Inflation and the Trump tariff taxes have made grocery bills reach astronomical proportions. One way to stretch a dollar is to make meat a complement to a meal instead of the main course. Nothing does that more deliciously than combining meat with other ingredients in a one-pot meal.
Marry Me Chicken is also called Chicken with Orzo, but I think that the Marry Me title gives the dish a bit of interest.
One of my daughter’s friends was visiting us from out of town and offered to make us dinner. She made this dish which was delicious. My daughter now loves to make this recipe for herself as it is fast, and simple. She will portion it out into 4-5 dinners and have dinner prepared for much of the week.
The first recipe is the one that I’m illustrating here. The second is the one that my daughter uses and is more cost effective.
Use this recipe as a springboard. If you don’t have orzo, use some other pasta. No heavy cream? Try half-and-half, evaporated milk, regular milk with a flour thickener, coconut milk, or even sour cream.
In my daughters recipe the sun dried tomatoes and 3/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese are replaced by less expensive tomato sauce and smaller qualities of Parmesan Cheese. It is all good.
This is the recipe that I used (borrowed from the internet). It is a bit more upscale with greater quantities of ingredients and more expensive ingredients.
This is my daughter’s recipe (also borrowed from the internet). It is more cost effective. However, it is also delicious!
Here are the ingredients that I used. The sun dried tomatoes were drained and I did grate the Parmesan cheese. However, you could use the stuff in the green jar, if needed. You can also see the pesto bread that I made to serve with this dinner. I’ll have that easy recipe in another post.
The cut up chicken was cooked in some olive oil (any oil works) for a few minutes until it gained a little color.
In went the spices and the sun dried tomatoes.
I stirred it all up… oops, I forgot the garlic! No problem, I’ll add it now. Fresh is great, but I used jar garlic as that is what I had on hand. I cooked this mixture for a couple minutes.
In went the orzo and chicken broth. You could use water or water plus bullion if you wished. If you used bullion use less salt and adjust at the end. Orzo is awesome, but you could use some other sort of pasta if needed.
Cover the pan and cook on medium low for around 12 minutes. Every once in a while stir the pot to prevent the orzo from sticking. I tested the orzo at 12 minutes and mine needed a few more minutes to fully cook.
Add the heavy cream (or other dairy product). Stir it in.
Stir in a few handfuls of spinach and allow them to wilt.
Just before serving add the Parmesan Cheese.
Here it is served up with some asparagus, a salad, and my homemade pesto bread. Yummy!
Dear reader, inflation and the Trump tariff taxes are taking a toll on all of us, and I have been encouraging folks to save money by cooking from scratch. This is my small way of trying to help others during these troubled times.
When I rediscovered my bread maker, I was excited to remember how effortless it was to make really delicious bread, and how much cheaper it was to bake rather than buy. Is the cost of buying a bread maker worth it? Absolutely, but not everyone has cash to burn, and I knew that used bread makers could be purchased for pennies on the dollar.
To illustrate my point, I visited a local second-hand store and bought a bread maker for $14.
I never used a bread maker to make hamburger buns, and I was surprised by how simple it was using the dough function on the machine. I just tossed in the ingredients, and 90 minutes later, I had perfectly kneaded dough. Since the dough was well-kneaded, it was easy to form into buns.
You can buy cheap hamburger buns for a few dollars, but good buns are considerably more expensive. Since this recipe uses an enriched dough , I wasn’t sure if my homemade efforts would save any money. However, when I did the calculations, it was clear that my homemade buns were considerably cheaper than not only the upscale rolls, but also cheaper ones. Plus, they were really delicious! For those wondering, an enriched dough has extra ingredients like milk, eggs, and sometimes more sugar. This results in a richer end product, but more ingredients means a greater cost.
I wanted to share the recipe with you.
Alas, I can’t credit this internet recipe as I saved the image without the author’s info. Remember to add the ingredients in the order listed. Bake at 350°F (175 °C) for 12-15 minutes. I checked at 12 minutes and added a few more minutes to achieve my desired color for the buns.My $14 thrifted bread machine. I usually weigh the flour instead of using volume measurements.This machine does not have a warming pre-cycle. I used hot tap water and added the cold milk and egg to it. This resulted in a warm solution. Remember, if it is too hot to keep your finger in it, it is too hot for the yeast. I melted the butter in the microwave using short bursts of time (10 seconds). If you just blast the power, your butter will pop and splatter, making a mess. Into the bread pan it went. By the way, I really like this Oxo measuring cup. It has easy-to-see markings.In went the sugar. I was too lazy to convert 1/3 cup of sugar into grams. Perhaps next time.In went the flour. I substituted AP flour, and it worked fine. However, bread flour will give you a slightly better texture. Weighing the flour is vital as flour can settle, giving you wildly different amounts if you measure using a cup.In went the salt. I always put the salt far away from the yeast. Concentrated salt can kill yeast.Now the yeast. I made a little well and added the yeast. I buy my yeast in bulk, and it is significantly less expensive than in those little jars or packets. You can purchase it online or from places like Costco and Gordon Foods.I selected the dough cycle on the bread maker and pressed start. I had perfect dough 90 minutes later!This thrifted bread maker made perfect dough ready for shaping!I cut the dough into six pieces. Honestly, I should have cut the dough into 8ths as my buns were huge.I shaped them into balls and then flattened them a bit. Yes, I’m not the best shaper. Then, I covered them with a tea towel and let them rise for 30 minutes. I then baked them at 350°F (175 °C) for 12 minutes. I checked them and added an additional 3 minutes to achieve the color that I wanted. This step is optional. After the buns rose, I gave them an egg wash and added some poppy seeds. I didn’t include the seeds in my cost calculations as I had some in the pantry and had no way to calculate their price. I’m using parchment paper, but you could use a reusable silicone mat or any other option that suits your preference.All baked and ready for today’s BBQ. I’m storing them using a cake cover to keep them fresh. But what about the costs?
Cost analysis
This recipe made over 1.5 pounds of dough. The cost of ingredients was $1.62. Cost would be less if I bought the flour in bulk. Cost would be more if I bought the ingredients at a more expensive grocery store.
I’m comparing prices by the ounce. Buns are from Walmart.com.
These are cheap hamburger buns. A 15 oz package is $1.97. These buns were 1.8 x more expensive than my homemade buns and not near the quality. This surprised me as I thought my buns would be more expensive.
These 16 ounce Brownberry buns were $3.78 and represent a better quality bun. However, there were other hamburger buns at Walmart.com that were even more expensive. These buns were 3.4 x more expensive than my homemade buns!
I thought making hamburger buns would be more difficult than it was. With the bread maker doing most of the work it was then simple to shape and bake the buns in the oven. I’m sure I’ll do this again.
I knew that my buns would be less expensive than the Brownberry buns, but I was surprised to see that the price per ounce was 3.4 times more. Even more surprising was the fact that the cheap, Bimbo buns were 80% more expensive than my much higher quality home made buns.
Yes, you can save money by making your own hamburger buns, and it was really simple to do so. The $14 bread maker made light work out of a normally labor intensive task!
Peace
Mike
images are my own or screen shots from websites. All images are for educational purposes only.
Inflation and the Trump tariff taxes have impacted many areas, but price increases have been felt the most at the grocery store. Add to this beef shortages, and the cost of beef has gone through the roof.
Above, we have a “nothing special” pound of ground beef going for $9 a pound!
I have done posts on how to stretch your meat dollar. One way to to make a classic meat loaf which uses fillers like bread crumbs or oatmeal to bulk out a small amount of ground beef to proportions enough to feed a family. This is a useful strategy, but what is you could go a step further? What if you could find a very inexpensive substitute to replace 50% of your ground beef in a recipe? What if that replacement was healthy, high in protein and minerals, and offered fiber for gut health? That is today’s experiment.
TVP or textured vegetable protein was developed in the 1960s as a way to use up waste material from soybean oil production. After the oil was squeezed out of a soybean the solid matter that was left over was dehulled and turned into soybean flour. That flour was then treated to separate the protein which was heated and extruded through a mold. The extrusion process can be adjusted to make differed shapes, such as crumbles, strips, and chunks.
TVP can be made from various plants, but it is most commonly derived from soybeans. Soybean TVP is low in fats, high in complete proteins, and high in multiple minerals, including iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. Despite what you have heard, there is no need to worry about soy-based estrogens, as they are different from human estrogens.
The cost of TVP is significantly less than that of ground beef. If you buy small amounts from a boutique health store, it will be more expensive than if you buy it in bulk. Shopping on Amazon, I found drastically different prices for TVP, which is interesting, as there isn’t a lot of difference between brands, as this is a very basic food product.
I find that 1 cup (100 grams) of dry TVP, when hydrated, is about the same bulk as 1 pound of ground beef. One pound is around 450 grams, so one pound of dry TVP makes (roughly) the equivalent of 4.5 pounds of hamburger.
This Bob’s Red Mill TVP sells for $6.88 a pound, so 1 pound of hamburger equivalent (using 100 grams of dry TVP) costs around $1.52.
If you shop around, you can buy TVP in bulk. On this site, TVP is $3.80 a pound. For 100 grams of TVP (1 pound hamburger equivalent), the cost is 84 cents.
Looking for an even better bargain? This bulk bag of TVP is 50 pounds. One hundred grams of dry TVP (1 pound hamburger equivalent) costs only 37 cents! It is unlikely that you will buy 50 pounds of TVP, but it does have an extremely long shelf life. Additionally, you could buy a bag and split it in a group purchase.
TVP has essentially no flavor, and like its cousin, tofu, it picks up whatever flavor is in the dish. TVP is usually soaked in boiling water for around 10 minutes before using. I use a 1:1 ratio of TVP to water and find that adding two teaspoons of a bouillon like “Better Than Bouillon” to I cup of boiling water gives TVP a meaty taste. Vegetarians and vegans have created a variety of “soaks” for TVP that are meatless, yet add a meaty flavor. Since TVP comes in a variety of shapes it is possible to create all sorts of meat-like dishes using this ingredient.
You have probably eaten TVP many times, as it is often used as a meat extender in many frozen meals. The ingredient list on the package may say TVP, or textured vegetable protein, or TSP, or textured soy protein, or soy protein isolate, or soy chunks, or soy meat, as well as other terms. All of these names are synonyms for TVP.
TVP granules are readily available and can be found in many grocery stores. Chunks and strips can sometimes be found in health food stores and are available at online retailers.
TVP is best when combined with flavorful ingredients. Although it can stand alone as a “meat,” I find that it is easiest to use it as a substitute for 25-50% of the hamburger. In today’s example, I’ll be using it in a classic meatloaf recipe.
Let’s look at the easy process of substituting TVP for 50% of the hamburger in this meatloaf. recipe
Here you can see that 100 grams of TVP is the equivalent of one cup. As I mentioned above, I find that 1 cup of dry TVP, when hydrated, is approximately equivalent to 1 pound of hamburger.
I measured 1 cup (100 grams) of dry TVP into a bowl.
I added 1 cup of boiling beef broth (1 cup water and two teaspoons of “Better than Bouillon”), mixed, and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Here is a classic meatloaf recipe. The hydrated TVP is on the right at the 3 o’clock position. The recipe that I used had 1 pound of not too lean hamburger (don’t forget that TVP is very low in fat so you need the extra fat in the hamburger). One cup dry TVP hydrated to about 2 cups. One chopped up onion, 1 egg, 3/4 cup oatmeal, 8oz tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Mix it up (I use clean hands). Place in a 5″ x 9″ pan and top with catsup mixed with a little brown sugar. Bake at 350F (175C) for around 1 hour or until the internal temperature is at least 160F (71C).
Here it is out of the oven.
Served up with some mashed potatoes and vegetables.
I didn’t tell my family that I was using TVP. After they had a few bites I asked them how the meatloaf was. They all said, “Good.” I then told them that I added a special ingredient and asked them if they could guess what it was. They replied, “No, it just tastes like meatloaf.” They were surprised when I told them that 50 percent of the “meat” was TVP.
Granular/crumbled TVP can be used for many dishes beyond meatloaf. Spaghetti sauce, on top of a pizza, Sloppy Joes, chili —the list goes on. TVP chunks and strips can add variety when making TVP-containing dishes. Consider experimenting with this inexpensive, protein-rich, low-fat, high-fiber meat substitute.
Peace
Mike
Images are my own or from various websites and are used for educational purposes only.
I was heavily into the bread maker culture in the 1990s and early 2000s, and experimented with a number of different bread makers. Around a year ago, I rediscovered several of the machines that I had stored in my basement, this rekindled my interest in the topic. Since that time, I have had the opportunity to work with other machines, including what is considered the top-of-the-line machine, a Zojirushi Virtuoso.
I have read blog posts and watched numerous videos where individuals rate various bread makers. Typically, they use a single simple recipe and then compare which machine produced the best bread. This methodology has flaws. Additionally, I watched videos where influencers do an unboxing and make a simple loaf, often gushing about the wonderful nature of the bread that they made. Sadly, I would consider some of those loaves dismal failures with poor rising or collapsed tops. These videos seem like ads to me. Lastly, there are a number of videos of bakers making wonderful loaves using a variety of machines from ancient 30 year old thrift store relics, to low cost machines, to top-of-the-line Zojirushi bread makers. This last group have unlocked the “code” of using their particular bread maker and illustrate that just about any working breadmaker can make a decent loaf of bread if the end users applies a bit of skill and knowedge.
Top-level bread machines offer durability, excellent construction, and flexibility, making them good choices for bread-making enthusiasts. However, those who just want homemade breads and yeasted products can produce wonderful loaves in most any machine if they use their critical thinking skills.
I have had failures with most of the machines that I have used, but I have also had successes. In this post, I want to share with you solutions to common bread maker failures and explore some options that go beyond those ideas that you may find elsewhere.
A nice loaf of bread that I made with the top-of-the-line Zojirushi Virtuoso.
This loaf was made in a Zojirushi Supreme model. Both the Virtuoso and the Supreme modes make similar loaves, but the Virtuoso offers a bit more flexibility if you are a bread-making enthusiast.
This is a loaf from a Breadman Ultimate purchased in the late 1990s. Looks good!
Another wonderful loaf, this one from a reconditioned $59 Cuisinart.
The beautiful loaves continue; this one was made in a sub-$100 KBS machine.
I placed the above photos to illustrate a point, and no, it is not to demonstrate my compulsive love of comparing things, although I suppose that trait is revealed. Be grateful that you are not my wife, as you don’t have to put up with my comparison hobby! I posted the photos to show that you can make a decent loaf of bread with just about any working bread machine. You just need to figure out its “secret” code. Why do I say this? Because bread machines are fairly simple devices that work very similarly. With that said, you may prefer one machine over another based on features, controls, or aesthetics. Whether you have a $10 thrifter or an uber-expensive top-of-the-line machine you should be able to get a decent loaf of bread out of it. Let’s take a look at their components.
Computer/Control System
All bread machines have a control panel that allows you to select a course or program for different types of bread, such as white bread or whole wheat. Some appear more complicated than others, but they all serve the same purpose and are generally easy to use once you become familiar with your particular gadget.
Motor/Kneading System
All bread makers have a motor that turns one or two paddles in the bread pan. This action kneads the dough.
Baking/Heating System
All bread makers have some type of heating element (s) that bakes the bread. Some may also be used to pre-warm the ingredients and/or keep the bread warm after baking.
As you can see, this is not a very complicated system, and after Panasonic released the first bread maker in 1986, many other manufacturers copied the design and added their own twists.
So far, I have told you that all bread makers can make a nice loaf, and that they are more similar than different. So, why is your loaf not picture-perfect? Dear reader, I can relate as I have had my share of disasters too. Despite being similar, every machine has its own quirks that need to be addressed. What works with one machine, or one recipe, may not work with another machine, or another recipe. Think of each machine as having its own personality. Once you figure it out your ability to communicate with the machine is dramatically improved.
The first discovery step is to make a standard loaf using the machine’s supplied recipe for white bread. Do your best, and then check the results. If you baked an excellent loaf, great! You are doing everything right. If not, let’s delve into a bit of chemistry.
A bit of chemistry
Breads are made with flour that has a high gluten content. Gluten is a protein that is created from other proteins when water is combined with the mechanical action of kneading the flour into bread. It is a stretchy, elastic compound that gives bread its chewy, yet airy quality. It allows the carbon dioxide made from yeast to remain trapped within the structure of the bread which causes the bread to rise.
Not enough gluten can be present if the flour has a low gluten content or if the bread was inadequately kneaded. This can result in a bread that is dense and flat. Conversely, over kneading can break down gluten and result in similar issues. This is one reason why bread machines have different programs for different types of bread as some flours, like whole wheat, need different kneading times.
Most bread makers suggest using bread flour, which has a higher gluten content. However, many will make an acceptable loaf with standard AP flour. If you want the best quality of bread, but you can’t get bread flour, you can use AP flour and add a couple of tablespoons of vital wheat gluten, which adds some additional gluten to the flour.
Bread flour has a higher gluten content compared to regular all-purpose (AP) flour.
Yeast is a living organism that grows and multiplies when making bread. It utilizes sugars in the mixture to produce alcohol, carbon dioxide, and other compounds, which contribute to the lift and flavor of the bread. The alcohol is burned off, and the yeast is killed in the baking process.
Yeast comes in two dried forms, active and instant. Rapid and bread machine yeast is just rebranded instant yeast. Over the years, active and instant have become more similar; however, it is recommended to use the type specified by your machine’s manufacturer until you are very familiar with the machine.
Too much yeast will result in a rapid rise followed by a collapse of the bread. Too little will result in a poor rise and dense bread. Yeast goes bad, and sometimes this can happen even before you buy it. You can test yeast by adding some to warm water and a little sugar. It should start to foam after a few minutes. No foam? Then the yeast is bad. Yeast can also be on its way out, causing an inadequate rise. I always keep my yeast in the freezer and use it right out of the freeze when making bread.
Dried yeast comes in two forms, active and instant. Rapid and bread machine designations are just rebranded instant yeast. Although active and instant yeast have become similar over the years, you may find that a recipe works best with the type of yeast that your machine recommends.
Sugar is added for flavor and to provide food for the yeast. Not all bread recipes add extra sugar, as the yeast in the bread dough can break down the starch in the flour into simple sugars. Too much sugar leads to overproduction of yeast, while too little results in the opposite effect. Refer to the section above for the impact of over- and underproduction of yeast.
Salt is typically included in most bread recipes, as it adds flavor and helps control the yeast. Too little, and the yeast overgrows; too much, and it kills the yeast. All cooking salt is sodium chloride. However, salt substitutes are different and should not be substituted for traditional salt in a recipe.
Water is needed to obtain the right consistency of the bread dough and to help form the bread’s gluten. Too much, and the dough becomes slack, unable to contain the carbon dioxide bubbles, causing the bread to expand but then collapse during baking. Too little and the dough will be too solid and won’t expand adequately.
Other ingredients are often added to impact the flavor or texture of a loaf of bread. However, these can have a negative impact if used improperly. The bottom line is to follow an established recipe and only alter that recipe when you are wholly familiar with it. For instance, a recipe may use roasted garlic, but you might add fresh garlic instead and get a poor result. That is because fresh garlic can inhibit yeast growth, while roasted garlic won’t.
I like using recipes from proven and established sources, like the recipes that came with the bread maker, or well researched cookbooks from sources like Betty Crocker or Better Homes and Gardens. Once you are having success using these recipes you can venture out to other sources as you will have the skills to decipher bread problems. Remember, a random internet recipe may work well with one machine but not another. However, standardized recipes from known cookbook creators, like Betty Crocker, have been tested on a variety of machines.
The good news is that your bread machine has been carefully programmed to knead and bake your bread. If you combine your machine’s capabilities with a suitable recipe, you should achieve success. If you don’t, the problem may lie in one of your ingredients or perhaps your methodology.
Here are some issues
Ingredient issues
You now know how different ingredients impact your bread, so let’s start here. If you measured everything correctly, consider that one of your ingredients may be bad. The most likely culprit will be the yeast. If it is too old or you used the wrong type (active or instant) for your machine, then correct it.
Water issues
We have city water, which is chlorinated. That partially inhibited my yeast. I solved the problem simply by using the filtered water from my fridge. I could have also used bottled water, or left some water out for a few days, as the chlorine would evaporate away.
Measuring issues
This is a significant issue that can be easily resolved. It is imperative to measure properly. A little too much or too little salt or yeast can have disastrous consequences. Likewise, it is very easy to mis-measure flour. Scooping can result in 25% more flour than spooning it into a measuring cup. Not leveling the cup can also be a significant issue. Even if you measure properly, your flour amounts can be off due to the humidity in the air, as this can impact flour’s volume.
I avoid the above by weighing most of my ingredients. I have tested a variety of kitchen scales and most are “good enough” accurate. In other words, they are not perfect, but they good enough for baking needs. However, many have problems when measuring tiny amounts that are less than 10 grams. Therefore, I use a standardized set of measuring spoons and level them when adding small ingredients like salt and yeast.
I have tested a variety of scales, and none are “laboratory” accurate. This Oxo scale should read 500 grams using a standard weight, but it reads 498 grams instead. This is not an problem with larger quantity items, like flour and water, as the percent error is small. However, it can be a concern with low-volume ingredients like salt and yeast which is why I use standardized measuring spoons for items under 10 grams.
Many recipes in US cookbooks use volume measurements, but it is easy to convert these measurements to a metric weight system. For instance, a cup (8 ounces) of water is equal to 236 ml, and 236 ml of water weighs 236 grams. If I need a cup of water, I just need to place my baking pan on a food scale, tare the scale to zero, and then pour in 236 grams of water. If the amount is different, I’ll do some simple math. For instance, one and one half cups of water would be 236 x 1.5 = 354 grams of water.
Many ingredient packages list a volume to weight conversion for their item. I just made a loaf of oatmeal bread that had 1/2 cup of oatmeal as an ingredient. The oatmeal box notes that 1/2 cup of oatmeal is 40 grams by weight, so it is easy to tare the scale to zero and then add 40 grams. One fourth of a cup of oatmeal would be 40/2 =20 grams, and 1 cup of oatmeal would be 40 x 2= 80 grams.
Here is the nutritional label for Amazon Basics Bread Flour. You can see that 1/4 cup weighs 30 grams, so a cup will weigh 30 x 4 = 120 grams, and four and a half cups will weigh 120 x 4.5 = 540 grams.
If you can’t find the product’s weight on a package, you can do a simple search on Google. Additionally, baking sources, such as the King Arthur Flour website, offer volume-to-weight conversion tables for most ingredients.
Understand tricky ingredients
We already talked about the difference between active and instant yeast. However, other ingredients can also be tricky. Salt is a crystal that can be chunky (some Kosher salts) or present as a fine powder (table salt). If you use a volume measurement, the actual amount of salt that you add can vary greatly based on the size of the salt crystal, as finer salt packs denser than chunky salt.
Salt is inexpensive and the easiest solution is to buy and use the type of salt that the recipe recommends. If it says “Kosher” use that type, if the recipe just says “salt” the recipe is likely referring to table salt. As I stated above, many scales can be a bit iffy when weighing very small quantities so I prefer using measuring spoons for items like yeast and salt. If you have to substitute one type of salt for another you can google how to do this.
Here is a part of a salt conversion table from the Morton Salt website. You can see that one teaspoon of table salt is equivalent to 1 and 1/4 teaspoons of coarse Kosher salt, as table salt packs denser.
Salt can be hidden in other ingredients, which is why most recipes advise using unsalted butter. However, if you are only adding a couple of tablespoons of salted butter to a recipe, the amount of salt is fairly negligible.
Understand temperature
For yeast to thrive, the temperature has to be warm, but not too hot. Try to use room-temperature ingredients and warm liquids to “baby bottle” temperatures. Some bread machines have an ingredient warming feature, but many don’t. If your ingredients are too cold, the yeast won’t grow fast enough, and you will have a dense loaf. If it’s too warm, your yeast may over-grown, which can result in a collapsed loaf. If your ingredients are very hot, you will kill the yeast and bake a dense rock.
Check on your machine’s progress
Check your dough ball after 5-10 minutes of kneading for the best results. If needed, scrape down any unincorporated flour using a soft spatula (to avoid damaging the non-stick coating on the pan). Even if you measured properly, you may need to make minor adjustments to your dough ball. Add small amounts (one tablespoon at a time) of flour or water to correct dough ball issues. If the ball looks dry and ragged add a little water. If it is too slack, add a little flour. Wait at least 30 seconds before adding more of either to allow the dough to absorb the addition. The goal is to have a fairly smooth and slightly tacky ball that completely incorporates all of the dough.
It is OK to open the lid and check on the formation of the dough ball during most of the bread-making process. However, once baking has started, don’t open the lid, as doing so will alter your bake due to the temperature drop.
This dough looks slightly slack, as there is residual dough on the bottom of the pan. Add one tablespoon of flour and wait at least 30 seconds for the flour to incorporate. Repeat until you get a nice, smooth dough ball. If you measured everything correctly, the dough will need no correction or only minor adjustments to the flour or water.
This dough looks right. The dough ball is smooth, and it has cleared all the flour from the pan.
Room issues
If your room is very hot, very cold, or very humid your results may be poor. As much as possible, try to use your bread machine in a controlled environment. This isn’t a big issue in the US where many homes have sophisticated environmental controls, but it could be a problem if your baking environment doesn’t have these capabilities or if you are using your bread maker next to something like a HVAC vent that can make the micro-environment too hot or cold.
Once you are confident in your bread-making, try adjusting a recipe to suit your conditions. For instance, in a hot environment, you could consider using slightly less yeast, or in a very dry environment, you may want to slightly increase the amount of liquids.
Elevation issues
If you live in a high-elevation location, such as Denver, you may need to adjust your ingredients, as the lower air pressure can cause over-rising and a resultant collapse of your bread. Your bread machine manual will help you, but the typical suggestion is to make a slight reduction in the amount of yeast.
Magical additions
If you have done all of the above and are still experiencing problems, try some of these additional steps.
Please try using only one agent at a time; use multiple agents only when you have experience, as combining many additions can have a negative, rather than a positive, impact on your loaves.
Diastatic Malt
This name sounds a bit scary, but it isn’t. Diastatic malt is barley that has been sprouted, then slowly dried and ground into a flour. It is high in enzymes that break down the starch in flour into simple sugars that the yeast can use. This can result in a better rise, nicer crumb, and better flavor. Just use a little, less than 1 teaspoon, as too much can lead to gummy bread. I use around 1/2 teaspoon for a single loaf recipe when I use it.
Ascorbic Acid
Another scary-sounding “chemical?” Nah, this is just Vitamin C powder. You only need a tiny pinch of this stuff. Too much is not good. Vitamin C can help with gluten development, loaf volume, loaf color, speed up fermentation, and improve shelf life. You can also use a little lemon juice (one to two tablespoons), as part of your liquid volume, to accomplish a similar result. I only add the tip of a 1/8 teaspoon measure when I use this stuff.
Sodium Alginate
Derived from algae, a tiny amount of this ingredient can help gluten development, improve crumb, and extend the freshness of your bread. The amount to add is only one to two grams, which is around 1/2 teaspoon per loaf.
Dough Conditioners
These are combination products that combine some of the above agents with other ingredients to improve gluten, rise, color, and freshness. Their actual ingredients vary from brand to brand. I have been using a product called “Scratch,” which I picked randomly. However, it does a great job. I use around one teaspoon per loaf. I use this stuff fairly regularly.
Vital Wheat Gluten
This is a concentrated form of gluten that can be added to increase the gluten content of flours. Adding a couple of tablespoons can turn AP flour into bread flour or make whole wheat flour rise better.
If you follow the above suggestions, you will produce beautiful loaves of bread in the bread maker of your choice. As we face inflation and the Trump tariff taxes, we all need to be more aware of the cost of living. Making simple bread is cheap. Making a more elaborate bread is more cost-effective than buying a comparable store-bought bread. By the way, what could be better than adding a few ingredients into a pan, pressing a button, and being rewarded with delicious homemade bread?
Happy Baking!
Mike
Images are my own or downloaded from Amazon product pages for educational purposes only.
In the 1980s Popeye’s Chicken came to Chicago and I was introduced to their wonderful fried chicken and sides. Up to that point a “side” meant only one thing, french fries. However, Popeye’s gave that term a tantalizing new meaning to me.
I loved their now discontinued dirty rice, but I have to say that I went crazy for their red beans and rice.
Red beans and rice is traditionally a Louisiana dish made on Mondays which were wash days. Before the advent of the washing machine washdays were back breaking labor days. Busy moms needed something easy for dinner, and they borrowed from their African, Spanish, and French cultures and came up with red beans and rice. This dish was simple, cheap, filling, and delicious. It could be parked on the stove, or in the oven and cooked for hours unattended. When dinner time rolled around it was waiting to fill hungry bellies.
For years I searched for the most traditional red beans and rice recipe. I discovered that there are dozens of “traditional” recipes.” However, they often have a few elements in common. Red beans typically simmer along with aromatic vegetables and some spices for hours until they become a delectable dish. Let’s take a look at the basics.
The beans
These are typically small, red kidney beans traditionally of the Camellia brand. However, any kidney beans can be used. Most often used, and most economical are dried beans. However, you can find quick recipes that use canned beans.
Dried beans are usually soaked overnight, but can also be softened by boiling them in water and then letting them sit for several hours. Additionally, you can cook them “dry” if you use a pressure cooker.
The fat
Naturally, you saute your vegetables in fat, if you have some bacon grease, great! However, you can use cooking oil, olive oil, butter, margarine, lard; whatever you have around.
The meat
Traditionally, a ham bone leftover from Sunday dinner was used. However, the choices are endless and many recipes use combinations of meats. Some common meats include Andouille sausage, smoked turkey wings, ham chunks, salt port, and ham hocks. You can also find recipes that use smoked sausage and smoked Polish sausage. Stick type sausages are usually sliced and sometimes the slices are browned for added flavor.
The liquid
You need to cook the beans in something and water is often used. However, chicken broth adds flavor.
The spices
The spice combination varies from recipe to recipe. Some sort of heat is added in the form of red pepper, pepper flakes, or hot sauce. Thyme and oregano are popular herbs, and they are sometimes used separately and in other recipes together. Garlic seems to be in most recipes, as is a bay leaf or two. Some recipes use a combination spice, such as Cajun seasoning, while others may add smoked paprika, dried parsley, and even a hint of sage. Different combinations produce slightly different, yet still delicious, red beans and rice. Some recipes even used dehydrated onions and powdered garlic for ease; it is all up to you.
The holy trinity
Many Louisiana dishes incorporate a vegetable combination known as the holy trinity. This consists of a green bell pepper, a yellow onion, and several celery stalks, all chopped up. This combo is a must for red beans and rice.
Cooking methods
Traditionally, the mixture is made on the top of the stove. The vegetables are sauteed, and the soaked beans, spices, meat, and liquid are added. The mixture is brought to a boil and then simmered slowly for hours in a covered, heavy pot. A Dutch oven is ideal, but any heavy pot can be used as an alternative.
If you prefer your red beans and rice thicker, you can mash some of the beans after everything is cooked, or you can uncover your pot towards the end and use evaporation to thicken it. Some cooks add a little flour and water to thicken the sauce. Lastly, you can opt for a simple approach and not thicken at all.
There are versions of this dish that also can be made in the oven, a pressure cooker, or even a slow cooker. There are many possibilities.
The rice
The rice is prepared separately and added to either the serving bowl or the diner’s plate.
As you can see, red beans and rice is a flexible recipe. Each family has its own version, and it can vary based on what you have on hand. Don’t have chicken broth? Use water. Don’t have thyme? Use some oregano or Italian seasoning. There are also vegetarian versions of this dish.
However, red beans and rice always have some form of the holy trinity and, of course, red beans.
Today’s beans and rice
I’m cleaning out my pantry today and making beans and rice. I’m borrowing from red beans and rice recipes, but making several substitutions. I’m using dried pinto beans instead of red beans, a red pepper instead of a green pepper, red onions instead of yellow onions, and Italian sausage instead of a more traditional meat. I’m not trying to challenge the original recipe; I’m using it as a springboard to use what I already have on hand.
This recipe is an excellent example for beginner cooks to see how to substitute similar ingredients and still achieve a good result. My end product was comparable to red beans and rice, but clearly not the same. However, it was delicious. Three of us ate our fill, and there is quite a bit left over for lunches.
Pick out any bad or split beans and soak the beans in water overnight. You can use other methods to soften the beans if you prefer. Before using them in the dish drain and rinse them.
The holy trinity consists of celery, yellow onion, and a green pepper. However, I’m using a red pepper and red onion. Why? Because that is what I had on hand. It is all good.
I had some Italian sausage in the freezer that I wanted to use up. Certainly, not traditional but it worked out in the end. In this situation I removed the sausage from its casing and browned it along with the softened vegetables.
My spice combo consisted of a quarter teaspoon of sage and red pepper (I can’t tolerate super hot foods), two bay leafs, 1 teaspoon of thyme, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, one-half teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning. Why do I have such a large jug of Cajun seasoning? I must have gotten it on a closeout. Note, you don’t have to use all of these spices. Garlic and some heat are a must. Instead of thyme you can use oregano or some Italian seasoning. You can forgo the Cajun seasoning, parsley, and black pepper. You do you. Remember to taste and adjust seasoning at the end of cooking. I had to add some salt at the end.
I heated some bacon grease in a Dutch oven, but you could use any fat or oil.
I sauteed the “holy trinity” of vegetables and when they were soft I added some jar garlic. Fresh garlic would be better, but this is what I had. Heck, you can even used powdered garlic if that was all that you had.
I added the spices and “cooked” them for around 30 seconds to bloom their flavor. I added the sausage meat and browned it. If I had slices of stick sausage I would have also browned those.
I added 6 cups of liquid and the soaked beans. I used water with some “Better then Bullion.” However, chicken broth or just water works too.
I brought the mixture to a boil and then reduced the heat to a low simmer. The pot was covered to complete cooking. Cook until the beans are soft or longer if you wish. It should take around 90 minutes to cook the beans. In my case I cooked the dish around 3 hours as I started the recipe early. When cooking was complete I used a wooden spoon and smashed some of the beans to thicken the dish. However, that is totally optional.
Served up with some rice and my homemade freshly baked multi-grain bread. This was not a traditional red beans and rice, but it was close enough to still be delicious!
I hope that some of these cooking posts encourage you to cook from scratch. With inflation and the Trump tariff taxes making all forms of food more and more expensive it is important to return back to the basics of cooking to survive these difficult economic times.
I used ingredients that I had on hand and inexpensively fed three hungry adults with quite a bit of leftovers for future lunches.
In today’s world of inflation and the Trump tariff taxes times are rough. This is another in my series on how you can save money on groceries by simple actions.
I not exactly sure when I first had yogurt; possibly when I was in late grade school. I do remember it was the Dannon brand and that it had some syrupy fruit on the bottom that you mixed into the yogurt. I liked it.
In the 1970s I was doing research on Multiple Sclerosis at the University of Chicago. A fellow researcher made her own yogurt and that intrigued me. I bought a Salton yogurt maker which made 5 cups of yogurt. I used that machine for quite some time, but I lost it in a divorce.
This looks exactly like my original yogurt maker. It was simple to operate and made enough yogurt for five workday lunches.
Yogurt is one of those foods that is better than the sum of its ingredients. It was likely discovered by accident and can be traced back to Middle Eastern civilizations as long as 10,000 years ago. That is way before the pyramids.
Yogurt can stay fresher longer than regular milk, is thicker and creamier, and is loaded with good bacteria that enhance gut health. Many people who are lactose intolerant can still eat yogurt.
Yogurt is extremely versatile and can be used in countless savory dishes. It can also serve as a substitute for other dairy products, such as sour cream.
The opposite end of savory is sweet, and yogurt shines there, too. Who doesn’t love frozen yogurt, and most yogurts sold in the store are flavored and sweetened, making them perfect for a snack or for a quick breakfast.
Yogurt consists of milk that has been inoculated with a specific bacterial culture, usually containing Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. The milk is placed in a warm environment, and 6-8 hours later, you have yogurt.
I like both regular yogurt and Greek-style yogurt. What is the difference? Greek-style yogurt is regular yogurt that is strained through a sieve, allowing some of the whey (the liquid) to drain away. This makes the yogurt thicker and increases its protein content because it is more concentrated.
You can use a bit of unflavored active culture yogurt from the store as a starter or buy freeze dried starter. You can use any type of milk, but whole milk is preferred for the best results.
Making your own yogurt is not only simple, it will save you money. A four-pack of Oikos yogurt costs $5.79 as off this writing, which yields only 21 ounces total (4 x 5.3 oz).
A gallon of whole milk can be had for as little as $2.65. This will make 128 ounces of regular yogurt or 64-96 ounces of Greek yogurt (depending on the thickness).
It is likely that you have all of the tools needed to make yogurt, but you can certainly up your yogurt making game with dedicated equipment if you wish.
These costs are for unflavored yogurt. There are dozens if not hundreds of ways to flavor yogurt, and none are terribly expensive. I’ll discuss some sweet options later in this post.
Here are the simple steps to make yogurt.
Ingredients:
Whole Milk
Starter Yogurt culture.
Starter yogurt can be a few spoonfuls of unflavored active culture yogurt from the store, a bit of your last batch of yogurt, or a dedicated commercial yogurt starter powder. Once you are making yogurt regularly you can simply reserve a few tablespoons of your current batch in the fridge to seed your next bath. In that case, the only cost, beyond a few pennies of electricity, is the cost of your milk.
You can inoculate a new yogurt batch with a few spoonfuls of unflavored yogurt (active cultures) from the store, some reserved yogurt from your last batch, or, as in the photo above, some commercial freeze-dried yogurt culture.Using a clean pot, heat whole milk on medium to medium-low heat until it steams and is 180°F (82°C). Remove from the heat and let cool. I use a kitchen thermometer. Pro tip: Swish and pour out a little water in your pot before adding the milk. This will prevent burning. Also, don’t crank up the heat; go slow. Heating too quickly will burn the milk on the bottom of the pot, and that is a mess to clean up. Heating to 180°F is necessary to kill competing bacteria. In addition, the heat will have a positive effect on the texture of the yogurt. The milk will form a skin. Remove the skin using a spoon and discard.Wait until the milk temperature is reduced to approximately 110°F (43°C). If it’s too hot, you will kill the bacteria; if it’s too cold, the culture won’t grow. Add your yogurt culture. In this case, I’m using a commercial culture. If I were using actual yogurt, I would use around two tablespoons per 2 cups. However, this is very flexible. Some recipes use more, while others use less. If you don’t have a kitchen thermometer, you can use the “baby bottle” test. Spoon some milk onto your wrist. It should be very warm but not burning. If that is the case, you are at the right temperature to inoculate.Thoroughly stir the culture into the warm milk. Now transfer your milk into the vessel(s) that you will use for the yogurt.
Now it is time to incubate the milk to turn it into yogurt. This can be done in a variety of ways. You can placed your your container in a warm draft free spot and cover it with blanket or heavy towel. You can place it in a cooler in a bath of warm water, Both of these methods will require longer incubation times as the heat is not regulated.
Another common method is to use a slow cooker. Heat the milk to boiling then turn off the slow cooker. Wait until the milk is 110F and inoculate with around 1/4 cup of yogurt culture for a gallon of milk. Wrap the slow cooker in a heavy towel and let the mixture incubate for 8-12 hours. Give it a peak at 8 hours to see if it looks like yogurt. Too liquidy? Give it more time.
In general, the longer you incubate the thicker the yogurt. However, it will also be tangier (more sour) the longer you incubate.
There are many appliances that allow the proper temperature for a controlled yogurt environment. Using one of these appliances will give you consistent results.
Many electric pressure cookers have a low-temperature yogurt setting. Additionally, some multi-cookers and sous vide machines also allow for a controlled low setting that can be used to make yogurt. In these cases, try to incubate between 6 and 8 hours. You can always add a bit more time if your milk has not turned to yogurt.I like using a dedicated yogurt incubator. This little guy makes 1 quart of yogurt and isn’t much bigger than a coffee cup. It was less than $20 on Amazon.This yogurt incubator can make eight jars of yogurt at a time. You can switch out the jars for 2, 1-quart containers if you prefer. Like the incubator above, it will make yogurt in 6-8 hours. I usually wait 8 hours for the consistency that I like.
After your yogurt has incubated it is important to refrigerate it for at least several hours, preferably overnight. This enhances its favor and thickens the yogurt.
This gives you an idea of what the yogurt will look like after it has been incubated. Remember, you still need to refrigerate the yogurt for maximum flavor. Greek yogurt is just yogurt with some of the liquid (whey) removed. You can use a sieve over a bowl with a coffee filter in the sieve. Add the yogurt and refrigerate the contraption. When the yogurt is thick enough, remove it to a covered container. I like regular yogurt, but if I want it thicker, I reduce the volume by 25%, which takes a few hours in the fridge. You can use the whey for all sorts of things, from drinks to soup. It is high in protein. Here is a dedicated gadget to make Greek-style yogurt. It is a bit more convenient than the sieve method. It was very inexpensive and recommended if you always want to turn your regular yogurt into Greek-style yogurt.Here is some Greek-style yogurt that I made by draining out some of the whey. You can tell that it is thicker.
You can eat your cold yogurt as is, but I prefer adding sweeteners and other add-ons.
Sweeten with honey, or maple syrup, or brown sugar or whatever you like.
Adjust the flavor with a little vanilla or add fruit or granola. The options are limitless. I know of some who actually flavors their yogurt with Crystal Light.
Here I’m flavoring some plain yogurt with leftover cherry pie filling and some nutty trail mix.Here I added a little vanilla, honey, granola, and some fresh berries. Last Mother’s Day, we brought my wife breakfast in bed, featuring homemade yogurt. This was plain yogurt with Maple Syrup, strawberries, and granola. The options are limitless.
Making yogurt is super easy and very satisfying. You know exactly what is in it, and you add exactly what you want. To use the example above, the Oikos yogurt is $0.26 an ounce vs. my standard yogurt make from milk at $0.02 an ounce. MY Greek-style homemade yogurt would be $0.03-$0.04 an ounce. The electricity is negligible.
Of course you will incur more cost with your add ons, but home much does a spoon of strawberry jelly or a drizzle of honey cost?
Making yogurt is very easy, inexpensive, and satisfying. The end result is chemical free and tastes fresher than store bought. Making your own yogurt vs. buying it is a no brainer.
My bread-making adventures continue as I learn the ins and outs of yeasted products.
Making bread in a bread maker is simple, and it allows me to create special treats for my family. As I continue my bread making journey I’m starting to gain an understanding of the cause and effect of my actions. I’m also obtaining knowledge on simple things that I can do to make my efforts successful.
Today I’m making oatmeal/sunflower seed bread. I enjoy making oatmeal bread, and I’ve purchased sunflower seed bread from a local specialty market. To combine the two breads sounds perfect to me.
This recipe is from Betty Crocker’s Best Bread Machine Cookbook. I find that recipes from established sources like Betty Crocker and Better Homes and Gardens are often very forgiving and simple to make.
The bread is delicious and perfect as a supper add-on, for sandwiches, and toast. It’s an all-arounder!
Here is the recipe. I converted some of the measurements to grams, allowing me to weigh those items instead of using a measuring cup. I’m making the 2-pound loaf.
I added one and one-quarter cups water to the pan. We have treated water where I live, and the chlorine seems to have a negative impact on yeast. Lately, I have been using filtered water from the fridge that I warm in the microwave. Other options could include bottled water or simply leaving out some regular tap water for a day or two so the chlorine can evaporate.
I’m adding the honey, 85 grams. It is much easier to weigh the honey as there are no sticky measuring cups to deal with. You can use Google to find the weight equivalents of most ingredients.
Now, 2 tablespoons of butter. The bread maker that I’m using has a preheat cycle. If it didn’t, I would have softened the butter in the microwave.
Now 4 cups of bread flour. In a pinch, you could use regular AP flour and get a slightly altered end product. Four cups should be approximately 480 grams, but I’m finding that this batch of flour requires a bit more to achieve the right consistency in the bread machine. I’m using 500 grams of flour.
Then two tablespoons of powdered milk.
Followed by 55 grams of oats. Here again, I’m weighing and not measuring.
In goes one and a quarter teaspoon of salt. When it comes to small quantities, using traditional measuring spoons is the easiest method. Also, it is easy to overshoot a small weight when using a scale. In the case of salt, an overshoot could be disastrous.
Then two and one-half teaspoons of instant yeast. Use the yeast type recommended by your bread maker. Keep the yeast away from the salt and ensure it is fresh.
Use the basic white bread course on your machine. I went for a medium crust. You will also need to add the sunflower seeds towards the end of kneading. This machine will automatically beep when it is time to do that. On other machines you may need to use a “fruit and nut” setting to get it to beep. On still other machines, an automatic compartment will open at the right time. The instructions that came with your machine will let you know what option to use. You add the seeds towards the end of kneading to prevent them from being chopped up into bits.
Here, I’m adding the sunflower seeds at the beep. These were snacking seeds, so they were heavily salted. I rinsed them off before adding them, as an incorrect amount of salt can have a dramatic impact on yeast growth. Too little salt, and you get an overgrowth; too much salt, and you kill the yeast.
Out of the oven, and it is looking good!
The texture is perfect. The bread is soft and spongy. I would suggest slicing the bread as needed. However, I slice the entire loaf as that is the only way that my family will use it. I keep my bread as fresh as possible by using a standard breadbox.
I like history. I wouldn’t say that I’m a history buff, but I find it fascinating to learn about other times and other people. I have a special fascination for the first half of the last century. For whatever reason, that time feels familiar to me.
A few years back, the YouTube algorithm brought me to the “Great Depression Cooking With Clara” channel. The channel was started by Clara’s grandson, who was documenting her life during that tough time. In her videos, she shares budget-saving recipes that her family relied on during the 1930s. The channel became a surprise hit with over one million subscribers, likely due to Clara’s clarity and charm. Sadly, she has passed, but her legacy lives on.
One of her simple recipes was dubbed “Poor Man’s Dinner,” but I have renamed it “Clara’s Great Depression Dinner,” as I believe that captures the dish’s intent. It is straightforward to make and, of course, very inexpensive. I made it for my family as a weekday meal, so I’ll give you their taste impressions at the end of this post.
With runaway inflation and the Trump tariff taxes, people are genuinely suffering, so this recipe is more than a trip down memory lane; it could be a cost-saving option when both bellies and wallets are empty. But first, let’s get into the recipe.
Oh, by the way. I believe that these types of recipes are based on whatever you have on hand, so I did make some modifications. I’ll let you know both her version and my slightly altered one in the photos below.
Cut up some potatoes. I was making dinner for 3 and used 4 medium to large spuds.
Chop up an onion, and slice some sausage. In Clara’s recipe she uses hot dogs, but I had some Polish sausage in the fridge, so I used that. I also had one-half of a pepper left over from a salad that I added, just because.
I believe that Clara only used salt and pepper. I added some garlic powder and a tiny bit of rosemary (around 1/2 teaspoon).
I like crispy sausages, so I browned the Polish sausages in a little oil and then removed them from the pan.
In the same pan I softened the onions and peppers.
I then added the potatoes on medium heat.
In went a tiny bit of rosemary. I probably could have used about twice as much.
Then some pepper.
And some salt. I under salt as I’ll adjust the salt when the dish is complete.
Then a sprinkle of garlic powder. Also, I added cooking oil here and there as needed. I cooked the mixture for a bit, turning the potatoes every once in a while.
I added around 1/3 cup of water.
And covered the pan to completely cook the potatoes. I continued to turn the potatoes several times to prevent them from burning. I think it took around 15 minutes to completely cook the potatoes.
I returned the sausage to the pan to reheat it. I adjusted the seasonings and tossed in some green onions. The green onions were added to give some contrast to the dish and are unnecessary.
Here it served up with a little fruit and my homemade oatmeal/sunflower seed bread.
The dish fed three adults, and two additional hefty portions were packed away by my son that he will use as two days of lunch.
So what did the family think about Clara’s Great Depression Dinner?
My son really liked it. He said it was filling and delicious.
My wife had concerns over the fact that it used smoked sausage as she had heard somewhere that smoked sausage was bad. However, she felt that it tasted pretty good.
I liked it. To me it tasted like amped up home-style hash browns. When I make it again I’ll top it with a friend egg. I think that would make the dish perfect.
Before becoming a physician, I was a lab rat researcher, and one of the tasks I performed on a daily basis was weighing out small amounts of powders to create various reagents. To do this, I used several different scales. Most were electronic, but one was a balance beam system so sensitive that the scale was enclosed in its own plexiglass chamber, as the random movement of air could impact its accuracy. These lab-grade scales cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, so how is it possible to buy a kitchen scale with a one-gram sensitivity for around ten bucks?
Should a cook or baker even bother to use a scale? My grandmother was a fantastic cook, and I don’t think she even owned a measuring cup. Fanny Farmer introduced the concept of correct measuring of ingredients at the turn of the last century, but before then, chefs created great dishes.
The bottom line is that you don’t need to bother with any type of measuring device if you possess one thing: tons of experience. If you have been cooking the same recipes all of your life, you know how much basil to add or how much sugar to spoon in. My mom never used a cookbook for our daily meals, and her dishes were fabulous. However, she did use a recipe with measurements when she made less frequent foods, such as holiday kolacky. She knew her limitations. I follow my mother’s advice: if I’m not wholly certain, I hit the books and follow a plan.
If you have read some of my recent posts, you know that I’m once again enamored with baking bread in a bread maker, and I’m trying to perfect my craft. For a novice like myself, each step presents a challenge as I attempt to achieve consistent results.
In the US, we still use the very archaic imperial system of pounds and ounces. The rest of the world has long moved to the significantly superior metric system. A US recipe will say, “Add 1 cup of flour,” where a European cookbook will note, “Add 120 grams of flour.” Measurement by weight is not only more accurate, but it is also easier. Recently, I was following a recipe that required 1/4 cup of honey. I hate measuring honey as it is a pain to use due to its thick viscosity. However, instead of dirtying a measuring cup, I put my dish on a kitchen scale, tared the scale to zero, and squeezed the honey bottle until the screen read 85 grams. That was easy!
However, my measurements are only as good as my scale. Could I trust it? The main scale I have used for nearly 20 years is a 2.3 kg (5-pound) scale from Oxo, which I purchased from the now-defunct Kmart. However, I have a couple of other scales around the house that I either received for free or purchased on Amazon Prime Days. You may be asking why I have more than one scale. In the past, I would come up with a logical reason, but as a retired guy, I have the privilege of not having to justify my purchases. I have them, because I have them. Let’s leave it at that.
Is your kitchen scale accurate enough for baking? I suggest that everyone follow my example. Simply use your calibrated weight sets to verify the accuracy of your kitchen scales and adjust accordingly. What, you don’t have a set of calibrated weights? You think it is a bit odd that I do? Well, you are probably right. Let’s utilize my oddness to your benefit and verify the accuracy of the Oxo scale. I did this test with my other scale, and they all showed various inaccuracies (each a bit different). However, their errors were similar enough for me to offer the same bottom-line advice. When do inaccuracies matter? Let’s look at some photos to find out.
Here I’m using a one-gram weight, and my scale reads it as zero.
However, the scale is able to read 2 grams accurately.
How about adding that 1 gram back? Will the scale be able to read it? Nope!
Here I’m weighing 100 grams, and the scale is spot on.
Now, I add 1 gram and the scale gets it right. However, sometimes it was able to read the additional 1 gram, and at other times it couldn’t.
This illustrates the above. On this attempt, starting with 50 grams, the scale could not recognize the additional 1-gram weight.
Here, it was accurate when I added two more grams for a total of 53 grams.
Let’s move on to a 500-gram standard weight. The scale is only showing 498 grams. That is an error, but it is only a 0.4% error. That’s not very significant for our baking purposes.
Here, the measurement should be 901 grams, but the scale says 898 grams. That is a 0.3% error. Not a big deal.
Additionally, the kitchen scales I have tested all exhibit a slight lag when measuring. If I’m adding something and reaching my desired weight, I have to sprinkle and pause as it takes a fraction of a second for the scale to catch up.
The Bottom Line
The kitchen scales that I tested were accurate enough when weighing larger quantities. An error of less than 1% is insignificant when cooking or baking.
However, they all seemed to struggle with very small weights. Out of the three scales I tested, only one could register the 1-gram weight, but all three were accurate when using a 2-gram weight. However, when I added an additional gram to the 2-grams, it was a bit hit or miss. Additionally, the slight lag in registering made it very easy to overshoot a small amount, even when the scale was weighing accurately.
Some of the most critical measurements in bread making are for ingredients like salt and yeast, which are measured in the smallest amounts. So, what do I recommend?
When measuring anything over 10 grams, your kitchen scale will likely do an adequate job. If possible, measure your flour, water, butter, and sweeteners by weight. You will have better results and less cleanup. When it comes to items that are often under 10 grams, like yeast, I recommend using an accurate measuring spoon. All bread makers come with a measuring spoon that is ideal for this purpose.
My journey using a bread maker has escalated due to inflation and the Trump tariff taxes. However, along the way I have found it to be a fun and creative outlet. I like the idea that this simple machine can produce so many different types of breads, all unique and interesting.
I was recently on a walk with a friend who reads my blog. He and his wife are coming over for dinner and he said, “Why don’t you make some homemade bread as an accompaniment?’ Hmm, what should I make? I baked this cheesy onion bread from the “Bread Dad” website and I think that it could be a candidate. I tried it on my family for a spaghetti dinner and it got positive reviews, so I thought I would share the recipe with you.
This recipe gives both volume and weight measurements. I mostly went with weight as it is more accurate, easier, and has less cleanup.
From the “Bread Dad.”
Add 259 grams of warm (not hot) milk to your pan. I heated the milk for around 20 seconds in the microwave and tested it with my finger to make sure it wasn’t too hot.
I then softened 57 grams of butter and added it to the pan. Once again making sure that it was not too hot, as that can kill the yeast.
I added the flour until I had 360 grams of bread flour. Weighing flour is always the best option even if you use volume measurement for your other ingredients. Remember to tare between measurements and the scale will zero out.
In went the cheese. I’m using a strong cheddar. You want to use a strongly flavored cheese. Weight? 112 grams.
Now, 13 grams of brown sugar.
Then 9 grams of salt. You need to be careful with the salt and it may make more sense to use a measuring spoon (1 and 1/2 teaspoons) as too much salt can really mess up the bread. A spill could have ruined my recipe. I was being brave today and weighed it directly in my pan.
Finally, 4.5 grams of bread machine yeast. I volume measured this out. I’m not sure if my scales are that accurate when weighing small amounts of ingredients. In general, I probably should measure out small ingredients like salt and yeast. Remember, I’m just a dad baking, so I experiment a bit. This time I weighed my salt, but measured my yeast.
Lastly, I added a couple of thinly sliced green onions. I did three stalks. The kneading process will chop the onions up into tiny pieces. I used the basic (white) setting on the bread maker.
Here is the bread. The golden color is from the cheddar cheese. I think it turned out pretty well.
Ready to be served to accompany our spaghetti dinner. The family approved and said it would be fine to serve to company. Is this the one? Well, it certainly is a contender.
