read that correctly. The lovely photo below is the burn after a few days of healing with the help of Bio-Oil. I feel this photo properly showcases how skilled and graceful I am in the kitchen. I’ll explain how this happened when we get to that step. ;)

The breadmaker I’m using is the Black & Decker Deluxe 3-lb Breadmaker. http://bit.ly/1hkjVnV


This appliance is very quick and easy to use! The timing depends on the settings used; however, give yourself about 4 hours plus prep time. The bread usually takes around 3 ½ hours and then it should cool for at least 20 minutes.


There is a metal bucket in the machine that all the ingredients go into. Bread machine recipes are usually laid out in the order the ingredients should go into the bucket. Liquid on the bottom, followed by the dry ingredients with the active yeast on top. Be sure to check the expiry date on the active yeast! If your bread doesn’t rise it could be because your active yeast is too old or you didn't add enough. Once your active yeast is open it should be kept in the refrigerator.

Once you have all your ingredients added you can select the type of loaf (sweet, French, etc.) size of loaf you’re making 1.5lb, 2lb, or 3lb, as well as the crust colour. The recipe will tell you the size of loaf you’re making. There are two paddles in the bottom of the bucket that will stir everything up for you and knead your bread.


The first loaf I made was a 3lb cinnamon raisin pecan loaf. A three pound loaf is pretty dense and similar to eating a bagel. When you’re adding ingredients like raisins and pecans the machine will stop part way through the process and beep to let you know it’s time to add the remaining ingredients. This loaf was a bit undercooked and doughy. When your bread is undercooked like this it can mean that it didn’t rise sufficiently. When it was toasted for breakfast it was almost perfectly cooked.





Here is the recipe from the Black & Decker book that came with the breadmaker.




The second and third loafs I made were 1.5lb and 2lb French bread. These were both very soft and fluffy on the inside and hard on the outside. They both cooked perfectly. The second French loaf had one paddle stuck in it when it came out. If this happens you need to wait until the bread cools before you remove it. If the paddle does get stuck you’ll end up with a hole on one side of the loaf. I used this part of the loaf for dipping in balsamic vinegar and olive oil as it wasn’t going to work for toast or a sandwich.

For the French bread I used this recipe from Robin Hood http://bit.ly/JIUm1B. I used Rogers white bread machine flour. Yes, you should use flours specifically for bread machines!


When the loaf is done it will beep for you to take it out to cool. Use oven mitts to pull the bread bucket out with the handle and gently shake it upside down to get the bread out and onto a cooling rack. Sometimes it comes right out without any issues... other times you burn yourself or need to get a spatula in there. I burnt myself when I couldn’t get the bread out and for some reason decided to rest the burning hot metal against my chest as I got a better grip. I learned my lesson and I won’t do that again!


If you're not ready to buy a breadmaker but want to try your hand at making bread a cast iron dish is a great way to start. There are great sales on Lagostina cast iron bakeware right now at Canadian Tire! Check them out here: http://bit.ly/JIQqxF.



You can make the following no knead bread in cast iron bakeware / Dutch oven.



No Knead Bread
Ingredients:
3 cups – flour
1/4 teaspoon – instant yeast
1 teaspoon – table salt
1-1/2 cups – lukewarm water

Directions:

Stir ingredients together
Cover with saran wrap
Let sit for 12 - 20 hours
Flour surface and make dough into a ball with wet hands
Move dough onto a floured towel
Cover for 2 hours
Preheat oven to 450 half an hour before you uncover dough
Bake covered for 30 minutes
Uncover and bake for 15 - 20 minutes


If you have any questions about making your first loaf of bread leave them in the comments below. Good luck with your bread baking and stay safe! ;)

Tuesday 7 January 2014

Welcome to the Domestically Disabled Cook Blog!

Happy New Year and HELLO 2014! :) 

My New Year resolution this year is a little different than those in the past. Yes, losing a few pounds (okay a lot of pounds) is in there again but I'm going to go about it in a different way this year. Instead of starting some amazing new workout routine which could last anywhere from a few days to a couple of months I'm going to focus on food this year instead of a new workout. This month I can't wait to learn how to cook food that doesn't look and taste like crap, and to share everything I learn with you! I'm also going to go outside of my comfort zone and learn how to cook meat, fish, and other items that I don't eat as I'm vegetarian. No, I'm not going to start eating meat. I'm going to use thermometers and other tools and tricks to let me know that it's cooked properly. I'm also going to spend a month in India studying Yoga and to receive my Yoga certification to teach once I return.


So back to the cooking here’s a little background on where I’m starting from. In grade 5 when I was 11 I wanted to be a vet so I decided I should stop eating my patients and became a vegetarian. Growing up I didn't help out much in the kitchen mainly just setting the table and cleaning. When I say cleaning I mean putting dishes into the dishwasher and putting them away. I lived at home during university and never had to step foot in a grocery store. When I graduated and moved to a big shiny new city my idea of making a salad at home was putting salad dressing on spinach. The majority of my fridge was beauty products. Yes, lotions, nail polish, and many more products are very happy being kept in the fridge.

Then I met the man of my dreams. The first meal I ever made for my boyfriend was toast with peanut butter. Pretty fool proof right!? I kept bread in the freezer and peanut butter in the cupboard in case I got hungry and this was all I had on hand when we were craving a snack. My Cinderella toaster that imprinted Cinderella's shoe on my toast and played a waltz when the toast was ready died and it wasn't the easiest appliance to replace. What toaster could possibly compare? So I decided that I could make toast in the oven if I ever wanted some. Basically what I ended up making reminded me of a giant crouton with peanut butter on it.


My weight has continually fluctuated my entire life and it wouldn't be strange for me to gain or lose 30 pounds in a year. In order to be the healthiest I can I am going to learn more about nutrition, yoga, and personal training in order to make this my new lifestyle and career. Does that mean I'm going to work out 5 hours a day and never touch gluten? NO! It means I'm going to lead a more balanced life.

What's this blog going to be about you ask? Well the plan is to write about cooking, recipes, product reviews, life hacks, organization, and cleaning but we'll see where it all goes in the next while. ;) Thank you for dropping by and I hope you learn something new every time you visit.


This year and this blog is all about finding balance in every aspect of my life and helping others do the same! Please leave any questions or tips in the comments below! <3