I’m just one of those people who likes to do things with my hands such as make bread.
I’ve been looking at a lot of bread recipes lately. I have my go-to white sandwich bread recipe that I’ve used since I started making my own bread when I was fifteen. But I also like to try new things instead of always staying with the same old thing all the time. Hubby and I like to experiment with food especially since we both enjoy different aspects of cooking and it’s relatively easy for us to try new things.
When I make bread I usually do two loaves at a time since that’s what my recipe calls for, but since it’s just me and Hubby we end up throwing at least half a loaf away. Two loaves is a lot for two people to eat in roughly a week. (Fresh baked bread doesn’t last the way store bought does.) Before I met Hubby I used to give one loaf to my elderly neighbor every time I made some. We’re not really friendly with any of our current neighbors which is fine with Hubby since he is always convinced he’s going to be able to eat it all this time and he doesn’t want to share. LOL
So while looking at bread recipes I came across one for freezer rolls. They are good for up to a month in the freezer and when you want some, you just pull it out, let them thaw and rise (which takes about 3 hours according to the recipe), preheat the oven to 350 degrees, brush the top with an egg white, and bake for around 15 or until done (which depends on the size of your rolls). I decided this would be a good option for us. Whenever we want bread with our supper we can just pop it in the over while we’re cooking and have fresh baked bread with our dinner. And it’s cheaper than constantly buying bread and rolls from the store. The recipe is for small dinner rolls packed into a round tin, but I decided to make small loaves and individually package them. One small loaf is plenty for me and Hubby to split for supper.
As you can see I made up two loaves the other night because I knew we would want bread, both Monday and Tuesday night, with our meals. Friday, I’ll be thawing one out to have with dinner then as well. Since we’ve started doing meal planning for the week it makes it super easy to know when we’ll want bread with our meal and when it isn’t needed.
One of the added benefits of this is that we have built in portion control since I’m not likely to thaw out another one and wait three hours for it to thaw so I can have more bread. Hubby and I both really like the way they turned out. The flavor is great, the inside is soft, and the crust is thin and flaky. I’m already thinking about ways to experiment with this recipe. I’m considering adding some flavorings to the next batch to see how that turns out. I might even do a wheat version.
I love fresh baked bread.
Making it, working with my hands, allows me time to just turn my brain off for awhile. It’s also a great way to get rid of some frustration. It’s been awhile since I’ve made bread and boy could I tell the next morning—my arms and shoulders were sore. That just means I need to make it more often so that I those muscles are being used on a regular. Hubby agrees.