I've been trying to make raisin/fruit bread using my breadmaker. I always seemed to be adding the fruit too soon and the paddle would cut it into small pieces. This time I waited 10 minutes before I added the raisins and fruit but still it was too soon. Finally I just waited to find out just how long the initial mixing and kneading takes. 20 minutes!! So now I know not to add anything until about 17 or 18 minutes into the dough cycle.
As you can see I got a small, a medium and a bigger loaf!
You can see how few actual pieces are left in the bread. It still tastes very good but I'll do better next time.
While the oven was on I quickly made a batch of peanut butter cookies!
When I go to the thrift store I look for any books marked 75% off and I found this old book. Bought it for the excellent pen sketches in it ( there are some on nearly every page!!) but turns out the story the author tells of his little farm is quite interesting.
I had heard of the next book and wanted to read it so when I saw it marked half price ( at the TS of course) I bought it. Finished reading it too. It definitely was worth the dollar I paid for it but it's not a "keeper" like the first book.
Granny Marigold
The Celestial Surgeon
If I have faltered more or less In my great task of happiness; If I have moved among my race And shown no glorious morning face; If beams from happy human eyes Have moved me not; if morning skies, Books, and my food, and summer rain Knocked on my sullen heart in vain:- Lord, thy most pointed pleasure take And stab my spirit broad awake;
You are a fine baker, GM! That bread (and the cookies) look wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThat bread looks delicious! It would be perfect with our coffee when we take our morning snack break. I love the pen and ink drawings... good find!
ReplyDeleteI think that you are not guilty of not taking pleasure in simple things. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe bread and cookies look yummy and the graphics in the book are awesome. That was a great find.
ReplyDeleteThe bread and the cookies look great!! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting poem, which I'd never seen before. I wonder when Stevenson wrote it... It caused me to read about him on Wikipedia where it says he claimed to be an atheist from his early 20's.
ReplyDeleteBut he was surely pricked by sickness and suffering for quite a bit of his life, and took much pleasure from many things until his sudden death at the age of 44.
It's funny I didn't bump into you at the TS today. Well that would have been a coincidence after seeing you at the nursery yesterday! I was at the TS around 12:30. I always loved raisin bread or fruit bread..... We don't eat grain products at home, but we have one loaf a year, a lovely fruit and nut loaf that one of our customers gives us each year for Christmas, and he makes it in his bread machine. Soon good!
ReplyDeleteThe bread and cookies look delightful, yum! I loved the sketches, what a great find.
ReplyDeleteHello M.G.... the bread and cookies look delicious. I am trying to use my bread maker a bit more, but for sweet breads, I tend to make them in the oven. Thank you for sharing... maria
ReplyDeleteYour bread all looks so yummy. You inspire me...I'll have to give that a try with the fruit and nuts. Your peanut butter cookies look so good...makes me want some. The sketches in that book are so so pretty. Thank you for sharing some of them with us.
ReplyDeleteI do think that bread looks perfect. The books sound good, and I agree his sketches are quite good. May summer rains come soon!
ReplyDeleteYour bread looks amazing! It is nice to figure out your machine though to get it to do the additions just the way you like it. And yummy peanut butter cookies! Delightful finds at the thrift store, what a unique book you found, so special to find such a treat :)
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