Baking Day

In order to save time and get this done as efficiently as possible I schedule myself a baking day once a month.  It is usually on a Sunday afternoon while the game or the race is on TV.  That is when I know there is a large block of time available to get the baking done because sports take awhile and involve a lot of commercials.  I plan 3 or 4 items to bake in addition to my regular 2 loaves of bread. 

I do the majority of my baking from scratch.  Old tried and true recipes, many of them handed down by my grandmothers and great-grandmothers, and I treasure them.  I bake my own bread with the assistance of my trusty bread machine and I like to have a few items on hand to tuck into our lunches as well. 

Start with a clean kitchen, completely clear countertops and no dishes in the sink.  The first thing I do before I get started is to get out the bread machine to start a loaf of bread. 

Everyday Whole Wheat Bread 

2 c all purpose flour

1 c whole wheat flour

2½ tsp. yeast

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. olive oil or canola oil

1 cup hot water 

Select the dough cycle.  Place dry ingredients in pan and select start.  Add oil and hot water.  Once dough forms a smooth ball (you may have to add a little flour or water depending on humidity) close lid and allow cycle to run completely. 

Once finished remove dough from machine and knead lightly on a floured surface.  Dough should be smooth and not be sticky.  Pat dough flat and then roll it up.  Butter a loaf pan and place dough inside seam side down.  Cover lightly with a dish towel and place in a warm, draft free area.  Allow dough to raise until doubled in size, approximately one hour. 

Bake rolls in a preheated 400° oven for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and brush top with butter. 

Next I start Sunday supper using my slow cooker.  This way while I am working hard baking, dinner is cooking itself.  Keeping dinner simple helps make baking day much more successful. 

Once dinner is started I get out my recipes.  Then I get out all my ingredients and line them up on the counter.  I have a counter for mixing and another for ingredients and cooling racks. 

Toward the end of the dough cycle I pre-heat my oven and mix up my first item.  As soon as my first batch of bread dough is done and raising in the pan I begin my second batch of dough and at the same time bake my first item, which is usually something like banana bread or pound cake, that bakes for 55 minutes. 

When that item is done baking my bread is ready to go in the oven.  I turn up the heat and bake it off while I mix up my next item.  Then turn the oven back down and keep going until everything is done and I finish with my last loaf of bread. 

The first loaf has cooled by now and gets wrapped for the freezer along with other items I’ve decided to put up for later.  Then it is time to clean up the kitchen and get dinner on the table. 

Some of the things I make on my baking day include: 

·                     “Breakfast Breads” – Banana, Pumpkin, Zucchini, Applesauce

·                     Friendship Bread

·                     Coffee Cake

·                     Cake and/or cupcakes (I usually freeze the cupcakes for lunches)

·                     Muffins

·                     Biscuits

·                     Cornbread

·                     French Bread

·                     Rolls or Buns

·                     Cinnamon Bread

·                     English Muffin Bread 

Not everything goes off without a hitch every time and that is okay.  Sometimes bread takes longer to raise and other things bake faster or slower than you planned.  Just roll with it and have a good time.  The best part is all the delicious things you’ll have to enjoy throughout the month. 

Tip:  Cleaning up and washing your dishes while you go will save you a lot of time and hard work at the end of this process.  It will allow you to re-use bowls and spoons so you don’t have to drag everything you own out of the cupboard.  Plus it will make for a much nicer work environment too.