Homemade Bread in 5 Minutes

One of my oldest friends another Jenna! started making her own bread and claimed it was so easy even I could do it.  

At the time I had 3 kids under 3.  I didn't have time to open a pack of pop-tarts let alone make my own bread!

Nonetheless, she sent me the link for the recipe...Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes.  I took one look and gave it a fat NO!

She insisted on coming over and giving me a personal bread making demonstration.  

To my surprise it was so easy that, yes, even I could do it!

You can try and follow the website's recipe or take a look at my step by step instructions with pictures below.  I tried to make it busy mom friendly.  

Ready to give it a try?  Check out my version of the recipe - I know you'll love it!

Artisan Bread Recipe

Tools: 

Deep bowl 

Plate

Clean dish towel

Sheet of parchment paper

Baking tray

Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast

1 tablespoon salt

3 1/2 cups lukewarm water

6 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Directions:

In a deep bowl add the following ingredients...

1 tablespoon ACTIVE DRY YEAST

1 tablespoon of kosher salt

3 1/2 cups lukewarm water

Stir ingredients

Add 6 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Stir

Your dough will look like this...

Throw a clean dish towel over your bowl on the countertop for 2 hours.  I used to use 2 baby bibbs, ha!

It will rise and look like this...

Place a plate on top of your bowl of dough, but make sure it is not completely sealed.  Stick it in the frig until ready to bake.  Let it chill for about 1 hour. 

Place a layer of parchment on an oven tray and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

After your dough has chilled, flour your hands and the top of your dough generously or it will be too sticky to pick up.

Pick up a softball sized slab of dough and tuck the edges under to form a loaf.  Take a serrated knife and make 3 quarter inch slices across the top of your loaf.

It should look something like this...

Let the unbaked loaf sit on the counter for about 15-20 minutes while the oven is  warming up.

After the loaf is done resting, stick it in the oven for 30 minutes or until the surface is golden.

See the pic at the top for a look of the finished product!

Let it is sit for 10-15 minutes before digging in.  

Repeat the process with the remaining dough the next time you are hungry for bread.  

The dough is good for about a week.  I've found the dough gets a little crunchy after that.  

Easy Super Bowl Party App!

My mother-in-law makes these simple but addictive salami, cream cheese and horseradish bites.  They are everyone's favorite and you can make them ahead - perfect for an easy Superbowl Sunday app!

Meemaw's Salami Snacks

• 3/4 pound of thinly sliced hard salami

• 1 tub of soft cream cheese

• 1-2 teaspoons of horseradish

Add 1-2 teaspoons of horseradish to the soft cream cheese.  Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on the salami.  Top with a slice of salami.  Add one more layer of the cream cheese mixture and place a final slice of salami on top.  You'll have 3 layers of salami and 2 layers of the cream cheese mixture.

Place completed salami snacks on a cookie sheet and freeze for 1 hour.  

When the hour is up, take the snacks out of the freezer and cut each round into fourths.  

Refreeze until ready to use.  

Enjoy!

Anita Harley's Art

I'm a huge fan of Anita Harley's art.

My favorite paintings are of people, and I love how Anita is able to capture so much personality in her work.

Plus the watercolor with the little old lady hula hooping looks like my sweet great grandmother, Little Mum Mum!

Love these paintings?  Check out more here.

Happy Friday!

xo

Kelly

Shake Shack Love

I forget names, important facts and dates rather quickly.  But my memories of food seem to stick...

I recently ate at the new Shake Shack in King of Prussia, and all I've done is dream about their crispy golden fries and creamy, perfectly balanced vanilla to chocolate black and white milkshakes.

The place has fast moving lines and just enough seats to squeeze in all of its customers.  Fond memories of the Shake Shack in NYC and excellent people watching gave me the patience to wait around and squeeze my family of 5 into a table for 2.  

My 2 year old daughter dug right into the scene and took the lid off her milkshake and dipped her fries in it.  She may be a baby genius!

The place did not dissapoint.  It was a fun spot for a gourmet junk food adventure with the kids, but I think it would make for a great casual date night too.  They serve beer and wine!  

Mast Brothers even makes a chocolate bar exclusively for the Shake Shack.  Total stamp of approval.

Ever been?  Get the full scoop and find a location near you here!

One New Healthy Habit

For about 6 months I've been running steady and got into the habit of chowing down on cookies and cupcakes from the local coffee shop on my way home from my workouts.  I have a sweet tooth obviously and running makes my cravings a lot worse.

One of my resolutions is to replace my junk binge after my runs with a more nutritious snack. 

My solution...whole grain toast with organic peanut butter and whatever fruit I happen to have in the frig.  Today I picked the leftover raspberries from my kids' breakfast plates.  This snack still gives me my sweet fix and it's a lot more satisfying!

Anyone else trying to make healthier changes in your diet?  What's working?

Heartwarming Olympics Video

The Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games are around the corner, and I can't wait!

To get pumped up, check out P&G's heartwarming video Pick Them Back Up about moms teaching their kids to be resilient athletes.  Watch it here and with a box of tissues!

xo

Kelly

Spending the Day at Terrain

Ever been to Terrain?  It's like a rustic Alice in Wonderland for grown ups!

I happily met my college girlfriends there recently.  We spent the day sipping gingerbread lattes by the fire pit, chatting and shopping for home and garden goodies, and lunching on chickpea and parsnip sloppy joes and fluffy popovers served in flower pots.  It was just the perfect day!

If you can't make it out to Terrain in Glen Mills, PA or Westport, CT, check them out online or just take a quick glimpse of my pics.  Enjoy!