My Morning (Homemaker) Routine~

Happy Monday!

There's a new video up on my YouTube channel sharing a little peek into my morning routine as a homemaker. We would love it if you would join us over there!

Thanks for stopping by! 

xo,

TJ

New Video! Make No Knead Bread with Me ~

 

Hello again!

There's a new video on my TJ's Sweet Home YouTube channel, titled:

Make No Knead Bread with Me

If you'd like to pay me a visit over there, I would love to have you!

Here's a summary...

"I planned on doing a voice over but it just didn't work out🙄 I appreciate your patience as I try figuring out all this technology.

{It isn't easy making bread while looking through the lens! I was nervous, lol.😆}

I'm not a professional baker or bread maker, just an everyday home cook. I don't follow the bread making rules but the results always turn out fine.

My breadmaking story:
I began my bread making journey many years ago, first using a bread machine and the boxed bread mixes sold at grocery store. Then I ventured into trying out bread recipes in the machine. We quickly became spoiled to homemade bread! In the next gew years, I went through two bread machines, always declaring that I would NEVER knead bread dough and if for some reason we found ourselves without a bread maker, we would be eating store bought bread. When the second bread machine finally gave up the ghost, I researched the possibility of a "no knead" recipe. Fast forward to now. Fresh hot bread is made at least once a week around here, no bread machine needed.

(Full disclosure: since my son gifted us a KitchenAid mixer, that is what I use to make this dough these days but I made many loaves for a few years without the machine.)

Easy No Knead Bread

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm/"blood temperature " water (I use the hottest water from our tap)
1 tbsp sugar or honey
1 tbsp oil (a light tasting cooking oil of your choice)
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus more as needed to achieve desired dough texture)
2 tsp salt

Place ingredients (I rarely take the time to "proof" my yeast🫣) into a large bowl in order listed then mix until the ingredients are well incorporated and has a "shaggy" appearance. Using hands, form the dough into a ball (try to get any stray flour and dough pieces at the bottom of the mixing bowl added to the dough ball. If dough is sticky, add small amounts of flour until, when you handle the dough, it is no longer sticky.). Work the dough ball into an oval shape and until it as smooth as possible. Place dough into a bread pan that's been oiled or sprayed with a baking spray. (No bread pan? No problem! Just shape the dough into a baguette-or two-OR one round shape and bake on a sheet pan that has been lined with parchment paper OR sprayed with a bakers spray OR oiled and sprinkled with cornmeal.) You can leave the dough as is but I usually press mine in.

Now...it's time to let the dough rise (I only do one rise. Again...🫣🤫) to about twice it's size (mine usually takes 1 to 1 1/2 hours). I use my oven that I have warmed up for about a minute but you can place your dough in a warm area covered with a tea towel while it rises.

When the dough has risen, I heat my oven to 375°F (while it is still in the oven) and set the timer for 35 minutes (ovens vary so you may want to start checking at around 20-25 minutes). Your bread is done when it is golden brown and sounds hollow if you tap on it.

Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for about ten minutes covered with a tea towel before turning the loaf out to cool (I turn my pan on it's side since hubby said that's what his grandma used to do.😊)

Enjoy your bread! (If you can't wait until it's cool...no shame! We've been known to cut into a hot loaf and slather with butter...SO GOOD!. The only down fall is, it doesn't cut as easily/cleanly when it's hot.

*a good serrated bread knife makes cutting easier.

🌹🐞While my dough was rising, I went outside and to my surprise, had a wonderful unexpected visit from a little ladybug. I was also excited to see a few fragrant roses on on our rose bush!"

I suppose I practice a "lazy girl" method of bread baking but if the results turn out well, why bother with extra time-taking steps? I know I could (and do sometimes) make extra special (read: pretty) loaves, but as I stated, I'm a home cook and my main objective each day is to get tasty food prepared for us, all while juggling the other tasks of the day. And I only have so much energy to spare. At the end of the day, the "rustic"😜 looking loaves taste the same as the "pretty" loaves.

I hope you enjoy the video, and as always...

thanks for stopping by! 

xo,

TJ

Welcome Back~

 

no matter what life brings...MUST. KEEP. A. SENSE. OF. HUMOR!🤣

Welcome back!

Things have begun to improve, freeing me up to get back to enjoyable endeavors. Despite life's challenges lately, I have (mostly) been able to keep up with my #dailyselfie2023 over on my TJ's Sweet Home Instagram and Facebook accounts. 

Also, there's a new video over on my YouTube channel. I'd love for you to visit there soon!

Thank you for hanging in there with me and once again stopping by!

xo,

TJ