frugal living

While I just can't seem to grasp the concept that a latte for $4 is to much to pay for something of the sort... =) I am trying to scrimp in other areas. I recently have been researching recipes for making my own laundry detergent. I am going to give that a try on Sunday. Wish me luck! Another way I am trying to save is when it comes to buying bread. Our family goes through 3 to 4 loaves of bread a week. My kids LOVE toast and Greg takes sandwiches to work almost every day. You can view the complete instructions here: "the simple dollar."

So today I made my first loaf. It was a process, I'm not gonna lie. It took hours because in between mixing and beating and beating again you have to let it rise twice, for an hour each time. I was so excited to get started that I blew through the first few steps before I realized, dang it, I didn't take pics for my blog. So let me catch you up to the pictures.

The ingredients:
The dough waiting to be beaten =)

Ellie beating the dough for me...

while Coop had a snack.

In the bowl for the first round of rising...
It grew a bit after that first hour...
More beating/kneading and then flattened into a rectangle...
Rolled up and placed in a loaf pan set out for another hour to rise.
After another hour of rising.
After baking at 400 degrees for 30 minutes...
Beautiful! I think my first loaf turned out so good! I can't wait to try it at dinner and see what the real judges think. =)
Although it did take some time it was very easy, much cheaper and much, much healthier than a loaf of bread from the store. I am also looking to learn some variations in flavor. Garlic, wheat, parmesan, etc.