So happy to have made it to the weekend!
I will be heading out tomorrow to spend the weekend with my parents (and sister and her kids) on their lake!!
On of my very favorite things I did over quarantine was jump on the baking train.
My Grandma Wells used to bake us homemade bread and we looked forward to it every time we went to her house!
My father watched her bake it one time and wrote down the recipe. After she passed away a few years ago, my father started baking the homemade bread and it is perfect and tastes exactly like hers.
So, over quarantine I decided it was a good time to try baking it myself. We do it like my Grandma Wells did it; the old fashioned manual way - no bread baking machine needed.
So, before the baking part - let's meet my beautiful Grandma Wells!! She was always laughing and joking and was soo loving and sweet!!
This is her at a family picnic in the 80's...
And this is her with her sisters. She is on your left and the my Aunt Martha was in the middle and Aunt Laura on your right. They are all departed but sooo very missed everyday!
So, here is the Homemade Bread recipe. My Grandmother said she learned how to make it from her mother and she came to America from Switzerland so I am guessing this is how the Swiss make bread. Sorry for my crappy writing. If you decide to try this recipe and have any questions because of my terrible writing; just email me and I will clarify it.
This is the first time I have tried to make bread so it was neat watching the yeast get all foamy...here I am ready to go with my foamy yeast and dough hook on the Kitchenaide (So I guess it was not all manual as I used the mixer) but my Grandmother did all the mixing and kneading by hand.
After the dough is all mixed; you put it in a bowl and cover it and let it rise until it doubles itself.
Then you cut the dough in half and put it into your baking pans and cover them and let them double again.
Then you bake it! Simple, right?!? It turned out sooo yummy!!! I made it a few times and shared with neighbors but then had to stop baking it as I was eating WAYYYY TOOO MUCH myself! HA
Thank you for the memories and recipes Grandma Wells! Every time I eat or smell her bread (no matter who bakes it) I am transported right back into her tiny kitchen that I remember so fondly from my childhood! It was packed with people, love and delicious food and hugs!!
I love you and miss you daily Grandma Wells!!!
Did you bake during the quarantine? Do you enjoy baking? Ever bake bread? Do you have a food or smell that reminds you of someone special in your life??
Hugs to you all!!!!!!! Have a great day!
Thanks for the recipe! I haven't baked bread in a long time and might want to try this when it's not so hot that I hate to turn on the oven :)
ReplyDeleteRIP Grandma Wells. I can see the family resemblance.
Yes Abby-I highly recommend trying it although I may be biased!! Thanks for the family resemblance comment-that made my night! Hugs!!!
DeleteI have not baked much during the shut-down. Our store always had plenty of bread. I don't get lucky with yeast. If I use the bread machine, it works fine but if I put my hands on it I seem to kill the yeast. Seriously. If I can buy it, I'm going to buy it. Glad you were successful and can carry on the tradition!
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a lot of work but worth it to bring back those memories!!! Have a great weekend Terri!
DeleteThat bread looks awesome. Did I bake in quarantine?. I ATE in quarantine and I DRANK in quarantine as well as cooked and baked. I have celiac so I don't get to eat all the things I baked but everyone else enjoyed. But I made up for it in other ways. My pants no longer fit!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my Margaret... don't even get me started on the eating! I am in recovery so I definitely did not drink but I sure ate!!!! Ugh! And I live alone so there was or a lot of sharing going on! Ha ha,,, the diet has commenced,,,
DeleteThe bread looks really good. I have never baked bread from scratch. These days I rarely do any baking at home but I am the bakery manager at work so I do plenty of it there.
ReplyDeleteWell Ann… I suppose if you bake all day you definitely wouldn't wanna come home and bake too. That is completely understandable! It just made my whole condo smell amazing and instantly transported me back to my grandmothers kitchen. Have a great weekend… Hugs!
DeleteThat sounds yummy! I did a lot of cooking, but not baking while stuck at home. Yeast was one of those things that was hard to get for a while around here.
ReplyDeleteYes Stacy - the bread really is delicious! We also did not have yeast here when I went to purchase what I needed to bake the bread. I ended up getting lucky and finding it at Aldi's… I got one of the last few packets left at Aldi's. Call that my one and only score during hoarding… LOL! Have a great weekend!
DeleteI'm no baker myself, but I am a granddaughter and I remember my grandmother's flaky rolls. They were my favorite part of any big family gathering. So I loved your post as a tribute to all grandmas!
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing that a grandmother thinks it doesn't make you feel better! Thanks for your comment about your grandmothers flaky rolls… They sound amazing! As soon as I bake the bread I was instantly transported back to her kitchen wonderful memories of childhood! Thanks for stopping by and commenting- have a great weekend! Hugs!
DeleteTrevor and I made bread from scratch one day also! It was fun. We ate it way too fast though haha. Did you know we had a flour and yeast shortage here too.
ReplyDeleteWow - so I guess it everywhere! UGH! I ate it way too fast too - that is why I stopped making it - lol! Lead to the weight gain of 50 pounds or more - ugh!!! Hugs to you Julie
DeleteThe bread looks delicious!1 I am really not a baker but I have started making zucchini bread since the Amish Farmer has home grown ones. My son and my great nieces love it so it makes 2 loaves per recipe and i am always sticking one in the freezer to give to someone...Thanks so much for stopping by!!
ReplyDeleteStay safe, healthy and happy!!
Hugs,
Debbie
I love Zucchini bread but I never think to make it Debbie. I love any bread really - HA! What a fun thing to do to make it with your great nieces too! Thanks for stopping by - HUGS
DeleteYour Grandmother sounds like a very special lady. I'm glad that her recipe for the bread can continue to be shared and enjoyed by those you love.
ReplyDeleteShe really was so super special. Have a fantastic day!! HUGS
DeleteIt’s so very kind of you to share your grandmother’s recipe. Alas! I’m not much of a bread baker. Well, actually, I’m not much of a baker at all. This does sound awesome though. What wonderful memories you can hold to your heart.
ReplyDeleteThey really are wonderful memories. Have a wonderful day Kay! HUGS
DeleteThank you for sharing your bread memories and your Grandma Wells! Nope, didn't bake during the quarantine; I don't have the baking gene.
ReplyDeleteLOL Robin! Trust me I do not either but I was bored and hungry - HA HA!
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