Easy Baking Bread

I found this recipe on line but I don't bake it exactly the way they say to.  If we are going to store wheat and flour then we need to learn to bake bread.  I don't know about you but I have always been afraid of baking bread because I thought it took so much time kneading the dough and so much room on your counter.

This bread couldn't be easier and it is so delicious.

Recipe:

6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (white or whole wheat or a combo of the two)
1 1/2 TBS dry active yeast
1 1/2 TBS course Kosher salt
3 cups warm water

Mix flour, yeast and salt together and add the water slowly until all is mixed and wet.  It doesn't have to be soaking wet, you want a dough.  On more humid days I use a bit less water, on drier days I use a bit more water.  Mix in a bowl with a fork until all wet.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 2 hours.  Once it has risen to double its size cut into thirds and form a loaf.  You can put it in a greased loaf pan or just leave it on a cooking stone or a cookie sheet.  Let it rise for another 15-20 minutes while your oven is heating up.  Pre-heat your oven at 400 degrees.  Slice the top of the loaf about 1/2 inch into the dough all the way across length-wise or do a couple slices width-wise.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown.

The beauty is that you don't have to bake all three loaves at the same time.  You can just do one and then store the rest of the dough covered in your refrigerator for a couple days until you use it.  When you do this, after you take the dough out of the fridge form your loaf and let sit for 30-45 minutes.  Then bake.

I like a softer crust.  If you want a harder crust, put a metal cake pan in the oven  on the lower shelf while preheating and preheat to 450.  Once your oven is ready, pour about 2 cups of water into the pan to make steam and bake your bread on a cookie sheet or preferably a stone.  The steam with make your bread more crusty.

If you want rolls then form little rolls on a cookie sheet and let rise the second time.  Bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top.  Check them at 15 minutes.

If you want to make freezer rolls form the rolls and bake like above but bake for only about 12 minutes, when they are not quite done yet and not golden brown on top.  Then take them out and let them cool.  Put in freezer Ziploc bags and freeze until you are ready to eat them.  When you take them out of the freezer bake them frozen at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Yum!!!

This bread is delicious with white flour.  I also love it in whole wheat.  I mix half white and half whole wheat flour and increase the yeast to 2 TBS yeast.  This gives it a bit more fluffiness and it won't be so dense.

The bread should last 3-4 days on your counter covered or in a Ziploc bag.  Great for toast in the morning or sandwiches, as well as a wonderful loaf at dinner.  Oh and it makes your house smell so good!!!

Great blog post on Hurricane Preparedness

I came across this post on Totally Ready blog tonight.  It is awesome.  It asks 21 questions that you should ask yourself when preparing for a hurricane.  Go there and check it out.

http://blog.totallyready.com/hurricane-irene-21-questions-to-ask-yourself-to-prepare-today/08/23/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TotallyReady+%28Totally+Ready%29

Things I learned today with the earthquake

I learned two things today.

 No damage occurred to me or my family or my property, but one interesting thing to note was that in the next two hours after the quake it was difficult to use your cell phone or land line phones. Everyone was calling people and it was bogging down the phone system.

Another thing to note was that in the couple hours after the quake people were not driving safely. They were one their cell phones in their cars and they were driving carelessly. This caused a bunch of unnecessary accidents in the area. While there wasn’t much damage in the surrounding areas (most damage was at the epicenter) people were “excited” to talk about it and to find out if their family and friends felt it. It happened just before I got off of work and the drive home was more dangerous than the event itself.

I learned two things today: 1. phones shouldn’t be used to contact others right away, only for emergencies. Use other forms of communication or wait to contact friends to chat. Facebook and email were great for this. 2. if at all possible don’t get in your car right after an event like this. Stay put for a while to let others calm down.

How did I forget???

PAPER PLATES!!!

I was at Cosco this evening picking up another case of water bottles and a few other items I needed and I picked up a big package of paper plates.  It occurred to me, well more like a slap in the face moment, that these can be essential in an emergency.  Everyone will still eat and it is so much easier to eat on paper plates when your power is out.  That way you don't have to worry so much about cleaning the dishes you use.  I always try to have these on hand anyway but in an emergency they can be a stress-freeing item.  Who wants to wash a bunch of dirty plates when you have no electricity and have to hand wash your dishes??? Not me, that's for sure!!

So add them to your list and keep a supply on hand for those times you are feeling lazy emergencies.

Being Prepared for Everything

This afternoon an earthquake occurred in Virginia.  It affected much of the entire eastern seaboard, as far north as Rhode Island and Massachusetts and as far south as northern Georgia.  This was the largest earthquake on this side of the US since the late 1890s.  That means that this was a "once in a hundred years" events.  While the damage was minor even in the epicenter we all need to be prepared for anything.

This area was warned a few days ago to start preparing for a hurricane.  No one said anything about preparing for an earthquake.  


How does one prepare for an earthquake?

1.  Bug out Bag and car kits. This is important so you can grab and go and have supplies ready for you in case you can't return to your home due to damage.

2.  Have a plan and a place to go.

3.  Have a contact not in the area to contact and check on other loved ones in the area but that you can't reach.

4.  Have an adequate supply of water in case your water supply is compromised.

5.  Have a supply of food, batteries, and an alternate cooking source in case your power goes out.

After the quake occurs:

1.  Check your home for structural damage and other damage.

2.  Check for gas leaks both in your home and outside as gas lines may have been damaged and gas might be leaking up from the ground.

3.  Check for water main leaks and other pipe leaks.

4.  Turn on your radio or TV (if you have power) and follow the advised directions from officials.

Hurricane Readiness

The news is calling for a possible CAT 3 hurricane to hit the southern east coast in 5-6 days.  Where we are we won't have a direct hit but will most likely deal with the aftermath of this storm coming on land.  They are expecting heavy winds, lots of rain, and possible flooding.

The news caster just announced that people should start to prepare for this now, just in case it hits us.  These preparations should include:
1. an emergency evacuation plan for those along the coastal areas, low lying areas and in the path of the storm.
2. have at least a 3 day supply of food and water for each member of your family including medications, and pets.
3. update and confirm your homeowners insurance policy, car insurance policy, and medical plans.
4. have candles, flashlights, battery operated/hand crank radio and weather radio ready and in working order as well as extra batteries or each item.
5. have a back up plan for cooking, heating water, etc.
6. if the power is expected to go out and you are sheltering at home, prior to the storm buy some bags of ice and put them in your freezer to help keep your refrigerated and freezer items from spoiling. I put them in a Rubbermaid bin like a dishpan so that if they melt then they don't flood all over the place.  Also take out items that you will most likely need from the refrigerator and put it in a cooler.  This way you don't have to open the refrigerator and freezer while the power is out.  The less you open the doors the more time you have before items begin to spoil.  As a bonus, eat the ice cream.  That will be the first to go anyway. :)
7.  have at least three days of water on hand.  If the local water gets contaminated you have water on hand.
8. tarps and duct tape are good things to have on hand.  These items are good for emergencies.
9. have a back up plan.

Very Useful Information

In blog hopping I came across this awesome website.

http://www.coloradopreppersnetwork.com/

There is a whole Preppers Network for all the states.  Each state has their own.  This is super cool because you can scan down on this page, (the Colorado site) and on the left hand side you will see a window where you can click on your own state and find pertinent information specific to your state.

I think this is so awesome because not everyone has to deal with winter blizzards or horrific heat waves or earthquakes.  This way you can prep according to your locality.  How awesome is that???

I also found that the Prepper's Network has a huge resource of e-books and e-pamphlets. Here is the direct link.

http://preppers.info/Free_Downloads.html

Want to shout out to my new readers.  Please think about "following" me.  I would love to connect with others who are just starting out like me so we can share our experiences and what we have learned.