Author Archives: Mary

About Mary

Mary Ellen Ward is a farm-raised content writer, mother, homesteader, wife, ghostwriter, and published author. Through her blog writing and publishing, she aims to find ways to make good, traditional eating, backyard farming, gardening, and fun stuff like easy home wine making and tea making to others like her--busy with the needs of modern life, committed to the best of years gone by.

Best Kitchenaid Bread Recipe – My Everyday Standby

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I don’t buy bread anymore. I make all the bread we eat here. There are six of us, so that means I make homemade bread just about every day. That may sound like a lot but we really like good bread around here. I also think we tend to go through quite a bit just because it’s homemade, and it’s so good! (Please allow me to say so myself–I’m not trying to brag, but it’s homemade bread, and it’s hard for that not to be good 😉 ).

Stand Mixer Bread Recipe I’ve been making all of our bread for a number of years now…probably at least three. I don’t really remember the last time I bought bread. Up until about six months ago I relied heavily on my bread machine. I hardly ever actually baked the bread in the machine. We all liked it so much more if it was baked in the oven and had that more traditional flavor. Most often I would use the “dough” setting on the machine, then take it out and let it rise, then bake it in the oven. It was pretty darn good stuff, but not exactly like Grandma made. That process did take quite a bit of time, too, and only made one loaf at a time. Most days I was doing it twice to have enough bread to feed the family. Still, it was so much better than bread from the store shelves, and I always knew its exact age and exactly what I did and didn’t put into it.

Then one day towards the end of the summer, right before school started and my busiest bread-baking time of the year commenced, my bread maker gave up on me. I had put it through its paces but still I had only had it a couple of years, so I was kind of on the fence about investing in a new one. Bread machines are quite handy, but expensive. I already owned a Kitchenaid mixer (a hand-me-down from my mother-in-law, bless her, which had lasted through years of her ownership, professional cake-making, and at least 10 years with me…I don’t even know how old it is!). I had made bread with it before, but never seemed to quite get the knack enough to make it a simplified, everyday process. My sister told me to forget the bread maker and just use the Kitchenaid like she did, but I didn’t want to give up the “set it and forget it” routine I’d developed with my bread machine and the dough cycle.

I figured what I really needed was a reliable stand mixer bread recipe that didn’t have too many steps and that could still be done in a relatively short amount of time, without a lot of floury kneading. Like I said, I was (am) making bread just about every day of the week, and I didn’t have time or patience for dealing with or cleaning a flour-dusted surface every day, for multiple kneading and rising steps, or for remembering far enough ahead of time to begin such a process.

To cut to the chase of the story, I played with some bread recipes but then finally figured out that what makes bread machine bread simple is the fast-acting yeast (sometimes called instant yeast, sometimes called rapid rise, and all the same thing as the bread machine yeast). Fast acting yeasts actually let you cut out an entire rising, punching, and kneading process. When I figured this out and combined the method for rapid-rise yeast with a good bread recipe I had, I came up with a real winner that is the absolute heart of our meals here at home.

What I ended up with was an excellent kitchen aid recipe for white bread (or stand mixer bread recipe if you don’t have the Kitchenaid brand–we’re not snobs here 😉 that takes only a few minutes of active time to make, that is excellent for everything from toast to sandwiches to French toast and more, and that I can let my mixer whip up and knead for me while I cook supper or muddle through the dishes. Incidentally, it’s a versatile recipe that you should have no trouble cutting part whole grain, oats, or whole wheat flour into, too. And today, I share it here with you!

Best Easy Kitchenaid Bread Recipe

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Best Kitchenaid Bread Recipe - My Everyday Standby
Author: 
Recipe type: Yeast Bread
Cuisine: Traditional White Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2 loaves
 
Finally! An excellent, easy KitchenAid or stand mixer bread recipe that really allows the mixer to do all the mixing and kneading for you.
Ingredients
  • 6½ Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 3 Tablespoons Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Salt
  • 3 Tablespoons Lard (can substitute shortening)
  • 1½ Tablespoons Instant Yeast (Rapid Rise or Bread machine yeast may be substituted in equal amounts)
  • 2½ Cups Very Warm Water (around 120F to allow the yeast to act)
Instructions
  1. Place all dry ingredients and the lard in the KitchenAid mixer.
  2. Using the flat beater attachment, mix dry ingredients and lard through. Use the "stir" or lowest setting, for just 1 to 2 minutes until the dry mix looks uniform.
  3. With the mixer still running, pour in the water and mix just until dough is wet through, shaggy, and sticky--just 30 seconds to a minute.
  4. Stop, remove the flat beater, and place the dough hook onto your stand mixer.
  5. Set to speed 1 or 2 and let the mixer run, kneading the dough, for 6 to 8 minutes.
  6. After kneading, stop, remove the dough hook and let the dough rest in the Kitchenaid mixer bowl for 10 minutes.
  7. Grease 2 bread loaf pans. Shape dough into 2 loaves*, place in pans, and cover with a clean, damp towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled/about an inch above the rim of the pan.
  8. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

*I find this bread rises best and has the best texture if it is pressed out flat on a floured surface and then rolled up, starting with one short end, and then shaping the rolled ends to loaf shape. Now, I know I complained about daily flour messes, but I keep an old cookie sheet on hand dusted with a bit of flour just for quick things like this. I happen to stash it in Kitchenaid Bread Recipean unused wood cook stove, but a long tupperware with a cover or a covered jelly roll pan or something similar could easily accomplish the same thing and be stored with your pans or baking goods.

…And so long as you are flattening the dough, take one of the loaves and before rolling cover the flat surface with a good dose of cinnamon sugar (heavy on the cinnamon), then roll it up, pinch/shape the ends and Voila! You have a delicious cinnamon-swirl loaf for morning toast, too. Now that you have this easy stand mixer bread recipe, you, too can have fresh homemade bread your way, every day!

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Big Batch Peanut Butter Granola Recipe – Easy!!

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Easy and delicious, and better yet, versatile–excellent traits for a recipe to have. And boy does this peanut butter granola recipe have them!

Homemade granola serves as one of the staples in my house, because it offers up whole Peanut Butter Granola Graphicgrains (and white bread eaters like us could use a hidden, healthy does of whole grains) and also because we can use it in many ways. My son makes it his breakfast cereal; my husband takes it to work to top his homemade yogurt for a dose of energy when he takes his coffee break in the morning; and the others frequently grab a bag for their lunchboxes to munch trail mix-style.

So yes, our granola gets around and it’s nice when I can find a way to add some variety to that, such as a new granola flavor (to date we’ve done your typical, regular granola, a chocolate version, and now we’ve added this peanut butter variety as well), it really helps to keep the household happy. This particular recipe has helped to keep me happy, too, because it is the simplest and fastest granola recipe I’ve experienced to date. I swear the whole process takes no more than 20 minutes.

Credit Where It’s Due…

The original Peanut Butter Granola recipe I found, of course, on Pinterest and it originated at Shape.com. That recipe, however, was tiny and was never going to do for my family of 6 (we’re talking a 1 cup batch here, folks). That kind of boggled me because granola keeps very well on its own. Homemade granola is very easy to store and if you’re taking the time to make it anyway, why not make enough to make it worth it? Realistically, it might add a half a minute or two to the process, but then you’ve got it ready and waiting for a while…or for a day and a half if you’re my crew (perhaps when the novelty wears a bit we’ll stretch it to three days…yes, it’s that good).

So to cut the story short (too late!?), I modified the recipe to something that seemed sensible to me, and now what I have for you is this 8-cup recipe for:

Big Batch Peanut Butter Granola

  • Homemade Peanut Butter Granola1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1 Cup Honey
  • 2 Tsp Cinnamon
  • 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 8 Cups Oats
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Combine peanut butter and honey in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 1 minute and 20 seconds, just until the peanut butter melts.
  3. Stir well to combine peanut butter and honey.
  4. Stir vanilla and cinnamon into the peanut butter mixture.
  5. Add peanut butter mixture to oats and stir until all oats are coated and mixture is worked through thoroughly.
  6. Spread onto prepared baking sheets and bake at 325 for about 10 minutes.
  7. When edges just start to brown, the granola is done. It will crisp as it cools and you will have a nice, crunchy (but not cut-your-mouth crunchy) granola when it cools completely.

Tips & Notes:

  • I would consider adding 1/4-1/2 cup chopped peanuts just for a bit more crunch and texture, although it’s excellent all on its own. If you do, it’s possible you might need to add a touch more peanut butter.
  • I would also suspect Crunchy Peanut Butter would work well to add more crunch and a bit stronger flavor. I typically don’t keep it around, but I’d bet it would be very good.
  • Local honey is best as, well, it’s local and hasn’t polluted the world getting to you, but you also get all those wonderful benefits of local honey, including building immunity to allergies.
  • Store in a sealed container, such as a Tupperware cereal container or 2 quart Mason Jars with covers (my favorite pantry look 😉 ). Will keep for a long time stored this way. I can’t say how long, it never lasts long enough for me to know!

Do enjoy, and do let me know what you thought of this recipe–or if you have any of your own suggestions or modifications to share, please comment below!

 

Bisquick Recipes: 20 Minute Cinnamon Rolls

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Cinnamon rolls–I don’t believe I know one person who doesn’t love them, but they are probably one of the more seldom made homemade baked goods. I get it. Making cinnamon rolls is a bit of a commitment, and quite often we just don’t have the time (we are NOT counting the pop-the-can variety, here 😉 ).

Yeast cinnamon rolls, while one of my absolute favorites in the world, just don’t always fit into our schedules. But THESE cinnamon rolls certainly will and they’re a very fair substitute. We’re talking BASIC ingredients (remember that all purpose baking mix?), a few minutes to mix and roll, and 12 minutes to bake. You’ll be quite happy with the results, I promise.

Baking Mix Cinnamon Rolls

https://thehomemadehomestead.com/?p=50In case you didn’t take my hint, you’re going to want to go grab that homemade Bisquick we talked about a few days back. If you don’t have it, don’t worry. You probably even have all the ingredients and time to make the homemade Bisquick recipe, too! However, this recipe also works with any all-purpose baking mix or Bisquick, Jiffy mix, biscuit mix, etc. I did use the mix linked above, though.

These easy cinnamon rolls are very simple to make with minimal time and ingredients. Here’s how:

20 Minute Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

  • 4 Cups Baking Mix (All purpose like homemade Bisquick mix)
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 1/4 Cups Milk
  • Soft (spreadable) butter
  • Cinnamon Sugar

-Combine the baking mix, eggs, and milk and mix through.

-Dust cutting board with a bit of additional baking mix or flour and knead 6-8 times (I actually do this on a cookie sheet I keep for such things–contain the mess, save time!).

-Press (or roll) dough out to about 8 x 15, or 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness.

-Spread dough with softened butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (I like a heavy cinnamon flavor, so I often dust the sugar with more plain cinnamon).

-Roll the dough, starting with the longest edge (when finished you should have one long “tube” of cinnamon roll, about 15 inches long).

-Cut into 1-inch slices and place on lightly greased cookie sheet (or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet).

– Bake at 425 F for about 12 minutes.

-Makes about 15 cinnamon rolls.

While baking, mix a quick glaze for the top.

For the glaze:

  • 1 Cup Confectioner’s Sugar
  • 1 splash Vanilla Extract (1/2 teaspoon? To taste)
  • 2 Tablespoons Milk

Simply mix ingredients together to a pourable consistency, adding more or less milk as needed. Drizzle over hot rolls when they come out of the oven.

Enjoy!

That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Whip them up in the morning while the sleepy-heads are in bed and they’ll think you slaved for them all the wee hours. And don’t forget to come back again because I’ll have more versatile, delicious homemade Bisquick recipes for you–including a delicious Homemade Beer Batter Chicken Nugget recipe coming soon!

(Bisquick® is a registered trademark of the General Mills company.)

How to Make An Economical, Versatile Homemade All Purpose Baking Mix

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Call it Bisquick®, Jiffy® mix, biscuit mix, baking mix, or what have you, it all amounts to the same thing. The one thing all of these have in common is that they all represent a very basic pantry staple designed to speed dinners and baking and make our lives easier. In this harried day and age, we’re all for that, right!?

What we’re NOT all for is overpaying for our baking needs. Baking from scratch is, for https://thehomemadehomestead.com/?p=37sure, the cheapest and most wholesome way to go, and the easiest way to control what goes into your food. Unfortunately it’s not always the fastest or most convenient. And unfortunately we pay a lot for anything that is deemed convenient in the grocery stores. It makes it tough to balance a family budget.

So what if I told you you could make your own homemade Bisquick; you’re own all purpose baking mix that can be used for a range of recipes, meals and treats for a fraction of the cost and with an investment of only a few minutes of your time?

Honestly, once you learn how to make Bisquick on your own, you’re not likely to go back to overpaying for undersized boxes of the stuff in the store. I promise it’s not at all hard and it will not take you long. A big batch with this faked Bisquick recipe only takes about 20 minutes to make (and I’m being generous here–in 20 minutes you’ll have it mixed and packaged and be on to a nice batch of warm biscuits, ready for the honey and butter).

How To Make Bisquick ®

It’s not hard to find a baking mix recipe online or even in some cook books. I’ve been through a few goods ones but this is one I have tried, prefer, and know that it meets all my requirements for an all purpose baking mix:

  • It is affordable and cheaper than buying boxed mixes
  • It is simple to make
  • It requires few ingredients
  • It stores well
  • It is versatile and can be used to make many things (in future posts we’ll see just how versatile it can be–so do follow along and come back often!)

So without further ado here is my preferred recipe; print and use it well and often:

Homemade Baking Mix Recipe

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
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How to Make An Economical, Versatile Homemade All Purpose Baking Mix
Author: 
Recipe type: Make-Ahead Baking Mix
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2 gallons of mix
 
Homemade Bisquick or all-purpose baking mix recipe that can be used to replace Bisquick (R), Jiffy Mix (R), pancake mix, or any other basic baking mix. Use for a variety of recipes and dishes (anywhere you would use Bisquick or anything similar!).
Ingredients
  • 20 Cups All-Purpose Flour (equivalent to a 5 pound bag)
  • 2 Tablespoons Salt
  • 7 Tablespoons Sugar
  • ⅔ Cup Baking Powder
  • 2 Cups Lard or Shortening
Instructions
  1. Combine and mix through all dry ingredients in a LARGE bowl (even a roasting pan works well, or large Tupperware--just leave yourself room to work).
  2. Add lard (or shortening) to the mix.
  3. Cut lard into the mix until thoroughly combined and you have only about pea-sized pieces of shortening throughout.
  4. (This is not nearly as bad as it sounds like it would be to do; using a pastry cutter or mixing with clean hands works well; you could also do 2-3 cups of dry mix and about ½ cup of lard at a time in a food processor, pulsing to combine, then mix the final batch all together and stirring well to distribute).
  5. Store in air-tight container and use as you would a brand-name baking mix.

 

(*I use lard because it is stable at room temperature and I believe in using the most natural products I can, including animal fats. However, I’ve recently learned that only store-bought lard is shelf stable [because it is hydrogenated :(]. The “real thing”–lard rendered without manipulation or additives, mostly only available now if you render your own lard at home–is not shelf-stable. You can still use it and I will do so as soon as I’ve made a batch of my own homemade rendered lard [coming soon!]; but I will keep the mix in the refrigerator and freeze any extra. Vegetable shortening could also be used and will make the mix shelf-stable at room temperature. Just remember that if you use a fat/shortening that normally requires refrigeration [like butter], your mix will need refrigeration as well.)

And that, folks, is all there is to it. Once done simply store in a sealed container (I usually use half-gallon mason jars [Half Gallon Wide Mouth Canning Jar (Set of 6)]
or a large Tupperware cereal container [Rubbermaid Home 1777195 Cereal Keeper]). Store as usual and use at the same measurement for any recipe that calls for Bisquick, all purpose baking mix, biscuit mix, etc. And do keep coming back as I’ll be sharing some great recipes for this mix in the future!

(Bisquick® is, of course, a name-brand and is a registered trademark of the General Mills company.)

Using What You Have: Homemade Croutons

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A large part of saving money and providing wholesome foods for your family on a budget depends on using what you have, and getting as much good use out of your foods as possible. The grocery bill in an average household is one of the highest monthly https://thehomemadehomestead.com/?p=29expenses–probably in direct competition with the mortgage in many homes, I’d venture to bet.

A lot of time and effort goes into producing the food we eat here on our little self sufficient homestead. That includes the baked goods and breads that are mainstays in the house. I make all of my own bread because it is cheaper and it is much better, and I can control what goes into it–and the preservatives that don’t!

That’s a story for a different day, but the point I am coming to is that for all the time, money, and effort that goes into our diet, I certainly don’t want to waste it! And the way to do that is to get as much use out of all of it as I can. It makes me feel better about cutting down the waste and diminishing my “footprint” upon the earth, but more practically, it saves us LOADS of money!

Extending the use of my “waste” bread (ends, random pieces, older slices and drying pieces) is one of the easiest and tastiest of my little kitchen hacks. And one of the most versatile and well-loved is home made croutons. Homemade croutons are so simple to make, it’s really silly not to. And I think you’ll find the results are OH so much better than what’s boxed up at the store. So here’s how to get the most of your bread odds and ends by making home made croutons.

Homemade Croutons

Very simply, all you have to do is this:

  1. Cut leftover bread into cubes of desired size – usually about an inch square for me. Undried or dried is fine; in fact you can do it from a perfectly good, fresh loaf, too.
  2. Spread bread cubes on a cookie sheet and toss with vegetable or olive oil (olive oil is best, but you can use what you have, too–melted butter works as well). Sprinkle with any desired flavorings, such as herb mixes, seasoning salts, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese….really, whatever you like.
  3. Toast in preheated 350 degree oven until crunchy (this will depend somewhat on whether you started with moist or dry cubes; check after 10 minutes and every 5 or 10 after that, but for moist bread expect more towards 20 or 30 minutes.

*Just a note: don’t be afraid to mix-and-match different bread flavors like whites and ryes or wheat or all of the above (or more!). It just adds dimension and flavor variety to your croutons.

That’s it! Just cool and eat. These delicious homemade croutons are excellent for salads, of course, but also in soups, snack mixes, as toppings to macaroni and cheese, casseroles, or even just as a crunchy snack on the go! Honestly if I don’t hide them from the kids, they seldom see a life long enough for any of these uses!

The best part about it is that home made croutons couldn’t get cheaper. You’re using what you have and getting more than your money’s worth. Do enjoy!


Welcome! Here’s A Bit About Me….

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Of course the first order of business is to welcome you to my new site. So,

Welcome!

Homesteading and Self SufficiencyThe second order is to introduce myself and to let you all get to know a little about me, who I am, and why (I think) I’m worth following.  I’ve actually written an entire page about this, so I really will not get too far into it here, but let me give you the short story.

I’m a New England country girl who grew up on a dairy farm in Massachusetts, and now live on a small 3-acre “homestead” farm in the same state (different town). Although I balked at aspects of the work and farming life as a youngster who had better things to do, today I am very grateful for that upbringing and my husband and I (and yes our kids, too) have worked to find ways to incorporate homesteading and self sufficient living into our everyday, modern lives. I doubt we’d be considered as “modern” as many others out there and believe me, to us that is no insult. We take great pride and enjoyment in the lifestyle we’ve achieved and continue to work toward, and I hope to share a lot of our tips, tricks, journey, practices, and thoughts here on this site.

Similarly, I pass no judgement on those who do not choose our lifestyle, but I also think there are many people, not unlike us, who would like to find some way to make self sufficient homesteading or something closer to it more a part of their lives. We’ve been through many stages along our journey, and that is why this site is here–to help anyone who wants to find what works for them, to the degree and level of self sufficiency that is right for you.

This site will be about many things: the many different aspects of homesteading, the varieties of possibilities, the ways that you can incorporate small-scale self-sufficiency into your daily life despite modern pressures and demands upon it. It is also about raising a family, values, and ways to meet a budget. In many ways those topics become discussions about reduction of waste, greener, cleaner, living, and much more.

So I welcome you to my site and I am glad to have you here. I am more than open to your comments, questions, requests for information on specific topics, and respectful contact. If you would like to know a little bit more about me and mine and an overview of how we live, I invite you to visit the About Us page.

Thanks for your time and please come back often!