Monday Message

This week's Monday Message is chocked full of things you can do just using this basic, very versatile bread machine recipe - CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE!

"Too often we bask in comfortable complacency and rationalize that the ravages of war, economic disaster, famine and earthquake cannot happen here. Those who believe this are either not acquainted with the revelations of the Lord or they do not believe them.  Those who smugly think these calamities will not happen, that they will somehow be set aside because of the righteousness of the Saints, are deceived and will rue the day they harbored such a delusion.  The Lord has warned and forewarned us against a day of great tribulation and given us counsel, through His Servants, on how we can be prepared for these difficult times.  Have you (we) heeded His counsel?" Ezra Taft Benson, Jun. 1980.

We live in a marvelous time with microwaves, toasters, crockpots, bread machines, mixers…etc. all to aid us in our work & help us to have time to do the things that are important. I want everyone to know how to do things without the aid of machines but I also want you to use the machines to their fullest - it too is a skill worth having.

I use most of these machines every day. I recently drug out my bread machine to try a bread my friend Liza had been making. The recipe was our friend's mother’s recipe, her name is Mary.

Liza makes kits in quart jars which helps her be able to do this quickly - http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2015/02/lizas-machine-bread.html

So then I decided for you I would make more variations…
http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2015/03/julekaga.html - this is fantastic.

I also thought I would try to make the bread using half of the dough for hamburger buns (divided into 4 buns) and the other half for platz. I have never had a great success with hamburger buns as they were always too heavy… until now. These were wonderful!

Liza says she too makes the buns but she uses a cookie sheet and they are just as good. The pan I used I got two of at a yard sale for a dime each. 

Not sure of their real purpose. They are made in England (that's what is stamped on the pans) but they make great burger buns.

For the platz I flatten the remaining dough into a pan. At this point you can put jam over it or pie filling.

Then you make a topping of half a cup of each flour and sugar and cut in three tbsp butter. Once it is mixed and looks like cornmeal, spread over the pie filling. 

Bake the hamburger buns for 25 minutes and the platz for 35 minutes, both at 350 degrees.

I also used the dough to make cinnamon raisin swirl bread by pressing it out and buttering it (or you can use butter spray) then sprinkling sugar and cinnamon and raisins. Then roll up and place in a pan, rise and bake.

You can do so many things to that basic bread recipe. I added seeds like sesame, millet and poppy to make Seed Bread.

Just use do two tbsp brown sugar instead of the white sugar the recipe calls for then add….

one tbsp  sesame seeds
one tbsp millet seed
one tbsp poppy seed


Everything else is the same, easy!

I added molasses in place of liquid to make Anadama Bread. You can add nuts and craisins, yum! 

I could make squash bread by adding squash or pumpkin. I think you can see that you can do anything you put your mind to! And with this being the best ever bread recipe, you can make it in a variety of ways.

I have also tried other types of breads for the machine. Using half of the dough I did a french baguette and with the other half I made eight bread sticks.

French Baguettes/Breadsticks

This makes two baguettes or one baguette and eight bread sticks or sixteen bread sticks!

1 c. water

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp. gluten

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp yeast

Put in bread machine for dough cycle. Shape and rise and bake.

In the pictures I sprinkled the bread sticks with salt and garlic powder then they just had to rise and bake.

For the baguette I slashed the top and brushed with egg white and a bit of water then topped with sesame seeds. I let it rise and then bake using 350 degree oven, cook bread sticks till golden (same with baguettes).

I made English Muffin Bread too, it was good as well.

Check out these links for a few more fun things I bread machines!

http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/6-bread-machine-secrets-for-beginners

http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/5-reasons-why-i-use-a-bread-machine

http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/5-surprising-reasons-i-dont-bake-bread-in-my-bread-machine

http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/how-to-convert-a-yeast-bread-recipe-for-use-in-a-bread-machine

http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/oatmeal-sunflower-bread-recipe-how-to-knead-in-a-bread-machine-but-bake-in-a-conventional-oven

http://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-egg-substitute/  - this is a good thing to print off for your binder. What if you did not have or could not eat eggs then what?

http://www.foodstoragemoms.com/whats-your-threat/  - this I leave with all good thought.

Keep working on your skills and your storage.