I love summer and celebrating with family. It's the best time for homemade hamburger buns, ice cream, and watermelon. This week, there is something for everybody--hamburger buns for the bread makers, creme fraiche ice cream for the yogurt makers, and espresso (or coffee) ice cream for coffee lovers. If you like watermelon like I do, check out this post for "How To Pick the Perfect Watermelon" by Rachel Teodoro. Her method works better for me than thumping. Bread Machine Hamburger Buns These...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hello Friends, I hope your summer (or winter, to my southern hemisphere friends) is off to a good start. After taking a break and a nice vacation, I came home with a rip-roaring case of acute bronchitis. This isn't my first go-around with the stuff, but it's been a while, and I forgot how long it takes to get over the coughing. Thankfully, I'm on the mend. Reader Question: Can I substitute oil for butter in a yeast bread recipe? Substitutions can be challenging. Since I can't test for every...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
What are you celebrating these days? Whether it's Mother's Day, graduation, retirement, or simply observing the beauty of a sunrise, I hope one of these recipes will make your day even more memorable. At my house, we are celebrating Mother's Day this Sunday. Our tradition is to pick up dinner from a favorite restaurant so the moms/cooks in the family get a break. Thanks to the men for planning dinner, cleaning up, and the best part, after-dinner entertainment. Pan-Fried Breaded Chicken...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Is a bread machine or a stand mixer better for making yeast bread? Great question. Here are some pros and cons for both machines. Advantages of a Bread Machine The timer--dump all ingredients into the bread machine pan, push START, and the timer takes over. Use the timer to manipulate bread-making to fit your schedule. It's easy to make dough corrections on the fly. Add flour or liquid, if necessary, as you watch the dough knead to ensure the moisture level of the dough is correct. The...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Friends, I recently made a recipe and a half of my Tangzhong dinner rolls. Multiplying the recipe was easy with the new recipe modifier in the upper right-hand corner of all the recipes on my website. If you need to do the same thing, I have some tips based on reader questions I received this week. Scaling a Recipe from My Website: Note: Nearly all the yeast bread recipes on my website produce a 1½-pound loaf, which equals 2¾ to 3½ cups of flour. For a 2-pound loaf, choose the 1.5 X...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hello friends, I hope you had a good Easter. Where I live in Texas, we are excited about the eclipse on Monday. Reportedly, my backyard is "in the path." I wish you could join me. I recently received a good question from a reader about how to check yogurt without messing it up. It reminded me that it can be difficult for beginners to figure out when their yogurt is done or set. It's also easy to sabotage the incubation process while checking if it's not done carefully. Click here to read more...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Friends, I hope you are well and experiencing success in the kitchen these days. I've been thinking about our Easter celebration and making Hot Cross Buns (with the link I messed up in my last email, sorry) on Good Friday. Easter dinner and the egg hunt are planned for my house. When I get home from church, I want to have bread dough ready to shape into dinner rolls. One option is to make brown and serve rolls or refrigerate the dough the day before, but there's another way to have hot,...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Can you identify what's wrong in this picture? photo taken circa 1986 As a kid, I enjoyed "brain teasers" in the form of pictures that contained intentional mistakes. Although the mistake in the above picture was not intentional, it was definitely a mistake on my part. Do you see it? Extraordinary Glazed Fudge Cake Made with a Food Processor I've made this cake exclusively for my immediate family for nearly forty years. Despite its delicious taste, I hesitated to share it with others due to...
5 months ago • 1 min read
You are receiving this email because you signed up for emails on the Salad in a Jar website. Unsubscribe here. Calling All Spinach Lovers! Even if you're not a fan of spinach on your plate, I'm confident you'll enjoy it in my latest bread machine recipe. The spinach adds interest and a fresh feel, but it doesn't overwhelm the rich tastes of sweet caramelized onions (don't worry, you don't have to caramelize onions to make this bread) and Parmesan cheese. These flavors combine to make a...
5 months ago • 1 min read
