Winging It

I needed to make bread today. I wanted a recipe that could be made with ingredients on hand, and not expensive ingredients such as eggs, milk, butter. Now doesn't bread made with eggs, milk and butter sound devine?  Challah? Sweet Rolls?  The buttermilk in the fridge needed to be used so I made Buttermilk White Bread. The aroma is wonderful!

Buttermilk White Bread

           2 cups Buttermilk
1/3 - 2/3 cups Water
          2 Tbs.  Butter
          6 cups  Bread Flour
          3 Tbs.  Sugar
          1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
           2 tsp.   Salt
           1 Tbs.  Yeast

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl, mix dry ingredients: bread flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.  Dissolve yeast in 1/3 cup warm water.  Warm buttermilk and melt butter.  Add liquids to dry ingredients and mix well adding water or flour as needed to make a soft (not sticky) dough.  If kneading by hand, turn on to floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.  Using dough hook, knead in stand mixer until smooth and elastic.

Let rise until double.  Degas gently and shape into loaves.  Cover lightly to keep dough from drying, and let rise until almost double.

Bake at 375F about 30 minutes.

This recipe made 3lbs. 8 oz. of dough. Yield  two 1 lb. 4oz. loaves and one 1 lb. loaf.

Supper

I made a casserole from these things in the fridge that needed to be used up. There isn't a recipe, I make it up as I go along. Adjust the ingredients to your liking.

Cheesy Rice and Vegetables

Onion
Garlic
Celery
Carrot
Mushrooms
Eggplant
Zucchini
Red Pepper
Corn
Tomato Paste
Prime Patty w/sauce (veggie)
Sour Cream
Basil
Thyme
Cayenne Pepper
Salt
Pepper
Rice (from Sunday)

The vegetables were diced small, softened in olive oil and seasoned. Tomato paste added to the skillet and saute until it begins to stick to the skillet.  Add sauce from Prime Patty and enough water to deglaze the skillet.  Mix in cheese. Reserve a little for the top of the casserole. Bake at 350F until bubbly and cheese is brown.

As long as the oven was on, I baked the last of the Pineapple Cookies and frosted with the last of the Cream Cheese Frosting.

Everything was good!  I'll try to do better with pictures.  Today was a bit of a hurry to go vote before the polls closed.