"Jim Never Asks for Seconds at Home"

I know. Stupid line from Airplane taken from stupider instant coffee ads in my childhood. But I was so happy that my husband boyfriend* wants me to make more bread! I tried it once and it turned out very delicious. When he asked me to bake some again this line popped into my head.

Sadly, it's taken me about 24 hours to find the recipe again. I knew that it was from a link in a comment on Daring Young Mom. I knew that there were 3 pages of comments on the site that actually had the recipe. And I knew that I had combed those for necessary changes and had made a text file with the original recipe (which made 2 loaves) and the changes from the comments. Then I had a second text file with my 1 loaf version. How hard could it be to find a text file?

Well it turns out that the recipe (and so my file name) is "Outrageously Easy Big Bread" so all my searching under "bread" and "easy" yielded nothing. I gave up and started searching through DYM's archives. At least we haven't been in this house long and I knew I'd made the bread here. Luckily she tagged it "food" and it was in the third post I read! Yahoo!

I know this wasn't that interesting, but I don't want to lose the recipe again. So I shall share it with you. First the credits:

Daring Young Mom's post
The comment by Slawebb
The link that Slawebb included in her comment

And here is my version for only 1 loaf (advice and comments in parenthesis are from the original link):

Ingredients:

1 packet of yeast
2 T warm water
1 C hot water
1.5 T sugar
0.5 t salt
1.5 C flour
2T + 2t vegetable or corn oil
1.5 C flour



Directions:

Note: This recipe works best if all ingredients are set out, ready to go, in advance.

Pour warm water into a small ceramic bowl and add the yeast, but DO NOT STIR. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, pour hot water over the sugar and salt, then stir with a wooden spoon to completely dissolve. Combine 1.5 cups flour with the water mixture. Pour the oil on top of the dough mixture then add the yeast mixture on top of that, but DO NOT STIR. Top with the remaining 1.5 cups of flour and mix well. (I begin mixing with the wooden spoon but I very quickly have to move into squishing the dough with my hands.) At this point, the dough should be pliant and moist, but not gooey. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside to rise for at least 45 minutes. (I've left it for almost two hours.)

Knead the dough if you want. Flatten it into roughly an oval/rounded rectangular shape, about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thickness; then roll the dough lengthwise and place on an ungreased, but very BIG, cookie sheet. Cover the dough with a moist towel and set aside to rise again for another 45 minutes (or longer).

After the dough has risen the second time, preheat the oven to 375 and bake for exactly 23 minutes. If you can keep everyone from digging in right away, allow to cool for about 15 minutes and then enjoy.

Enjoy!


*He's decided that it was more fun to be boyfriend/girlfriend.

Words That Encourage

{I hope Heather never starts a cult because apparently I would drink whatever Kool-aid she asked me to.}

My Biscuit's Daddy,

I knew when I was 14 that I would never get married or have children. I was deathly afraid to have a daughter thanks to a not-so-great relationship with my mom, and didn't like myself enough to imagine anyone else would ever like me. Both of these things are lodged in my psyche so deeply that I still cannot believe that you proposed. True we had dated for about a decade, but I was still shocked. So shocked that apparently I didn't actually say "yes" aloud and forgot to take a picture of you, even though in my mind I did speak and I did take the photo. Maybe stunned and incapable of functioning would be a better way to put it.

Now here we are 5 years later. I'm not sorry that I made us wait 2 more years for our wedding because I worked very hard to get you a meadow in the moonlight like you wanted. And I think it was a beautiful night. If only you could remember that the word "obey" was not uttered during the ceremony. Perhaps you were stunned as I was when you proposed and just thought you heard it?

I still cannot believe the life that we have. Who could have guessed that an old biddy like me could get pregnant so easily? And that the perfect boy we had for 3 days would suddenly turn into one who would need those awful surgeries? That we would be strong enough to help him recover from them and to develop into the rowdy toddler he is today? That his sister would follow so soon? And that having two children would be so much different than having one?

I know that sometimes you feel I am not on the team and am questioning your decisions. I know that you feel I tell you that you are wrong too often and that I go into debate mode too easily. I will try to remember (and I hope you will too) that those beautiful kids are proof that I think you are right. I don't think you are wrong, I just want to make sure that all bases are covered when you make these big decisions. If you've already considered those points then great. I'm glad we had the Volvo and I'm glad we turned it in when the lease was up. I'm glad you quit that crappy job where they didn't appreciate you. Yes, it is scary to not be out there and earning my own money and to know that it is not only me that depends on you for a roof and food but our children do as well. But look at what you have done! You've taken a firm non-believer like me and made me a mom. I never could have imagined I would love being a mom so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you for seeing the potential in me and helping me to unlock it. If you can do that then in my eyes you can do ANYTHING. I will gladly follow you anywhere.

And now the whole world knows it (so I can't come back later and say I don't remember I said it).

Lumoi