Starter Dough Bake Off - Part 3...

8:06 pm - 34 degrees out - calm night...

10 days ago, my daughter challenged me to a bread bake off and here is the first one...

Using the Amish Friendship Bread started that I started 10 days ago, I divided it into 5 bags - 1 went to a friend, 3 went to the freezer, and 1 went to make this delicious Cinnamon Bread, which everyone loved!

Caitlyn's recipe is more complicated than mine, and she'll be baking her bread tomorrow.

Here is the recipe I used:

Amish Friendship Cinnamon Bread

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread starter

2 cups flour

3 eggs

1 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon 

2 tablespoons brown sugar 

Preheat over to 350°. 

Mix everything together (minus the cinnamon and brown sugar). In a separate bowl, mix the cinnamon and brown sugar. Grease 2 loaf pans. Pour about half an inch of batter into each loaf pan, then top with a light layer of the cinnamon mix. Pour another batter layer, followed by a light cinnamon mix layer. Continue to do this ending with cinnamon mix layer.

Bake for 1 hour or until done.

Enjoy!

Starter Dough Bake Off - Part 2 – Amish Friendship Bread Starter...

11:17 am - 33 degrees outside - blue sky, sunshine, 3-4" of snow on the ground...

Who can make the better bread starter...? That is the current question right now in our house.

I want to make sure that our kids know how to cook, so they pretty much have free reign to experiment in the kitchen – as long as they clean up after themselves! Our daughter has been on a sourdough bread kick lately, and that somehow got turned into a challenge of who could make the better bread starter. 

Caitlyn chose a sourdough starter that she found on the Homestead and Chill blog - recipe posted on Starter Dough Bake Off – Part 1 – Sourdough Starter {click here}. Caitlyn chose this starter recipe because it had good reviews.

I chose an Amish friendship bread starter that I found on The Benson Street blog – recipe posted below. I chose this starter recipe because I’ve made Amish friendship bread ages ago and once you have the starter you can add in different flavors to switch it up.

In 10 days, we will be turning our starter doughs into bread and have a blind taste test where the guys will decide which starter is the winner!

Caitlyn's starter is on the left, and my starter is on the right.

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD STARTER

by The Benson Street

Bread Batter Start: Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, and 1 cup sugar in a gallon sized plastic Ziploc bag.

Do not use a metal spoon or bowl for mixing. Do not refrigerate. If air gets into the bag, let it out. It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble and ferment.

Day 1:  This is the day you either make your bread starter (1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, mixed and stored in a gallon Ziploc bag) or you receive bread starter from someone in which case, you do nothing with it other plan place it on your counter.

Day 2:  Mush the bag.

Day 3:  Mush the bag.

Day 4:  Mush the bag.

Day 5:  Mush the bag.

Day 6:  Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, and 1 cup sugar to the bag and mush it thoroughly together.

Day 7:  Mush the bag.

Day 8:  Mush the bag.

Day 9:  Mush the bag.

Day 10:  Pour starter mix into a large bowl and add 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, and 1 cup sugar. Stir and put 1 cup of starter into four separate gallon sized Ziploc bags. Keep one for yourself and give the other starter bags to friends.  If you want to make Amish Friendship Bread once, you’re done. But if you want to be able to bake it whenever you’d like, save an extra bag for yourself and either toss it into the freezer until ready to use or start the process all over again, treating Day 10 as Day 1. The starter tastes better over time, so rather than making it fresh whenever you want some Amish Friendship Bread, consider keeping a bag on hand.

And now its time to bake it! There are so many uses for the starter, and here is just one of them:

Amish Friendship Monkey Bread

Dough:

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread starter

2 cups self-rising flour

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

½ cup shortening

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Gooey Cinnamon Mixture:

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup butter

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Dry Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture:

1 cup white sugar

3 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine starter, flour and milk. Mix well.

2. Set aside at room temperature overnight.

3. The next day, preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

4. Stir the starter mixture and add the remaining dough ingredients.

5. Pour onto a well-floured surface.

6. Knead until dough is elastic but no longer sticky. Add flour as necessary but be careful not to over knead as it will make the dough tough.

7. Shape dough into a large ball and let it rest while making the gooey cinnamon mixture.

8. Add the gooey cinnamon mixture ingredients into a sauce pan and cook over medium heat until sugar has dissolved.

9. Grease or spray Bundt pan, then pour a thin layer of the gooey cinnamon mixture to the bottom.

10. The dough is ready if you press a finger into it and it springs back. Pull apart about 40 dough balls, approximately 1¼" in diameter. For an extra cinnamon-y hit, roll each ball in the dry cinnamon-sugar mixture.

11. Layer the dough balls to the pan and pour the remaining gooey cinnamon mixture on top.

12. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly on top.

13. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

14. Take a plate and place it upside down over Bundt pan. Flip right side up onto plate. If desired, use a vanilla drizzle on top before serving.

15. ENJOY!

Starter Dough Bake Off - Part 1 – Sourdough Starter...

10:25 am - 32 degrees outside - blue sky, sunshine, 3-4" of snow on the ground...

Who can make the better bread starter...? That is the current question right now in our house.

I want to make sure that our kids know how to cook, so they pretty much have free reign to experiment in the kitchen – as long as they clean up after themselves! Our daughter has been on a sourdough bread kick lately, and that somehow got turned into a challenge of who could make the better bread starter. 

Caitlyn chose a sourdough starter that she found on the Homestead and Chill blog - recipe posted below. Caitlyn chose this starter recipe because it had good reviews.

I chose an Amish friendship bread starter that I found on The Benson Street blog – recipe posted on Starter Dough Bake Off – Part 2 – Amish Friendship Bread {click here}. I chose this starter recipe because I’ve made Amish friendship bread ages ago and once you have the starter you can add in different flavors to switch it up.

Caitlyn's starter is on the left, and my starter is on the right.

SOURDOUGH STARTER

by Homestead and Chill

Ingredients:

500 grams of organic white bread flour

1 large apple, grated (keep skins, but avoid the core)

360 mL room temperature filtered water

Large glass air-tight container

Digital kitchen scale

Step 1:  In a large mixing bowl, weight out 500 grams of organic white bread flour. Different flours weigh varying amounts, so it must be weighed to be accurate.

Step 2:  Grate your large apple. Keep the skins, but avoid the core. Add the grated apple to the bowl of flour. Some homemade sourdough starter recipes do call for flour and water only, however, flour and water can be pretty sterile. With the addition of apple, it basically stacks the odds in your favor that your starter will get active!

Step 3:  Measure out 360 mL of room temperature filtered water. Add this to the bowl of apple and flour, and mix thoroughly. Avoiding chlorinated water is pretty important when it comes to any fermentation process, including making sourdough. You will likely need to get in there and use your hands to do so, so wash up really well first!

Step 4: Dump, pour, or otherwise scoop the flour, apple, water combo into an air-tight container. The container needs to be large enough to allow for at least doubling in size, if not more.

Step 5:  It’s time to close the container up and watch her rise! But first, using some kind of washable marker that writes on glass, draw a little line on the side of your container at the top level of the mixture – this is so you may monitor its growth.

The mixture will now sit for 3 days. Keeping it in a spot that is about 70° to 75° degrees is ideal.

DAY FOUR - (72 hours after Step 5) After 3 days, the mixture should be a bit bubbly. It most likely has risen, and should smell sweet and tangy, sort of like apple cider vinegar! It may have also darkened in color a bit.

Step 6:  It’s time to do the first discard. To discard, first stir the mixture to knock out any air to let it fall back down to a more condensed state. Then you want to discard half of that amount (you’ll find out what to do with the discarded portion towards the end of this post).

Step 7:  After you discard, now it’s time to “feed” your starter. With your 3-day old sourdough starter, mix in another 250 grams of bread flour and 170 mL of tepid filtered water. Mix thoroughly.

Step 8:  Re-mark the top of the mixture height on your container if needed. Now let it sit for another 2 days or 48 hours.

DAY SIX – (48 hours after Step 8) There should be a lot of activity and small bubbles now. It has most likely risen even higher than the first time.

Step 9:  Repeat Steps 6 and 7 – the discard and feed. After mixing and discarding, add the same 250 grams of flour and 170 mL of water, and then a few extra splashes of water – maybe about 30-40 mL more – until the desired consistency of a “wet, sloppy dough” is reached.

Step 10:  Cover the sourdough starter and let it sit out one final time. This time is only for 24 hours.

DAY SEVEN – If you starter is bubbly and active after those last 24 hours – congrats, you did it! You now have a sourdough starter that is ready to bake with.

Step 11:  You bake with it! Here is a Simple No-Knead Sourdough Bread Recipe {click here}.

What to do with discarded sourdough starter? So many options! If you have chickens, they really enjoy eating the discarded starter. It is full of healthy probiotics for them. Some people make pancakes, pizza dough, muffins or all sorts of things with it. Worst case scenario, throw it into your compost and bury it.

DIY Faux Shiplap Walls...

2:48 pm - 31 degrees outside - snowing, foggy...

A while back I decided that I wanted to finish out all the closets in our home with a wood planking look – aka shiplap. So far I have finished out both of the kids closets {click here} and I think they turned out great!

When I make a decision I usually jump with both feet, while Tony thinks things through a bit more. So Sunday night I decided that I wanted to finish out our linen closet in the master bathroom and tore everything out of the closet so I would have a clean space and be ready to get started the next morning... after I ran to Lowe’s to get supplies that is.

Real shiplap is more than I wanted to spend, but that’s the overall look I’m wanting in all the closets – it’s a nice neutral texture that can be added to any space and can be styled in a lot of different ways.

A popular technique to get the shiplap look at a lower cost is to cut a piece of plywood into strips that you nail to the wall just slightly spaced apart.  This will save you a few bucks, but on the down side you have to rip plywood into perfectly straight strips and balance coins or spacers between boards to get the perfect spacing which would make the project a lot more labor intensive than I wanted to attempt.

So the best solution, at a reasonable price, that I found was to use tongue and grove planks. This is what I used in the kids closets, and it is so incredibly easy to install, yet it still gives me the look I’m wanting.

Altogether - planks, wood filler, sandpaper, paint, and boards for shelving totaled $126 and the project took about 4 hours spread out over three days to finish. Three days was to give enough time for the paint and stain to dry properly – otherwise it would have been all done in one day.

Here is what I used...

4 packs of v-groove pine wallplanks (6 planks to a pack)

Miter Saw

Tape measure

Level

Brad nailer with nails

Wood Filler

Putty knife

Sandpaper

Paint

Wood Stain

The linen closet is 44” wide by 2’7” deep with a back wall + slanted ceiling measuring 6’10” –-- soooo... there was a lot of measuring and cutting involved.

I started the first board in the bottom left corner, used the level and a scrap piece of sheetrock to keep the board half an inch off the subfloor (the spacing will allow for the future installation of flooring) and nailed in the board using the brad nailer. It took me somewhere between one and a half to two hours to get all the planking up.  

After the boards were up, I went back and filled all the nail holes and smoothed out any seams or knot holes with wood filler.  After the wood filler had time to dry, I went back and sanded all those spots smooth.  Then paint!  I used less than half a can of Valspar “Snowcap White” (one heavy coat + touch ups).

Next, I figured out where I wanted my shelves to be at, measured and screwed in sidewall supports for the shelving to sit on. I cut each board, made sure that they fit properly, then stained them with Varathane Wood Stain “Kona”. After the boards were dry, I put them into the closet, and voila, all done!

I absolutely love how it turned it. Now 3 out of 4 of the upstairs closets are done! I love progress!

Caramel Apple Butter...

1:16 pm - 60 degrees outside - cloudy, overcast...

Last weekend I picked up a 30 pound box of Gravenstien apples at a local farm - these apples make great applesauce, pies, cobblers, crisps, and so on - they are great for baking. 

The last 12 lbs of apples are going to be canned as apple pie mixes!

So far I have already used 10 pounds to make applesauce, another 8 pounds to make this absolutely delicious Caramel Apple Butter, and I'm going to use the last 12 pounds to can apple pie mixes.  But first, I wanted to share the recipe for this amazing Caramel Apple Butter.

CARAMEL APPLE BUTTER

INGREDIENTS:

15-16 medium sized apples (about 8 pounds—yielding 16 cups of peeled, diced apples)

1 cup brown sugar

1.5 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp ginger

3/4 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp vanilla extract

30 unwrapped caramels (most of an 11 oz bag)

(NOTE: this recipe filled about 11 half-pint jars)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare your jars and lids by washing in warm, soapy water and rinsing thoroughly. Place jar rack into water bath canner, set jars in the canner, add water, and boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize. Warm your lids in a small pot over low heat. Keep jars and lids warm until ready to use.

2. Peel and dice the apples (you should have about 16 cups of apples), and place into large crockpot.

3. Mix in the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Cover with lid.

4. Cook on high for 6 hours. Occasionally stirring apple mix.

5. Blend the apples until smooth. You can use an immersion blender, potato masher, chinois and pestle, hand mixer, or food processor.

I like to use this chinois and pestle set.
Very easy to use and I love the resulting texture.

6. Return apple mixture to crock pot. Stir in vanilla extract, and caramels. Replace lid, but put it on crooked so air can vent. Continue cooking on high for 1-2 more hours until mixture starts to thicken (it will get even thicker when it cools). Occasionally stirring apple mixture, making sure the caramels are melting and getting mixed in.

7. Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Use your jar lifter to remove warm jars from canner, drain, and line up on the towel. Use your canning ladle and funnel and add caramel apple butter to warm jars leaving 1/2­inch headspace. Wipe the rims. Use your magnetic lid lifter to lift lids out of the warm water, center lid on the jar, and screw on band until it is fingertip tight.

8. At this point you can store the caramel apple butter in fridge for up to 2 weeks, freezer for up to 6 months, or continue for canning.

9. Using jar lifter, place jars carefully into canner leaving space in between them. Once jars are all in canner, adjust the water level so it is at least one inch above the jar tops. Add more boiling water if needed so the water level is at least one inch above the jar tops. When adding water, use the hot water from the small pot your lids were in. Pour the water around the jars and not directly onto them.

10. Cover the canner and bring to boil over high heat. Once water boils vigorously, continue boiling pints for 20 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000 ft. (add 5 minutes processing time for altitudes between 1001-3000 ft.).

11. When processing time is complete, turn off heat and allow the canner to cool down and settle for about 10 minutes. Spread a kitchen towel on the counter; remove the cover by tilting lid away from you so that steam does not burn your face. Use a jar lifter to lift jars carefully from canner and place on the towel. Allow the jars to cool for 12 to 24­hours. You should hear the satisfactory “ping” of the jar lids sealing.

12. After 12 to 24­hours, check to be sure jar lids have sealed by pushing on the center of the lid. The lid should not pop up. If the lid flexes up and down, it did not seal. Refrigerate jar and use up within a few days.

- Enjoy!

Building A Pond...

4:50 pm - 47 degrees - foggy, raining...

When we were driving around looking for property 12 years ago, we came upon this near-perfect rural off-grid property... and we were sold!

Our property has a good amount of acreage, gorgeous views, a nice home site, and it’s a nice distance to and from civilization.  It was perfect... except for one small thing – it was missing a visible water feature.  Yes, a river bisects our lot, but we can’t see it from the house.

I have always wanted to live on a lake or have a large pond or some kind of water feature within sight of the house.  It's only taken 12 years, but we finally have a visible water feature – a pond!

A pond offers numerous benefits for landowners: entertainment for the family, water for wildlife, aquaculture, fire protection, erosion control, and aesthetics are but a few. 

And in our case, the pond will also hopefully offer another source of power – hydroelectric power. 

For those of you who don’t know what hydroelectric (or hydropower or hydroenergy) is – it’s a reliable source of renewable energy that runs 24/7 for very little cost.  Power is generated from the movement of water, like waterfalls or streams, water that is stored in dams, as well as flowing in river to create electricity.  The water flows through a turbine to help generate electricity; using the energy of falling or flowing water to turn the blades.  The rotating blades spin a generator that converts the mechanical energy of the spinning turbine into electrical energy that we can use to power our home.

Even though a pond has so much to offer, there are a lot of factors that needed to be considered first.  Factors like:

 - Is the land and soil actually suited for a pond?

 - Can we build the pond ourselves?

 - What size of pond do we want and what size will fit?

 - How much will this project cost?

 - How long will this project take?

While Tony is the researcher, thinker, and planner, I am one to jump in with both feet now.  So when he told me that he was thinking that he could put in a pond and wanted to know what I thought – my response was YES, the bigger the better!

After walking around the designated area he had picked out and visualizing his plan of attack, Tony started digging, and digging, and digging.

The underground springs Tony tapped into, quickly started filling the hole and eventually the big hole started to look like a pond.  Before the pond got too full, he added a 4” pipe that is about 2’ below the water line for our future hydropower source.  

Tony also added an 18” culvert for an overflow.

After getting the edges, top and surrounding area cleaned up, we spread grass seed covered with Turf Mulch.  The Turf Mulch is a naturally organic product that is a ground dressing for the newly seeded area.  It will help the ground retain moisture, form a protective mat over the seed, help the grass seed germinate quicker and help with erosion control until the grass grows in.

And we now have a 10' deep by 40'x50' trout pond!  The water level is currently at the uncapped hydro pipe, which he painted black so it would blend in a little more.  Tony wanted to keep the water at the lower level until the grass starts to grow.  The trout will be coming in about a month or so.  So excited for this project and how it is turning out!  My husband is amazing!!

Off The Mountain Fun...

4:57 pm - 43 degrees - raining...

Every now and then we just need to get away from the daily grind, which sometimes means getting off the mountain to go exploring.  

One of the many reasons we love living in the Pacific Northwest is because it's one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the country. 

Head North and you’ll run into Olympic Nation Park which is home to the Hoh National Rainforest – the largest rainforest in the United States.  There is also the Puget Sound which is comprised of inlets, channels, estuaries and home to the San Juan Islands. 

Head west and you’ll see the beautiful rugged coastline of the Pacific Ocean that is lined with steep cliffs, moss covered trees and enough rainy days to keep it gorgeous and green. You also have the Long Beach Peninsula which is an arm of land that is known for its continuous sand beaches which also happen to be a Washington State Highway.

Running down the center is the Cascade Mountain range that splits the area in two from north to south.  There are also a handful of active volcanoes, along with the remains from the many lahars (volcanic mudflows).

Running across the center from east to west is the Columbia River.  Along the Columbia River is the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area which protects the spectacular canyon where the Columbia River cuts through the Cascade mountain - with cliffs and overlooks of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south.

You want the high desert, head to the east side and you’re in the Columbia Basin which is a dry, open country, rich in stark scenery.

There are so many different options to choose from, a few hours in any direction and you have something beautiful, different and amazing to explore and enjoy.

Still, home is where our hearts are.