For many families, a meal without bread is just insanity. We never had bread with meals growing up. Only when we went to visit grandparents (and man, I STILL have dreams about Grandma E's fried cornbread. Shew, was that good). Just like we never, ever had desserts unless visiting elsewhere. So including a bread for each meal time is something I have to think about. It doesn't come naturally to my meal planning instinct. However, a bread with each meal IS something Shawn's family considers a requirement, so I've had to adjust a tad.
Now, don't get me wrong. I love bread. Really, really love real bread. Real, fresh bread with real softened butter -- one of my favorite culinary pleasures. And yet, I totally realize that the key to some fluff (aka: weight) loss would be eliminating the bread, pasta, potatoes and SUGAR from my diet. I did so good with this until the kiddos. I have zero will power. If these foods are in front of me, I cannot resist.
And so, we eat bread. We love the frozen Sister Schubert rolls from the grocery store. I love the ease of not having to think about having a bread. At the last minute, toss them into the toaster over and a few minutes later, lovely, tasty yeast rolls. But dude, they are expensive! So I decided to try my hand at doing my own frozen Sister Schubert yeast rolls. It has turned out fabulous!
Found the recipe on Google. Bread Machine Rolls. I had all the ingredients on hand and went to town. I do love my bread maker. I baked them lightly and let them cool. Then I put them in the freezer on a pan for a flash freeze. An hour later, I tossed them in a huge ziploc bag and stored in the freezer. When we were ready, I pulled them out and warmed them up in the toaster over, just like usual. Pure awesomeness.
The recipe says it makes 12 rolls, but dude, they were enormous! The next time I made them, I made 16 and the size was more appropriate. I also never bother with egg washes. Too high maintenance for me and I just don't care for the result. But for this day for the pictures, I thought I should follow the directions.
Just toss all the ingredients in the pan. Press Go. Go to Jail. Go to directly to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Did I say I love the bread maker?
When the dough cycles finishes, you roll out the dough and separate into 12 (or 16) pieces and set them out to rise. I use my Silpat here. No need to grease the pan or use parchment. And no sticking, w.h.a.t.s.o.e.v.e.r. Then you do the egg wash, if you are so inclined. I had little helpers. I think they may have been a wee bit liberal in the application.
Bake and enjoy. Don't they look tasty? They sure are. Do notice how I didn't bake them until they turned brown. Let the toaster over do that when you reheat them. But you can see, they are still perfectly cooked on the inside.
Now, perhaps when spare time just randomly falls from the sky, I'll calculate the cost so I can know for certain I'm saving some cash and not wasting time I could spend ten thousand and one other ways.
Lastly, dude, I love my Silpat. I don't know how folks get along without one. I have two of these. One of my best culinary investments, period.
Now, don't get me wrong. I love bread. Really, really love real bread. Real, fresh bread with real softened butter -- one of my favorite culinary pleasures. And yet, I totally realize that the key to some fluff (aka: weight) loss would be eliminating the bread, pasta, potatoes and SUGAR from my diet. I did so good with this until the kiddos. I have zero will power. If these foods are in front of me, I cannot resist.
And so, we eat bread. We love the frozen Sister Schubert rolls from the grocery store. I love the ease of not having to think about having a bread. At the last minute, toss them into the toaster over and a few minutes later, lovely, tasty yeast rolls. But dude, they are expensive! So I decided to try my hand at doing my own frozen Sister Schubert yeast rolls. It has turned out fabulous!
Found the recipe on Google. Bread Machine Rolls. I had all the ingredients on hand and went to town. I do love my bread maker. I baked them lightly and let them cool. Then I put them in the freezer on a pan for a flash freeze. An hour later, I tossed them in a huge ziploc bag and stored in the freezer. When we were ready, I pulled them out and warmed them up in the toaster over, just like usual. Pure awesomeness.
The recipe says it makes 12 rolls, but dude, they were enormous! The next time I made them, I made 16 and the size was more appropriate. I also never bother with egg washes. Too high maintenance for me and I just don't care for the result. But for this day for the pictures, I thought I should follow the directions.
Just toss all the ingredients in the pan. Press Go. Go to Jail. Go to directly to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Did I say I love the bread maker?
When the dough cycles finishes, you roll out the dough and separate into 12 (or 16) pieces and set them out to rise. I use my Silpat here. No need to grease the pan or use parchment. And no sticking, w.h.a.t.s.o.e.v.e.r. Then you do the egg wash, if you are so inclined. I had little helpers. I think they may have been a wee bit liberal in the application.
Bake and enjoy. Don't they look tasty? They sure are. Do notice how I didn't bake them until they turned brown. Let the toaster over do that when you reheat them. But you can see, they are still perfectly cooked on the inside.
Now, perhaps when spare time just randomly falls from the sky, I'll calculate the cost so I can know for certain I'm saving some cash and not wasting time I could spend ten thousand and one other ways.
Lastly, dude, I love my Silpat. I don't know how folks get along without one. I have two of these. One of my best culinary investments, period.