Homemade Bread

This weekend I decided to make some bread.  It has been a long time since I have made bread at home and I realized how much I miss it.

The bread turned out great, but the recipe I used was weird.  The timing on everything was way off compared to the recipe, so I will wait to share it with you all until I make it again and can nail down the timing.

Jackie helping with the punch down.

What amazes me is the ingredient list, take a look at what is in my regular store bought brown bread and compare it to my ingredient list.
Store bought bread ingredient list:
Whole grain whole wheat flour, water, yeast, sugar, glucose-fructose, wheat gluten, canola or soybean oil, salt, vinegar, acetylated tartaric acid esters of mono- and digycerides, calcium propionate, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate, monoglycerides, sorbic acid.

My bread ingredient list:
Whole wheat flour, water, powdered milk, brown sugar, canola oil, yeast, salt

I am not planning on making all our bread now, but I am going to make an effort to make more of our own bread, especially now that it is winter and we are inside so much more - besides - who does not like the smell of bread baking?

Cupcakes

I made chocolate and vanilla cupcakes for Anderson's birthday party. Then they were both topped with the best buttercream icing in the world!

I found this recipe with my sister in Thomas Keller's ad hoc cookbook.

It is a little bit of work - but oh so worth it. Everyone really liked this icing because it was not so super sweet (it allows for a big fancy pile of it on top of a cupcake).

Here is the recipe for the icing (the cupcakes were also from the came cookbook and were great - but nothing super special).

The Best Buttercream Icing Ever

3/4 cup egg whites

2 cups white sugar

1 3/4 - 2 cups butter, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla

Place the bowl of a stand mixer over a large pot of boiling water, put in the egg white and sugar, and whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved.

Remove the bowl and immediately place in the stand mixer and using the whisk attachment, whisk until stiff peaks form (about 10-12 minutes).

Switch to the paddle attachment at medium speed, slowly add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, making sure it is fully incorporated before adding more.

The icing will change consistency at the very end of the butter, if it does not change, add a little bit more butter.

Add vanilla, and beat until incorporated.