All Things Hold Together

I am sure that the phrase “Frugal Friday” is used elsewhere, but I really didn’t rip it from someone, I swear. I just wanted to share some tips on frugal living and I thought that sounded catchy.

This week I share a tip that has been a lifesaver for our family in the past. Buy an economy bag of yeast and one of flour, so that you always have it on hand. That way, even if there is some kind of emergency and you are out of cash, you can still enjoy delicious homemade bread. Once I hadn’t gone to the store yet and there was nothing for dinner, so we made homemade soft pretzels for dinner! They were so tasty and filling, we didn’t want anything else.

We belong to Costco - a wholesale club. Every month, I buy a 25 pound bag of flour. My bag of yeast I bought months ago and I keep it in the fridge. It has long since paid for itself, so I basically have yeast for free now, until it goes bad. For use in recipes, 2 1/4 teaspoons of the yeast is equal to one packet.

Now, wholesale clubs are not right for everyone, but if you find that the club has many of the products you use a lot of, it can be a real bargain. You must do a cost analysis and - this is the biggie - do not buy things you don’t need just because they look good and are a deal. It is not a deal if you are spending money you otherwise wouldn’t have.

Even when money is really tight, I can still make the following French Bread recipe, which uses only flour, water, yeast, and salt. Even if we have nothing else to eat - which thankfully has never happened - we still have great bread. Sometimes we only have pasta and sauce to eat, which is kind of a blah meal, but with this awesome fresh bread, we have a feast worthy of a king.

The recipe calls for egg white to be brushed over the dough. It makes a difference in how the crust tastes - it is crustier with the egg - but I have made it without the egg when we had none and it was still good bread.

French Bread
5 1/2 to 6 cups flour
2 packages (or 4 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups water (120 - 130 degrees)
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

In a large bowl (or the bowl of your mixer) combine 2 cups of the flour, the yeast and salt. Add the warm water and beat on low - medium for 30 seconds with an electric mixer, scraping bowl. Beat on high for 3 minutes. (If you have a stand mixer with dough hook, set to dough setting (2 on Kitchen Aid) and mix for 3 minutes.)

Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. (For stand mixer with dough hook, add remaining flour a little at a time, while mixer is set to dough setting, until the dough is no longer stick and clings to hook. Continue to let the machine knead the dough for another 2-4 minutes.)

Shape the dough into a ball and place in lightly greased bowl, turning to grease the top of dough. Cover and let rise until double in size (about 1 hour).

Punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half, cover and let rest 10 minutes. In the meantime, lightly grease your pan (or spray with cooking spray) and sprinkle with cornmeal.

Roll each portion of dough into a 10×15-inch rectangle and roll up jelly-roll style. Seal well and taper ends by pulling slightly. Place seam down on prepared pan. Mix egg white and tablespoon of water in a small bowl and brush over loaves. Cover and let rise until nearly double (35 to 45 minutes).

Using a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal slits about 1/4 inch deep in each loaf. Bake in 375-degree oven for 20 minutes. Brush on egg white mixture again and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes more. Until bread sounds hollow when you tap it with your fingers. Cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Leftovers make great french toast. And if the bread goes stale, you can cut it up for awesome croutons. Waste not, want not.