From Scratch

Sarah at 8-muddy boots hosts From Scratch each week, where we share what we've been making from scratch.  I decided to join in this week and share a recipe.

I've been using my freezer meals, so I've been cooking a lot from scratch - without cooking!!  Here's what I made this week.

Saturday I made stromboli using my basic bread dough.  I use this dough for dinner rolls, french bread, calzones, stromboli, breadsticks, cinnamon rolls and cinnamon raisin bread.  I even tried using it for pizza dough this month - I'll let you know how it turns out later this month.

Sunday was a flop!!!  I had leftover rice that I needed to use, so I threw chicken breasts in the crockpot with soy sauce, pineapple chunks (with their juice), and snow peas.  It was not the best . . . not inedible, but definitely not the best.  I have made my own teriyaki sauce before (using soy sauce and pineapple juice) and I thought this would be similar - but it was not!!

Monday I made fajitas.  I used Sarah's recipe for tortillas - and they were yummy!!!!  I also made up my own marinade for the fajitas - but I do not remember what I used!!  I know it involved lemon juice and worchestshire sauce,  but I can't remember the rest.  My husband loved these tortillas, and has challenged me to start writing down my ingredients when I start throwing things together - I'll try!!!

Tuesday we had cornish hens and baked potatoes.  For the hens I rubbed them with a spice mix (again . . . I just threw a bunch of spices together) and then brushed it with molasses during the last half hour of cooking.   They were also very good!

Wednesday I made lasagna and garlic bread - using my basic bread dough.   I spread garlic butter on the bread before I froze it.   I allowed it to completely thaw before baking - and the bread was a little 'soggy'.  The kids and I liked it this way, but my husband didn't.  So next time, I'll try putting it in the oven to heat while still frozen and see if that helps.   If not,  I may have to add the garlic butter right before cooking instead of my freezer cooking days.

Now, here's my basic bread dough.   It is yummy and delicious (though it's made with white flour, so it's not overly nutritious).

I use a bread machine set to dough cycle to mix up the dough.   Then I form it whatever way I'm using it, and let it rise - then bake.

Ingredients:  (put into the bread machine pan in this order - or in the order your bread machine recommends)

3/4 cup lukewarm water
2 T Olive Oil
1 t Salt
6 1/4 T Sugar (I usually use 1/4 cup - it's just quicker and is very close)
2 Egg Yolk
3 cups High Gluten Flour (the recipe calls for bread flour, but high gluten makes a much better bread)
2 T Dry Milk Powder
2 t Active Dry Yeast.


I usually use the egg whites to make my applesauce brownies (don't want to be wasteful).  If you make a bunch of batches up at once, like I did on my freezer cooking day, you can also make an angel food cake .