Category: Recipes

Homesteading, Recipes

The Most Delicious & Easy Bread Recipe

Kath

I’ve been on a bread baking journey on and off for the past year. On and off because when I make “bad bread,” I get discouraged and give up. Well, since bread prices have gone up along with the unnecessary ingredients in it, I’ve decided to fully commit to baking and have completely fallen in love with the process.

The first thing I wanted to make sure I knew how to bake was basic sandwich bread. Being that my kids love sandwiches, toast, and a slice of bread with their dinner, this was a staple I wanted to confidently get down. And thankfully, we have!

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups of unbleached organic all purpose or wheat flour (sifted)
  • 1 TBSP salt
  • 1 TBSP turbinado sugar (you can use whatever sugar you like, I’ve had the best outcomes with this type and enjoy it more)
  • 1 1/2 TSP bread yeast
  • Approx. 2 – 2 1/2 cups of water (ideally you’ll want to this to be anywhere between 117-120 degrees Fahrenheit)

RECIPE

This recipe is super simple and hardly takes any time at all to make! Heres what you do:

  1. Sift the flour. Sifting the flour will break up any lumps and creates a light and airy texture to the bread. Highly recommend doing when baking!
  2. Combine and stir the rest of the dry ingredients (salt, sugar, and yeast) TIP: Always remember to refrigerate your yeast. This is something I didn’t know or realize was on the label of our yeast. For months I’d ask myself why the yeast was no longer working…now we know!
  3. Now you’ll want to add your water. To help get an accurate measurement I’ll place a meat thermometer under the faucet and leave it on that setting once I reach anywhere between 117-120 degrees F. Add 2 – 2 1/2 cups of water to your dry ingredients.

    You want to make sure you don’t have any dry flour leftover in your bowl- but you also don’t want the dough to be TOO wet. Think of it more like a sticky, thicker pancakey batter consistency.
  4. Stir the dough until the dry and wet ingredients are completely combined. Cover with a dish towel on your counter for 1-2 hours to allow the dough to rise.
  5. Once the dough has risen, give it a little drizzle of olive oil and carefully fold over the dough with a fork or spoon. Then transfer the dough into whatever baking pan or dish you plan to bake it in. I find it helpful to use parchment paper in my dish when baking the bread.
  6. Bake your bread at 375F for about 40-45 minutes.

& that’s it! It’s so simple. We can bake good quality bread that our family will love AND that will save us money. It’s a win win. I find it most productive to make the dough first thing in the morning, give it those couple hours to rise, transfer it, another hour to rise, and we’re able to bake it in time for lunch or the kids’ afternoon snack.

Let me know if you give this recipe a try in the comments or be sure to follow along on Instagram @honestlymommin

Talk soon.
Kath

Recipes

Super Simple Sourdough Starter Biscuits

Kath

February was the month of learning how to Sourdough. How to make starter, how to feed it, keep it alive, and then learn what all we can make with it. We have yet to attempt a loaf of bread, but we have made a couple of delicious recipes! One being homemade biscuits. Once you try biscuits from scratch, there’s really no going back. They’re super simple to make, and beyond better than the ones you pop out of a can.

You really can’t mess this recipe up. It takes minimal prep time and is so easy to make! Whether you want to make the biscuits with or without the starter, it’s super simple. Here’s what you need.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups All Purpose Flour
  • Sourdough Starter (approx. 1 cup)
  • 1 stick of butter FROZEN
  • Pinch of salt
  • Approx. 1/2-1 cup of milk
  • 1 tbsp. Baking powder

Recipe

Now, before I get into it I will say that as much as I love to cook and try new recipes, I’m all about eye balling the ingredients. It’s just how I’m wired. Trying to do better with precision, but until then these are my guesstimated amounts.

  • First, you’ll need to preheat the oven to 450 and get a decent sized bowl. If you’re wanting to incorporate sourdough starter, scoop one cup of that into the bowl. Combine with the milk (if you have buttermilk – even better) and whisk them together until it’s a frothy mix without any clumps. Then sift your flour into the bowl. Add salt, baking powder and start mixing! If the dough seems a little dry you can add more milk or water.
  • You’ll then want to grate or crumble the frozen butter. Freezing the butter makes this process so much easier and helps to form those buttery biscuit flakes we love so much. My kids love to take on the butter grating so if you’re wanting to include your kids in on the fun, this is a great task for them to help with.
  • Once the butter is grated you’ll add it to the bowl and start folding it in with the flour. I’ve found that it’s easiest to remove the dough from the bowl and start hand kneading it to ensure that the butter is as evenly distributed as possible.
  • Once your dough is looking and feeling good, it’s time to roll it out. I usually have the dough about half an inch thick, it’s really up to you and what you prefer.
  • If you don’t have cutters (like me), cups make for great dough cutting! I just grab one of our tall glass cups, flip it upside down and start forming the biscuits.
  • Once your biscuits are ready, assembled and the oven is ready, it’s time to bake. Place the biscuits in the oven at 450 for 10-12 minutes.
  • Once cooled, it’s time to eat! Grab some extra butter, jam or gravy and enjoy!

If you try this recipe and love it as much as our family does, be sure to tag me on Instagram @Honestlymommin . I’d love to support you as you continue to progress in your homemade cooking journey!

Talk soon.
Kath

Recipes

Go To Recipe for the Picky Toddler

Kath

We were very lucky with our twins. When it came to trying new food, they would eat ANYTHING. To this day we laugh looking back at them attempting to scarf down their Dad’s pork chop at 9 months old — paella by 3 years old! However our youngest, who is 3, takes picky eating to a WHOLE other level. If it was up to him, his diet would consist of bread, butter, mac n cheese, and pirates booty. If it holds any nutritional value, theres a solid chance that he’ll refuse to eat it, which has forced me to get creative with sneaking healthy foods into his meals. Smoothies are my usual go to when discreetly adding fruits, vegetables, and/or supplements. After paying more attention to the ingredients in pre-made and processed food and being completely appalled by the additives and mystery natural flavors I’ve become even more motivated to create healthy, REAL food that will be beneficial for children’s health. This week we started with a classic staple kids meal – chicken nuggets.

This seems to be a trending recipe as I’ve seen it all over Instagram reels. We put our own spin on it with a few added spices and it is something that my kids ask me for almost every day now. Mom win! Check below for the recipe and be sure to tag me on Instagram if you give it a try! Would love to see any additions you do to make it your own and how it positively impacts your family’s health and nutrition goals.

Here’s what you need:

  • 1-2 packages of ground chicken or turkey (I’ve tried both – chicken is definitely better but turkey is easier to find. Trader Joe’s currently has a great pasture raised ground chicken)
  • 1 egg
  • Panko or breadcrumbs
  • Seasoning: salt, pepper, garlic, onion, paprika (I also added some of our local butcher’s bbq meat rub. It gave the nuggets a little zing of spice and extra flavor)
  • Air fryer or oven (Air fryer is quicker and makes the nuggets a little toastier)

Instructions:

  • First, you’ll need to add the ground chicken or turkey to a bowl
  • Add the egg, and about a half cup of the panko or breadcrumbs
  • Thoroughly mix everything together
  • Once you’ve done that, start forming the nuggets with your hands and coating them with your breadcrumbs
  • After that is complete, transfer your nuggets to your oven or air fryer. Cook the nuggets in the air fryer at 345 degrees for about 30 minutes. (I have never made these nuggets in the oven but my guess would be to bake them around 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes to get that crunch)
  • Let nuggets cool down, and enjoy with some ketchup, bbq sauce, or homemade ranch! (another recipe you can expect to see from us soon)

And that’s it! It takes a little bit of prep work but it is so worth it and your kids will love it just as much as you will!

You can view my Instagram Reel showing the step by steps for this recipe below: