Eureka! Sandwich Bread!

So I have been looking for the perfect basic sliced bread recipe for a while. Months.

I was pouring over Bernard Clayton's 724 page bruiser, New Complete Book of Breads. With no real luck. Some okay breads but not what I was looking for.

But finally a light bulb went off. What is a million times more comprehensive than this book?

The World Wide Web.

It took me about five minutes to figure out that sliced bread was not the proper term for what I was looking for, it only really returned images of people's favorite grocery store brands.

I tried to think of a synonym comparable to what I was looking for.

What do you do with sliced bread? Make SANDWICHES!

A quick search brought me to A Year in Bread.

Where they shared a recipe for what the called Susan's Farmhouse White.

Thank You Susan! Your bread is just the ticket.

Next expedition Whole Wheat!

Mackinac Blueberry-Lemon Muffins

I found this recipe in Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads: Revised and Expanded. I have had this book from the local library for about a month now in the search for the perfect homemade bread. I mean the kind that you can slice up for sandwiches and toast. It is 724 pages. You think by now I would have found that recipe. I have not, but in the process our oven broke twice and so did my Kitchenaid mixer.

Well for obvious reasons I took a break from the bread and since my husband worked on Mackinac (pronounced Mac-i-naw) Island. I felt that this recipe is a must. I did make some minor adjusts, not because I think I can make a better muffin than the creator. But simply out of my lack of effort, so if you want the real deal, check out the book from your local library.

The original recipe is from Melanie Sullivan the baker at the Hotel Iroquios on the beach at Mackinac and I guess since the only way to reach these is by ferry to the island (and only in the months when the lake isn't frozen over) she decided to share it with the world. Thank you Ms. Sullivan!

You will need:

1 2/3 CP Flour

1 TBSP Baking Powder

1 1/2 TSP Salt

1/2 CP Sugar

2 Eggs

1 CP Whole Milk

2/3 CP Oil

2 TBSP Lemon Juice

2 CP Frozen Wild Blueberries

Zest from 1 Lemon

Preheat Oven to 400.

Sift Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, and Sugar into a mixing bowl.

it took forever, but I think it was worth it

In a small bowl crack the eggs and beat for 10 seconds (yep it said 10 seconds. what if I beat it for only 9?)

Add the milk, oil, and lemon juice to the eggs and stir to blend.

Make a well in the flour and pour in the the egg-milk mixture.

Stir as little as possible to moisten the flour. Set aside.

In the small bowl measure out the blueberries and mix in the lemon zest.

Fold berries into batter.

Spoon into greased muffin tins. (The recipe suggests 3/4 full but I like to fill 'em all the way up so that you end up with a big fluffy muffin)

Then for I finishing touch I always sprinkle on some coarse sugar. (healthy? no. pretty? yes.)

Pop 'em in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Perfecto.

Enjoy a little taste from Dom's home town (more like home county, but whatever)

Doughnuts, Doughnuts, Doughnuts

I have become slightly obsessed with cooking and baking. I think I need to blame it on movies like Food, Inc and Supersize Me. I feel this incredible need to find a better way to have the delicious foods that are usually available in the instant gratification production/delivery to customer way that has been developed by pursuing the American Dream. Well whether that is it or not. I have been trying to find the recipe for the ultimate sliceable, sandwhichable, toast-able, delicious bread.

Anyway, in my obsession, I felt the need to concur the doughnut.

Pretty as they were I was not impressed by my results. The recipe that I followed sounded better and the doughnuts in the pictures looked even more delicious. hmmm. I f anyone has a full proof recipe send it my way. I would like to try again. The doughnut may have won this battle. But I will prevail.