Monday night we had chow mien made with the fresh bean sprouts I grew over rice. This was the most expensive meal of the week but it actually made 3 meals so not that expensive after all.
Tuesday night was meal for one again and it was left over fettuccini and sausage with a green salad.
Wednesday night the Meatloaf reappeared at a hot meatloaf sandwich, with left over carrots and left over creamed potatoes.
All in all was a rather inexpensive week of main meals.
I did make a lot of bread this week so thought I would share my very simple and inexpensive bread compared to going to the store.
This is the Italian Bread. You can also make one big loaf but I do 2 loaves and usually put one in the freezer.
Italian Bread
This is a bread machine recipe but baked in the oven.
3 C Flour
1T Brown Sugar
1 1/2 T Olive Oil
1 3/4 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Yeast
1 1/8 C Warm Water divided
Corn meal
1 Egg
Even thought I use a bread machine to make my dough sometimes, I still bloom my yeast with 1/4C of warm water and sugar.
I then add the flour, sugar, oil and salt and dump the rest of the water in and put it in the bread machine on dough cycle. When finished dump onto a floured board and let rest 15 minutes covered with towel. I then need the dough a little if it is a little too sticky to work with, shape it into loaves, place on a cookie sheet that has been dusted with corn meal. Let rise covered until double, cut slashes in the top and brush with egg wash. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. This bread cost $.69.
Now this loaf of white sandwich bread is not a pretty as the Italian bread but is just as good.
Again this is a bread machine recipe but I do bake it in the oven. This particular loaf was baked in a pullman pan so it is more dense than if it were baked in a regular bread pan.
White Bread
3C Flour
1T Softened Butter
1T Dry Milk
2T Sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/8 C Warm Water
Bloom the yeast with 1/4 of warm water and sugar. Add remaining ingredients and put in bread machine on dough cycle. When finished dump on floured board and let rest for 15 minutes. Need in addition flour as needed. Put in a well greased bread pan and let rise until double. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes. Cost $.53.
Either of these breads could be made in a mixer with a dough hook or by hand if you don't have either a bread machine or a mixer with the dough hook.
I made 2 loaves of the white bread. The second one was a regular loaf of bread. One loaf of the Italian bread ended up as Panko Bread Crumbs as I was getting low. The two loaves were very busy. The pullman loaf was used for sandwiches on the weekend by my DB along with the big pot of Corn Chowder we had for the Weekend, bread in the meat loaf and some regular bread crumbs. The regular loaf of white bread was used for hot meatloaf sandwiches for dinner one night and for fresh bread crumbs in a big batch of meatballs that went in the freezer. I am on my way to make a loaf of bread for the weekend lunches now.
Don't forget to visit our host of Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard, Robin at The Gardener of Eden
I used to make sandwich bread with one of those pullman pans. I don't have it anymore. I wonder what became of it.
ReplyDeleteIt makes a nice bread for slicing for sandwiches but I find it a little more dense than I like. However it maybe because I used the recipe for a 2 pound loaf rather than a 1 1/2 pound loaf which is what the recipe is for that I posted.
ReplyDeleteI think I need to come down and eat at your place for a week or two! Everything looks great. I am going to have to try your bread recipes since they look GREAT
ReplyDeleteI'm coming over with Mrs.P! You always amaze me Wilderness!
ReplyDeleteSome good eating going on over there. Does DB appreciate it?
ReplyDeleteI like the shape of the bread from the pullman pan, I also like a denser texture bread, I will be ringing your doorbell.
ReplyDeleteMP come on down anytime. There is always something in the house to eat. I love to make bread.
ReplyDeleteRobin you are welcome also. What do I have to do all day but sit and think of things to cook.
Marcia, DB makes very few comments about what I feed him. He has a predetermine idea of what he doesn't like so I have to tell him it is something different when possible or just plain tell him to eat it as it is what we are having. Mean I guess but the only way to handle him sometimes.
Norma you aren't that far way come on up.