Homemade bread and crumble
What is it about us humans that we do crazy things under the delusion that they’re a good idea? I woke up yesterday full of cold (again!) and this weekend should have been about survival. Instead I took my son shopping yesterday to buy my daughter’s birthday gift. Two hours of wandering around shops looking for bedding, with a three-year-old in tow, isn’t that clever.
I did at least take a lie-in this morning, after writing my blog post, and didn’t get up until 10am. But then, instead of sitting in a corner quietly reading my book while the kids played (as suggested by hubbie) I started on a baking spree.
I don’t do baking or cooking, unless I want cookies and there aren’t any in the house. I’m the only person I know who isn’t a foodie, doesn’t enjoy cooking and hates making everything from scratch. But, today I made macaroni cheese, fruit crumble and a loaf of bread, all from scratch. What the…?
Actually, there is some logic. Firstly, although the kids were playing nicely by themselves, I knew that would end abruptly if I sat on the sofa with a book. If Mummy’s busy they can mostly be relied on to do things they think I might not approve of. I watch them surreptitiously to make sure it’s nothing dangerous, and everyone is happy.
Ironing done. Check.
Secondly, it’s ‘that time of the month’ and comfort food was required. A nice broccoli and cheese pasta bake and some fruit crumble and custard was just what the doctor ordered (well, probably not, but you know what I mean!) I managed to make a hash of mixing powdered custard, ending up with a lumpy goo twice, but it tasted okay.
Thirdly, I bought a new loaf tin a few weeks ago and I haven’t really had a chance to try it out. I made banana bread in it, but think I got the recipe wrong because it didn’t rise (although it tasted okay!) I searched and searched online for an easy wholemeal bread recipe, for my basic cupboard of ingredients, and found one on Delia’s site. Delia is one of the UK cooking gurus, so I thought what can go wrong?
The recipe certainly is easy, requiring no kneading and only a few basic ingredients (flour, salt, sugar, yeast, hot water). It rose as she said it would, to fill the tin, and baked to perfection, sounding lovely and hollow. It looked lovely, smelt great. But it feels like a house brick. Tastes like one, too.
It’s just about edible toasted, but it’s sooooo heavy. It’s just as well I managed to buy a loaf at the supermarket this afternoon, because I can’t see the kids eating it in their packed lunches tomorrow (I’ve got to make them all week, because I forgot to order my daughter’s hot dinners. Idiot!)
Says it all!
So my search for the perfect easy bread recipe continues! My sister swears by a no-knead one that cooks for hours (or sits for hours, I can’t remember) but I’m not very patient. And, actually, I’m happy to do a bit of kneading if it means light and fluffy bread!
To top off my day of domesticity, I did ninety minutes of ironing while the kids played outside in the rain and then picked away at their tea. It’s a nice feeling to know it’s all done, but my head is fit to burst now (especially as they’re watching Barney for the tenth time in two days and that singing goes straight through me!).
Thankfully hubbie did bath time, although that seems to have finished him off (he also has a cold!) What a pair we are.
Roll on spring and feeling well again. And thank goodness it’s bedtime (for the kids and probably for me, too!) How was your weekend?
writermummy 
I am totally uninspired in the kitchen, much to my children’s and husbands disgust!
Yes, me too. When I gave up work to be a stay at home mum / writer I think hubbie thought there would be loads of cakes and home cooking. Unfortunately not only do I not enjoy it very much, I’m rubbish! My cooking is generally inedible, even when I follow the recipe properly (which I often don’t because if I haven’t got all the ingredients I just make it up!)
Ha! I’m the same, I can follow the recipe to a ‘T’ and I still manage mess it up, and it never looks like it did in the picture. We just generally eat meat, boiled veg and a side of roasted or mashed potato – if they’re lucky there will be a corn cob with it. Sometimes I will branch off and make a salad, a carbonara, a spag bol or a beef stroganoff, you know, stuff that you just set on low and let it do its thing then simply add pasta! But in general it’s pretty boring lol! It’s good to see I’m not the only one 🙂
You’ve no idea, really, no idea how happy it makes me to meet another ‘non-foodie’ person. Seriously. 🙂 Everyone I know loves to cook and is all organic and healthy and cook complicated meals from scratch. I make vats of bolonaise and freeze it to use in lasagne, chili, cottage pie and spag bol! That’s our ‘healthy’ menu. Then I throw in the odd sausage and mash or meat and roast potatoes. That’s it.
Well I can definitely relate, and it’s not like it’s laziness, it’s just that at the end of the day I’m stuffed and during the day I am waaaay to busy to even contemplate starting to prepare our meals for later, especially with the little one, he’s a climber and he needs to be hovered over because he breaks his fall with his head, so because I don’t want him to be a sociopath as a result of mild brain damage when he grows up I need to be watching him. Then when he goes for a nap, I’m sorry but I don’t want to waste that time away to domesticity, that’s my break too! I don’t get holidays or weekends off, just that tiny window of time where he is being still!
I hear you! Although I’m at a stage now where I go to cook dinner in the evening because it means I can leave the children with Daddy in front of the TV and have twenty mins peace in the kitchen, away from Peppa Pig and the Octonauts.
Yeah see we have an open plan home so I can’t get away from those shows, ever lol!
Headphones! (Actually I plug mine into the iPad with headphones, and crank the radio up. I’m happy with my path to Mummy Hell in a handcart…)
YES!! You gotta love music!! It gives you drive where there was none 🙂 And talk back radio is also good. My husband listens to podcasts n his on his way home, that would be interesting.
I can’t stand talk radio, I admit, because I hate any kind of disagreement ( I get enough listening to the kids all day) but I do love remembering all the music I listened to pre-kids and Wheels on the Bus. The kids don’t let me listen to my music or sing along, so as soon as I drop them off at school/nursery I sing at the top of my voice to 80s rock ballads!
Yes I love to sing too, I can’t do it front of my kids though otherwise one cries and the other runs away lol! I save that for Karaoke night now once in a blue moon 🙂 Don’t you just love it how a song can take you right back to a time and place? I love that nostalgic feeling!
Oh yes, belting out power ballads in the car is sure to lift my mood, though I’d never be brave or drunk enough for karaoke as I couldn’t hold a note in a bucket.
We used an easy recipe to teach girl scouts to make bread on camping weekend. Here is the link.
http://m.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Bread-2/
Great, thanks! Will try it and let you know how I get on.
I’m all for hormonal baking! You can be sure if you did slave for hours over some organic foodie dinner, the kids would turn their noses up anyway! Did you guard the empty ironing basket with a large stick to make sure no-one put any more clothes in it?
Oh yes, that’s why I don’t cook anything but pasta for the kids. Hubbie has too much sense to turn his nose up at anything he hasn’t had to cook (which is basically everything as he never cooks) but the kids, not so much. Their disgust is always proportional to the effort and quantity of washing up taken to prepare it!
And as I do all the laundry, I keep the ironing basket empty by letting the laundry basket overflow!
I like the way you think!
Wow! I don’t make that much when I am 100% healthy. 🙂 Your kids are super lucky. The only thing Maya gets when I’m sick is an earful of me complaining.
And ironing? Forget it. I will have no part in Ali’s ironing. Ever.
Feel better Amanda!
Haha I only bake when I’m sad or sick…
I never used to do hubbie’s ironing, but I got sick of him ironing in the middle of the kitchen in the morning when I was trying to get the kids ready for school!
Wow you have been busy and making tasty things too. I Spent the weekend minding my four nieces ( twins) and nephews, and I was exhausted. I’d forgot how much work it is to look after, entertain, clean up after and feed little children. I don’t think I’m yet recovered.
Lol. I couldn’t do four! I had an extra for a birthday tea last night and I was shattered after an hour!