"Bread Alone"...Part 2....Making the bread

Well as you know, if you have been following this blog, I am reading a book called "Bread Alone".
Reading this book has inspired me to use my bread machine which has been collecting dust for years.

I have now tried the two recipes that I had mentioned in my previous post.  I started with Amish Bread.  I place all the ingredients in the bread machine and let it do its work.  It was "ok".  I think next time I will give it a double rise time and then bake it in the oven.  I was not crazy about "the cube" effect that you get with the machine. I probably will not make it again.

From there I moved on to more interesting things....cinnamon rolls. I found the recipe at All Recipes.

Clone of a Cinnabon

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
•  
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
•  
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

I placed the ingredients in the machine and pushed the dough option.
I decided to give the dough lots of time to rise......I was stunned to find that yes it did rise,  right out of the machine:-)

Next I placed the dough on a floured surface and let it rise some more.

Then I put everything together cut them to the desired width  and put them in a glass dish (recomended by a review on allrecipes) and guess what?  I let them rise again.

Then I baked them as directed.  Mixed up a double batch of icing. ( I found the icing to be extremely thick so I added just a touch of milk to establish a good spreading consistency and spread them over the warm rolls.  They tasted amazing.  I would have to give them a 9-10 on a scale of 1-10:-)  I think they are even better the next day, just put them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and enjoy with a cup of coffee or glass of milk.  I think I will make these every Easter.

Happy Cooking Everyone!
Enjoy Your World:-)

Kathieys Local World...Crabtree Lake....Part 2

It  was Saturday morning and I was telling my husband my sad story of not making it to the dam breast at Crabtree Lake.  He said he had been there and that there was a better way to get to the dam breast.  So we gathered up Brodie and made our way to the lake.  We did not go in the main entrance, but drove further on 40E, exited onto  Harrison, turned right and ended up on Weston Parkway.  From there we took a back road which led us to a road beside the dam breast.  There is not a parking lot but runners and bikers were parked along the gravel road.  Joe, Brodie and I hiked and jogged along the wide paved path that leads over the dam breast and into a really nice wooded area.  This was a great hiking trail, from my perspective, because it was paved  wide and open.  Brodie and I will go back:-)

www.lakecrabtree@co.wake.nc.us 

Get out and explore!

Enjoy Your World Everyone:-)

Kathieys Local World......Crabtree Lake, Part 1

We have lived in this area for nearly 20 years and there is so much that we have not taken the time to explore. With that in mind I grabbed Brodie, my doggie side kick, and we headed off to Lake Crabtree County Park in Morrisville N.C.   www.lakecrabtree@co.wake.nc.us

The goal of this day was to check out some of the trails and hike to the dam breast.   We went to the main entrance, parked and started walking.  Initially we walked the paved trails near the boat rental and fishing pier area.  There was a cool breeze off the lovely lake, it was nice.

 After walking a short distance on the paved trail we  came to the dirt bike trails.  I have heard that this is a great park for dirt bikes.  From my novice perspective the trails were confusing and not clearly marked.  After walking into the woods about a quarter mile and seeing many divergent trails I decided to head back for fear of getting lost.   We hopped in the car and came across another trial  the "Old Beech Nature Trail". This is  a short, no brainer trail...more my speed:-) 

I was disappointed that I did not make it to the dam breast but I was not defeated, I would try again!   Overall a very nice park.  It would be a nice place to enjoy a picnic lunch. There are playground areas for kids, great, although poorly marked dirt bike trails and in the summer boat rentals.  I hope to return in the summer to go kayaking.

Get out and explore!

Enjoy Your World Everyone:-)

Sunday Song "Hosanna" Brooke Fraser

Last night I had a dream about my brother David who died about a year ago.  We were very close and I miss him dearly.  It was a nice dream, we were at the farm where we grew up. It was just Dave and I.
 I don't remember what we were talking about but it was such a joy to be with him, I remember we were laughing.  It seemed very real..then I woke up.  I felt sadness remembering he was gone but also hope in the fact that God loves us and is in control regardless of what happens around us.
In church today we were celebrating Palm Sunday.  Each week as I sing with the praise team  I try to find a song  that I can connect with.  This week the one that touched my heart was a song by Brooke Fraser
"Hosanna".  I love the bridge of the song... 

"Heal my heart and make it clean, Open up my eyes to the things unseen.  
Show me how to love like You have loved me.  
Break my heart for what breaks Yours, everything I am for Your kingdoms cause, 
as I walk from earth into eternity" ....to be with God and to see my brother again:-)

Decorating for Spring. (Before and after photos:-)

   I can't believe it is almost Easter.  I spent some time yesterday looking at blogs beautifully decorated for the season and realized that there was not an area in my home that shouted spring.  So I decided to transform the entry table.  I had $5 to play with so I went to CVS and bought some Easter treats. I came home and searched the house for appropriate display items then I went into the front yard and cut some flowers and like magic I have a spring table.  Check out my before and after pictures. If you look too close you will see the wall needs a new coat of paint, but I am taking baby steps so it is ok:-)                                                    

I

"Bread Alone"....Kathiey's Books

Just started a new book.  The author is Judith Ryan Hendricks.  It got excellent reviews on Amazon.  I am only on page 42 and already I feel connected to the characters.  It is about a young woman named Wynter,  love that name.  She married an extremely handsome, motivated businessman that she thought would love her forever. Sadly,  it seems, he has grown tired of her.  What does any scorned woman do??  She bakes bread!
This got me thinking....I have a bread machine somewhere.  I found it, dusted it off, and as we speak I am making bread.  Or I should say my bread machine is making bread:-)
I lost my instruction booklet for the machine so I just put the ingredients in the container and turned it on.  All I can say is that is smells really good.
I decided to try two recipes.  Amish Bread & Clone of a Cinnabon , both recipes were found on www.allrecipes.com.
Wish me luck:-)

Reminders of God...in my own front yard:-)

"Amazing Gracie"...Kathiey's Books

I just finished this book by Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff.  It's a true story about an adopted Great Dane named Gracie and how this adorable puppy changed the lives of her new family.  I found it to be a very enjoyable book.  I laughed throughout the book  and had a heartfelt cry at the end.  All in all a good read....I would rate it on my book scale an 8 out of 10.

Links to check out www.threedog.com   You will read about this business that was started because of Gracie.  I went on this site today and bought some doggie treats for my dog Brodie and for my Grandpuppies, Morgan, Roxy and October.  I can't wait to try them out on our doggies:-)