For Day 6, we will be on Emily's farm.
Agenda for the day:
- We will be getting our hands busy! Students will work in stations and make soda biscuits, bread, banana bread, butter, and learn how to make a homemade pie using scratch cooking techniques
- We will discuss the use of organic, scratch cooking materials versus using packaged foods, reading labels to discover the differences of the use of artificial preservatives
Basic cooking skills are vital to survival. After all canned goods have been consumed, knowing how to do your own cooking will be more important than ever. Breads are often more tricky to make because of the steps involved in creating them. Yeast, used in making bread, is a delicate science. Baking soda biscuits are fun and simple to make, not to mention delicious when spread with honey or homemade jelly. And making butter is a simple process, but one that is not commonly done today.
Amish white bread
Ingredients
Original recipe makes 2 - 9x5 inch loaves
Ingredients
Original recipe makes 2 - 9x5 inch loaves
- 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 6 cups bread flour
Directions
- In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
- Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.
Baking soda biscuits
Original recipe makes 2 - 3 dozen
Original recipe makes 2 - 3 dozen
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons shortening
- 3/4 cup milk
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the shortening and mix until in little pieces. Add milk a little at a time and mix until it forms a ball.
- Roll out on floured board to 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick. Cut out in desired size and dip in melted shortening. Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Variation: For shortcakes add 2 tablespoons for sugar to the dough and roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick.
Banana Bread
Ingredients
1. No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.
4. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
5. Add the flour last, mix.
5. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan.
6. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
Ingredients
- 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1. No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.
4. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
5. Add the flour last, mix.
5. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan.
6. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
Butter
Ingredients:
1. Fill a jar halfway with heavy cream (baby food jars work great for small batches), and screw the lid on tight.
2. Shake the jar up and down until the cream thickens and begins to stick together.
3. Then, open the jar, and pour any remaining liquid into another container; this is the buttermilk. Everything else is butter.
4. Knead the butter under cold running water for several minutes to work out any remaining buttermilk (otherwise the butter will spoil quickly).
5. Knead in salt, if desired.
6. Refrigerate.
Ingredients:
- Heavy cream
- A Jar with a lid
1. Fill a jar halfway with heavy cream (baby food jars work great for small batches), and screw the lid on tight.
2. Shake the jar up and down until the cream thickens and begins to stick together.
3. Then, open the jar, and pour any remaining liquid into another container; this is the buttermilk. Everything else is butter.
4. Knead the butter under cold running water for several minutes to work out any remaining buttermilk (otherwise the butter will spoil quickly).
5. Knead in salt, if desired.
6. Refrigerate.
Pumpkin Pie
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
- 1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.
Pie Crust
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 6 to 8 Tbsp ice water
Homework: Read the article here on Butter vs. Margerine and in your response below note your thoughts and feelings on the two. Do you think people should be concerned about whether they eat butter or margerine? Why or why not?