Saturday, August 27, 2011

White Bread


I've tried many different white bread recipes over the years and this one has to be the BEST one yet!!!


Below is the recipe for the bread that Walter Sands made faithfully once a week for years. Walter was the father of Frank E. Sands, King Arthur Flour's current chairman of the board. Because of his arthritic hands, he used a bread bucket with a crank, which kneaded hundred of loaves of this fragrant bread with all its happy associations.
2 cups (16 ounces) warm water
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) sugar or honey (1 1/2 ounces)
1 scant tablespoon or packet active dry yeast
1/2 cup (2 ounces) dry milk powder or granules (1 1/4 ounces), optional
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter, softened, or vegetable oil (7/8 ounce)
6 cups (25 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons salt
Pour the warm water into a mixing bowl. Add and let dissolve the sugar or honey and then the yeast. When the yeast is bubbling, add the dry milk, butter and 3 cups of flour and the salt. Mix together and then stir in a further 2 1/2 cups of flour. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup on the surface you intend to use for kneading.

Knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes, until it begins to behave as if it belonged together. Let it rest while you clean and grease the bowl. Continue kneading a further 3 to 4 minutes, until the dough feels smooth and springy.

Let the dough rise until doubled (1 to 2 hours). Knock it down, knead out any stray bubbles, cut it in half and form two loaves. Place them in two lightly greased 4 1/2 x 8 1/2-inch bread pans. Let rise until almost doubled (45 minutes to 1 hour).

Preheat the oven for 15 minutes to 350°F. Bake the loaves 35 to 40 minutes, or until nicely browned. Remove bread from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Yield: 2 loaves.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet Newsletter, Vol. III, No. 6, July-August 1992 issue.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Fears Realized


Had the best time this morning at the Quilted Crow Fabric and Quilt Shop!!! Peg was such a great encouragement to me today and she did it with a wonderful sense of humor. It was such a joy to laugh and joke around. Life is so serious sometimes and our trip to Peg's shop gave us a chance to leave our troubles outside.


Stop by and check out Peg's online store. Just click on the button above and check it out. Better yet, if you are ever in the Harpursville, NY area pop in and visit with Peg personally. Her shop is set inside a beautiful cabin and is filled to the brim with all sorts of primitive fabrics, kits, threads, wools, notions, etc. She has some gorgeous samples all around her shop which are a beautiful inspiration to all level of quilters.


Peg also has a beautiful blog!!! Stop on over and start following her today. She is one seriously talented lady and you don't want to miss a single post. (Peg let us in on a little secret! Shhhhhh don't tell anyone but she has a pattern that is going to be published in the Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine. That's all she would tell me. Couldn't even get a hint about what the pattern would look like!) Click here and visit Peg's blog today.

Speaking of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine...if you are serious about your love of all things primitive, you want to subscribe to this awesome magazine. (I missed the debut issue. If anyone has one to sell, please let me know.) The content is amazing. Patterns are included for all projects. This is one serious magazine!!! Their customer service is top of the line. I subscribed to this magazine and in days my copy was in my mailbox!!!


Okay, speaking of fears realized! I have seen so many wool projects the past few years and have been totally intimidated by this medium. Don't ask me why, I'm not usually that shy to try my hand at something new. There are so many varieties. I think it's that I don't understand the lingo. When I went into the Quilted Crow Fabric and Quilt Shop today, I went with the intention that I was going to finally put aside my fears and tackle one of the beautiful wool projects in the Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine.

Well, when I entered the shop, I went directly to the wool corner that Peg has set up in her shop. I picked up some beautiful orange wool, turned it over in my hands and put it back on the shelf. I then picked up a gorgeous green wool, turned it over in my hands and put it back on the shelf. I closed my magazine, stepped back and told my friend Sue (my traveling partner, sister in Christ and one of my best friends) I couldn't do it. I was confused, intimidated and actually fearful to start. There I said it - I was afraid.


After spending some time discussing my fears with Peg and her explanation of the various types of wool she has in her shop, I broke down and bought some. I told Peg that I would blog about the process but wasn't promising anything!

Okay, so now that I've let you know even more about myself, I'm asking that you check on my progress every so often to see how I'm doing with my wool project (or if I've even gotten the nerve to get started!).

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Turkey Trot Treasury Giveaway - Sign Up Today!






Do you want to have a chance to win the entire collection of the Fall/Thanksgiving treasury you see above? If you do, you will need to click here to visit the treasury and sign up by commenting on the treasury!!! (You will need an Etsy account in order to enter. Registration is completely free!)

One lucky winner will be chosen at random on September 1st!!! All 16 items will be awarded the winner with the prize valued at over $250!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Watch out for the Turkey Trot!


Photobucket

Here's a sneak peek at one of the 16 items included in The Old Farmhouse Gathering Turkey Trot giveaway. The giveaway is valued at approximately $250 and begins August 14th. Mark your calendars!!!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Needed a laugh today!

How about you?