Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Busy Day

Woke early & cleaned my bathroom. Then headed into my bedroom to try to get my clothes under control. I still haven't tamed this beast, but I got a little handle on it this morning. Then, I prayed & read my Bible, checked my email. Right now I'm trying to get homeschool done and hopefully get a shower in before this afternoon. We're going to my parents to help my mom who is off work & is preparing to have a surgery to replace her hip tomorrow. Then we have my son's swimming lessons tonight. Not sure what we'll have for dinner. I may just throw the chicken & bbq sauce in for BBQ Chicken sandwiches. I want to try to make Heathers Rolls for tonight's meal, but I'm embarrassed to admit I don't understand the whole "wheat gluten" thing. I only have wheat flour and when I went shopping I asked the store if they understood why she would say to add wheat gluten, they didn't know and all I could find was wheat gluten flour. If she doesn't comment, I'll have to leave a comment on her blog so that she can teach me some things. :o) I have a lot to learn still. LOL.

SO, that's my plan for today.
Just trucken' along on this journey called "Life".

Have a great day in Jesus everyone!

~Mercy~

Oh, by the way, I've been doing TERRIBLE on keeping my washer & dryer cleared off. So, since this is May 1st (you know, the first of the month) I plan to have a "start over fresh" day today. We'll just call it a new beginning and act like I didn't fail these last few days. :-D

It's kind of like being "born again" - Old things are past away and behold, all things have become new! God is So good!!!

3 comments:

runningtothecross said...

Wheat Gluten is no more than a type of dough conditioner, it makes the bread chewier. However it is not ABSOLUTELY necessary. I use it mainly when I make whole grain bread. That is 100% whole wheat bread, no white flour. I have found that when I make bread from freshly milled flour it changes the texture somewhat, but it doesn't make a huge difference.

The most important thing when making bread is to let it rise long enough. You can let it rise 1 or 2 times before shaping it into your rolls or loaves. (You punch it down in between risings to get all the air out.) The texture of your bread is better when it rises twice before shaping it, then it rises a third time before baking, but it is NOT necessary to let it rise twice before shaping. I usually let it rise once, then I shape it into rolls or loaves, then let it rise again (in rolls or loaves), then I bake it.

Back to the wheat gluten: Again, this is only optional, I think wheat gluten is a protein...But it works like a glue and when you add water to it it becomes stingy and sticky (kind of like glue).

I have made bread several times without wheat gluten and it turns out just fine. I have just used it in the last 5 years or so, since I have had my grain mill.

I hope this helps...and doesn't confuse!!! ;O)

Blessings!
Heather

Mercy said...

Thank you Heather. I thought I'd just post the question up on my blog, because I can't be the only one just learning these things. Right?

I haven't ever done the freshly milled, but I would LOVE to try. I bet it would be delicious!!

I used to make fresh bread all the time, but haven't in a really long time. I was hoping for a bread machine to make life easier someday. But, until then, I'll just enjoy the process. :o)

I'm not sure I'll be able to make these for tonight, but I'll be trying them sometime soon. Do they keep very well? Do you freeze them ever? Just curious.

Thanks so much Heather!!
~Mercy~

runningtothecross said...

You can freeze the bread, I recommend using a freezer bag or a foodsaver vacuum sealer.

I have been advised that if I am freezing the bread to do so immediately after it is cool enough to bag up.

The freshness is usually the same as letting it sit on the countertop in a bag for a day. Whole grain bread always seems drier than white bread, but it also depends on the amount of flour you used for you recipe.

Blessings!
Heather