Recipes

I stumbled across a great blog the other day which I thought I would share. It is called A Year of Crockpotting. The author has been using her crockpot everyday in 2008 and blogging about it. Check it out! She has some great recipes for Fall. Her pictures/recipes are mouthwatering and have definitely made me want to pull out my crockpot more often.

Also, here is the whole wheat bread recipe that I have been using that I learned from my friend Wanda Molnar. I wanted to be sure to mention her name so as not take credit for it, but I did have a few people who were interested in having the recipe:

100% Whole Wheat Bread

2 2/3 cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons baker's yeast
2 tablespoons gluten (look for "vital wheat gluten" in the bakery isle if this is an unfamiliar ingredient to you)
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
6-7 cups whole wheat flour (which is about 4 cups whole wheat, ground into flour)

Put all ingredients together in bowl. Knead in Kitchen Aid for 5 minutes or by hand for 20. Let rise, approximately 15 minutes. While the bread is rising, grease two bread pans. When dough almost doubles in bulk, form into 2 loaves (assuming you are using 1 pound loaf pans). Let dough rise in pans. While dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350. When bread has risen 20 minutes or about 1" above the pans (this is where having the right size pan matters) bake for 40 minutes. After baking, brush the tops of the bread with butter or oil (optional...I omit this step). Enjoy!

The thing I like about this recipe is that the gluten makes a softer, less crumbly loaf. It also freezes well (I freeze it unsliced). Also, the rising time is super fast...it only takes 1 hour tops from when I mix the first two ingredients and when I am putting it in the oven. Might sound too good to be true...but it works, trust me! And since the rising time is so short the dough does not need to be covered or oiled. All things I like...but what I love is the taste!