Bread | Happy Simple Living

Day 26 of the January Money Diet – Make Something From Scratch

By eliza_cross, on January 26th, 2012%

Today’s challenge is to make something from scratch that you might normally buy at the store. Here are some ideas to get you started:

What do you love to make from scratch? If you make something at home this week, be sure to let us know what you create.

By the way, if you’re on Pinterest you can check out all these foods and more on my “Foods From Scratch” board.

P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!

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Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket

In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.

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Make Your Own Quick Bread

By eliza_cross, on January 11th, 2010%

Quick breads are perfect for busy days; they require no yeast, no kneading, no rising time, and generally, no fancy ingredients. A loaf of quick bread is usually leavened with baking powder and/or baking soda, and bakes in an hour or so.

I’ve been trying to use up some of the kitchen cabinet and freezer inventory this month, and a can of pumpkin was the perfect inspiration for this loaf of pumpkin bread. We enjoyed it warm from the oven with butter one night with dinner, and the next day I cut thick slices of the bread and toasted it for breakfast.

Here’s the recipe from AllRecipes.com, where you can also find reader-tested recipes for applesauce bread and banana bread. Enjoy!

Make Your Own Tender, Perfectly Puffed Pita Breads – for Pennies!

By eliza_cross, on March 31st, 2009%

After reading about homemade pita bread on the King Arthur Flour blog, I was obsessed with making a batch from scratch. I love pita bread, but I was spoiled years ago by warm, fresh-from-the-oven pitas in Athens and have never found anything close here in Colorado. Even at one of Denver’s largest Middle Eastern grocery stores, the pitas are chewy and a bit cardboardy.

Using the King Arthur recipe as a guideline (and based on research that recommended a mix of no more than 33% whole wheat flour for reliable rising), I substituted 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of spelt flour for one cup of the all-purpose flour. I didn’t have any King Arthur’s Dough Improver so I added a pinch of baking powder. Once the dough was ready to bake, I divided it into 8 portions and flattened the first ball slightly with my fingers like this:

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