Wearing the thinking cap...

We've been very busy outside, as we've had a break from rain. Any time not spent outside, we've been making cheese, trying to organize the pantry, and doing household chores in between. We're considering our options for another animal shelter on the property as well. The trick--building something with the least amount of cost. Ideas are appreciated and welcome.

In the mean time, I'm going to leave you with our favorite dinner roll recipe. We've been using these to make small sandwiches with chevre and leftover homegrown ham!

Quick and Easy Dinner Rolls
1 pkg dry, active yeast (I buy in bulk so I use 2 1/4 tsps of yeast)
1 cup lukewarm water
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
+/- 3 cups flour, sifted

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Add egg, sugar, salt, and oil.

Add 1/2 the flour, and beat until smooth. Add flour until you achieve a nice dough (not too sticky), and knead until smooth. Roll into balls (bigger than a golf ball, smaller than a tennis ball) and place in a greased pan. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Brush tops with butter while still warm.

Buttermilk Bread

With the gloomy weather we had yesterday, I decided to make some buttermilk bread. This is a great cold weather bread. It's dense and delicious. We like to toast ours and spread butter and jam on it. It's also great with soups or as the bottom layer to turkey/beef manhattans.

We weren't able to get a picture of both full loaves because Mr. Homesteader was slicing into it as soon as it came out of the oven!

Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk *
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (equal to one packet)
1 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
All Purpose flour

Scald buttermilk; stir in sugar, salt, and butter. Allow to cool. Soften yeast in warm water in a large bowl. After buttermilk mixture has cooled, add to softened yeast mix. Stir in 3 cups of flour and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. Beat well. Add enough flour to make a soft dough (for me this is usually about 2 cups). Knead. Allow to rise in a greased bowl, covered, for 90 minutes. Punch down. Form into two loaves. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Enjoy!

*You can substitute buttermilk by using 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice and filling the measuring cup with milk to make a full cup.