Yep, my latest toys are not cheap and they have probably pushed me over the edge of Molly Mormonism. Not that Molly would buy expensive things; she seems more of a thrifty lady. But she would definitely make her own graham crackers. ME TOO! Check it out.
This here is a Bosch mixer that certifies me as a woman who loves to cook enough that she would buy this instead of taking her kids to Disneyland this summer (I am such a good mom).
This here is a bonus gift.
A Nutrimill which allows me to make this;
my own ground flour (you can almost smell the extra nutrients, can't you?)
And it helps that I just found this site that talks all about using your food storage (meaning all that wheat that I can now grind). Actually, I think this is Molly's site. I never pictured her as being very technologically savvy, but it turns out she makes how-to videos and she wrote her own book.
Now I just have to master bread (that was the initial goal, but I don't have all the key ingredients, i.e. gluten). Hopefully, I will find an easy recipe that my family enjoys and then all you people who live too close will have to put up with bread as gifts until I get tired of it.
The graham crackers were just on a whim, but I was very proud of them. They are a bit crunchier (but hello, they are a cracker) and I like that, and I like the rustic look of the different sized pieces. June said she likes 'homemade.' This bodes well. And Daisy's verdict was...delicious.
You can tell Tyler that it was a good investment. I have a Bosch that my mom got used for me. It was bought in like 1978 and is still running strong. I LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteI also have a grain mill pretty similar to that one and like it.
And, you don't HAVE to have gluten to make bread. Here's the recipe I use all the time. I actually haven't bought bread many times since we were married.
4-5 c. white flour
6 c. whole wheat flour
2 1/2 Tbsp. yeast
2 1/2 Tbsp. salt
Mix and add wet ingredients:
3/4 c. oil
3/4 c. honey/molasses
6 c. water
Mix well for about 2-3 minutes. Add more whole wheat flour until dough is the right consistency. About 5-6 cups or so, depends on how much water you put in. The dough should pull away from the sides and be pretty stiff, but still tacky. The softer the dough, the softer the bread. This is where the Bosch comes in handy. If you knead it for 10 minutes in the Bosch, you can skip the first rising. As you knead it, gluten will form from the flour. Form loaves (makes 5 loaves). Raise to double and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Another tip is that while you are kneading you can preheat your oven to 170 and after the loaves are formed, turn the oven off and raise the bread in the oven, it is MUCH faster that letting it rise on the counter. Just take it out in enough time to get the oven preheated before it over-rises.
Good luck!
By the way, my sister made graham crackers too. Maybe I need to try them. Care to share your recipe?
I have to say I'm a little jealous about your purchases. AND, those graham crackers look DELICIOUS! Just feed your kids lots of crackers and they'll forget all about Disney Land! :P
ReplyDeleteMaleen! I totally need your graham cracker recipe, my kids would love that. I have a few really good bread recipes if you are ever interested (I make it in Brent's mom's old mixer so it is the right size and everything, i have white, wheat and a cinnamon roll recipe that I adore :D) I too am secretly jealous of your new purchase as well! It was all I wanted for graduation (ok so I know I didn't graduate but I feel like I worked just as hard!)
ReplyDeletei totally didn't even notice that those were handmade graham crackers... they looked like storebought to me.
ReplyDeleteWow. Another reason you're my hero. That has to be the domestic equivalent of transmission repair. TRANSMISSION REPAIR!
ReplyDeleteI totally want to try those graham crackers!
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