Some baking

In the midst of all the trip preparations, I've needed to bake bread and cookies. Bread because we're out and only had $11 in the bank (oopsie) and cookies for our trip. I figured it would be better to bring something homemade than buy the cheapo cookies with unknown ingredients- especially since we'll be cooped up in the car with each for two whole days. No mad sugar rush please :)

Anyways, I've recently been changing my bread recipe a little, and it has resulted in some fantastic bread! Now to look at it, it doesn't look all that spectacular does it?

But it is SO soft, and stays that way. The recipe I use is actually one for making cinnamon rolls in the bread machine and I tweaked it. Let me see if I can remember it:

For two loaves of bread, and I make the dough in the bread machine:

2 cups water
1/3 cup sweetener (sugar, honey whatever)
1 stick of butter
2 t salt
3 cups all purpose flour (I use unbleached)
3 cups whole wheat flour (gold medal brand)
1 T yeast

*sprinkle of powdered ginger
* 2 t soy lecithin

When all ingredients are layered in the machine, I sprinkle the last two around the top. Ginger and soy lecithin, which is easily found in the health food store, are dough conditioners. If I was doing 100% or 90% whole wheat I would add 3T of vital wheat gluten. I don't know the chemistry of ingredients, but I got the idea from Tammy's Recipes and it works.

Yesterday when the dough was done, I divided into two parts, made one into regular bread, and made the other into cinnamon swirl bread. OH! I have eaten way to much of that...Goooooddd. The 'plain' loaf isn't sweet tasting, but just has a good flavor, even texture, is soft which the kiddies love, and is firm enough to slice easily. Can't beat that!


Also, I am out of eggs. I mean, I have loads of boiled Easter eggs, but used the last two raw ones in hubby's omelet this morning. So I had to find a cookie recipe with no eggs. These cookies are GREAT! I prefer them over cookies with eggs.

I changed the recipe a little, just subtracting some sugar and using some whole wheat flour and chocolate chips instead of raisins.

For the recipe go here.