Bread....'nuff said!

So, I've been looking for a new bread recipe. I've been studying ways to improve my bread-making skills. I've also been working on improving my food storage. I want to learn how to use Vital Wheat Gluten & other natural dough enhancers to make my bread light & delicious. I've learned that vinegar is also one of those natural enhancers. So is sugar. (I'm guessing in this recipe, honey counts for the sugar). Another enhancer is potato flakes. I've also learned that you can use leftover rice, oatmeal, etc. I have not tried either of the last two enhancers yet...but I am planning on it soon.
These rolls were easy to make, they just take time. (We did have a challenge getting the bowl off of the kitchen aide mixer, it kind of got wedged on tight while mixing the dough). I had the gas fireplace on in the front room today. I placed the dough in a mixing bowl & covered it with a warm, damp kitchen towel & sat it in front of the fireplace. I also placed them in front of the fire after shaping the rolls. Patience is essential. Don't rush the rolls. After they had baked, I generously buttered the tops.
Mom tried my rolls tonight. She loved them. She even said they were as good as a restaurant's rolls. She had hers plain. Mitch had his with butter. He said they were tasty. I had mine with butter & honey and I thought it was delicious. I'll be keeping this recipe. They were light for wheat rolls. Maybe that is why they are called air buns. It's nice to be successful! Love to you & yours!

Whole Wheat Air Buns
1 1/2 C. warm water
1/4 C. butter
1/4 C. honey
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. vinegar (I know, that sounds strange, but trust me!)
4 1/2 C. whole-wheat flour (Use white wheat flour for best results)(I added 1 Tbsp. Vital Wheat Gluten to the measuring cup before I added the flour).
2 tsp active dry yeast.
Combine the water, butter, honey, salt and vinegar. Add the flour and sprinkle yeast in top of the flour. Turn on your mixer, and mix for 7 to 10 minutes. Dough will ball up and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Mixing helps develop the gluten, so even if it balls up quicker than the time specified, keep the mixer on. Turn off mixer and let dough rest until doubled in bulk. If your house is warm, it can double in size in 20 to 30 min. Turn mixer on again to “punch down” the dough and allow it to mix for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove dough from mixer and shape into 12 to 18 rolls. ”Grease” the pan with non-stick cooking spray or butter before placing the rolls in the pan. (I use a large cake pan (pyrex) and put all the rolls in one pan). Once rolls are shaped and arranged in the pan, cover with a kitchen towel to let rise. Raise until doubled again – they should fill the pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

SHE LIVES! (and makes a casserole).

Guess what! I am still alive! Yup...surprising I know. I am alive & kicking. I can hardly wait until spring break. I need to spend some time getting caught up. I haven't even been to the grocery store for a while. I need milk, cheese, & all kinds of things. Just haven't been in the mood. Today after school, I made a wreath for my front door. (The valentine wreath was pretty, but I needed SPRING!) The sun was shining & it was gorgeous outside, but now the wind is beginning to blow. I hear it is going to storm tomorrow. I am ready to get out & start working in the yard. I want to plant my garden. I am going to try something different this year. I found some information about straw bale gardening, (through a friend on FB). It looks interesting, so I ordered the booklet. We'll see what happens. I hope to increase my food storage this fall, and gardens are one of the best ways to make that happen. I'm trying to be more frugal. Because I have not been to the store for a few days, I have had to be a little more creative in some of my recipes. I made a hamburger tater-tot casserole the other night, but I didn't have cheese to include on top. So, I made do. I am learning to love methods in cooking, not just recipes. I am also on the lookout for new & easy ideas. One of my new favorite blogs is Howe to cook. A family of sisters from Manti have lots of recipes & they even do giveaways. Check it out if you are interested. I made their Cheesy Pig Chowder. I would maybe cut back a little on the ham. There was almost too much for me. My next chocoholic attack I am going to try the Symphony Brownies. Well...I am rambling on & on. Guess enough is enough. Here is my method for Hamburger Tater-Tot Casserole. Love to you & yours. ♥

Hamburger Tater-Tot Casserole

Brown 1 lb. hamburger. In a casserole dish sprayed with Pam cooking spray, combine hamburger, vegetables (I like to experiment. This week it was 1/2 can green beans & 1/2 can corn). Be sure to drain hamburger & veggies. Mix in 1 can of your favorite condensed soup. I used cream of mushroom. Top with Tater-tots & grated cheese. Bake in a 350° oven for 30-45 minutes until bubbly.

Instead of the soup, this week I made a white sauce by melting 1 Tbsp. butter in a frying pan. Add 1 Tbsp. flour, whisk together. Add 1 cup milk. Stir until thickened & lumps are gone. You could add grated cheese, but I added 1 bottle of Old English processed cheese (by Cheese Whiz in the store) and cook till smooth. I happened to have the Old English left over from Christmas. Worked great.