Happy Monday Blessed Ones of Christ!!!! I do hope and pray that everyone had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday, keeping Christ at the forefront of all you did yesterday and still praising Him today for all He continues to do for us!!!!! I'm still overcome with joy and awe that He would do so much for me, someone so undeserving. That's what's amazing though. He does nothing for us on our own merits, because we could never do enough to earn His love. It's based solely on His love for us!!! Amen and Hallelujah!!!!!! Thank You Jesus!!! Thank You Father God!!!!!!
So, here it is Monday and I find myself in the kitchen making bread, yeast bread. Honey Wheat Bread to be more exact. It is delicious. While I'm in the kitchen, I'm always thinking about the ingredients in my breads, no matter the recipe. I have always baked bread, but..........I haven't always enjoyed the process. When my hands and arms got to the point that I just couldn't knead it anymore, my joy for making bread from scratch waned. I grieved the loss of something that brought me such joy. So, I set out to find a way. The old adage, "where there's a will, there's a way", paid off after I found something called a "bread machine". I got one many years ago and my love for making bread is a renewed passion. I just have to praise God for modern technology. If it wasn't for my bread machine, we wouldn't be enjoying healthy bread, made by my hands, for us. So, never give up on a passion that is worthwhile, look for a way to do it.
Having said all that, I was thinking about flour and yeast. If you are on any kind of groups or forums, you will hear people saying all the time, "YOU CAN'T MIX YEAST AND SELF RISING FLOUR!!!" They are adamant about it. You have to use this, you can't use that, blah blah blah blah blah blah and blah!!!!! I love the way women look after each, really I do. Most of them lurk around just waiting for an opportunity to pounce on their next unsuspecting victim. Why they do it, I'll never know. One thing I do know is this, I was reared by a woman that never took no for an answer and set out to find out why for herself. In the long run, with an attitude like that, you find out that a lot of it is "OLD WIVES TALES". That's true. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" is a pretty good mantra to live by and that's what I've done. Or at least tried to do.
The reason they say you can't mix yeast and self rising flour is because self rising flour has salt and baking powder in it as the leavening agents. Salt also helps it taste better. Salt also stops the leavening action from getting out of hand. All purpose flour has no leavening agent or salt in it. It's a clean slate, so to speak. You have to put the leavening agents in it. Either baking powder and salt, baking soda or yeast. Some recipes call for baking powder, baking soda and salt. Most of the time, there's probably an egg in it. It seems I remember that bread with baking soda usually has an egg in it. Yeast, too, is a leavening agent. It feeds on sugars, so if you use yeast, the recipe usually has a little sugar in it. To me, that's what's so wonderful about the yeast breads. I always think, "Sister Schubert Rolls", I guess those are my gold standard rolls to judge every other rolls by. hahaha Not really, but I just used them as a good example and they are delicious rolls. Most yeast rolls have a very distinct aroma. Very pleasing and enticing, it lures you in unsuspectingly, and before you know it, you've scarfed down 2 or 3 rolls. Well, maybe you haven't, but yours truly always does. hahahaha
I learned early on to use what I have. I used mostly self rising flour. I still only want self rising corn meal, but that's another blog post. hahahaha I haven't always kept all purpose flour on hand. But I have always had baking powder, baking soda, salt and eggs. Then, when I started baking bread from scratch, I kept and now keep yeast on hand. I'm not a yeast snob or an all purpose flour snob. Back to my motto, I use what I have on hand and what fits my budget. No one else ever has to eat my bread, but if they do, they won't be eating "APF" that costs a fortune. Most of the time, its a "store" brand, the cheapest in house APF I can find. Usually either Aldi or Kroger brands. Since I bake bread all the time, I keep APF on hand all the time now. And yeast. Those are 2 of my main stay staples.
When I was getting my ingredients together for my bread this morning, I was thinking about everything I have told y'all. I even started thinking about how to use the yeast and self rising flour. Well, if you google it, you can find recipes that DO mix the 2 ingredients!!!!!! I've known that for many years, due to doing my own experiments. See, I'm kinda stubborn like that. That's one of the ways that I have earned my doctorate degree from the school of hard knocks, proving some of the "old wives tales" to be inaccurate. Don't tell me it can't be done, because I'll probably prove you wrong, if I care enough about what you tell me can't be done. I may not though, because as a 60 something year old woman, there's not many people out there that I care enough about their opinions to prove them wrong. Truth be known, I've already done it, or do it every day.
So, if you want to mix yeast and self rising flour, GO FOR IT!!! Just leave out any salt, baking soda, or baking powder that the recipe calls for and you should be good to go. Don't take my word on any of this, prove it for yourself. Experiment. Try things out. That way when you read or hear someone say, "THAT CAN NOT BE DONE", you can say "OH YES IT CAN". Even if you don't speak up, you will know that it can be done, because you've proven for yourself that it can be done.
Now, I would not use yeast and self rising flour in my bread machine, because it will rise, and maybe even a lot. In my bread machine, it would spill out of the pan. But for making rolls and buns, it would be excellent. I can imagine it would also be great in sour dough buns. I can't remember if I've ever tried that or not, but now that I've thought about, I will try it.
My main goal for this post, is to get you to step out of your comfort zone and try something. Try something that everyone says can't be done. Think about the ingredients and how they work together and what may need to be left out or even added to get the desired results. My experimentation over that years has come about by me not having a certain ingredient and I end up using what I have. Back then, I didn't think anything of it, because I was making do with I have. Now, it really cheeses me when I see women telling other women, while patting themselves on their back, this can't be done or that can't be done. Don't tell anyone that. Encourage them to find out what can be done. Encourage them to prove the old wives tales wrong. Encourage them to find a way.
Make a way, find a way, just do it. We don't have to be mean spirited to anyone. Google a recipe with yeast and self rising flour and try it. You won't regret it. But always be encouraging to someone who is trying to learn. I'm so thankful I had a Momma that beat a lot of stuff out the hard way. I seen that while I was growing up and I have picked up where she left off. Find out for yourself if you can do something or not. Prove it to yourself that you can or can't. Don't let anyone else tell you, you can't. That is fear on their part thinking you will prove them wrong or show them up. Do it. For me, I want to push, pull or drag others along to doing more and better than they imagined for themselves. Don't step on anyone else while you are trying to better yourself. Help others along as you are helping yourself. That's the whole purpose of this post. To try to get us to see that our words can dampen or even put out the spark in others who are trying learn.
Now, if you see or hear of someone doing unhealthy practices in the kitchen that could lead to death, like rogue canning, then call them on it. I have left several groups over the years because of practices that could lead to death due to botulism. I'll not hang out where people are supporting rogue and dangerous practices. After I've let them know, then I leave after they start slinging dirt. I won't leave before telling them their practice will kill someone, but I will after I've done my job.
So, don't be afraid to try something you've always heard can't be done. Prove it one way or another to yourself. Blessings to y'all this beautiful day. I hear my bread machine calling me, so I've got to get my dough out of it and make my rolls and let them rise, and then we bake!!! Yay!!!!!!
I don't want to leave you without telling you that God loves you so much He provided a way for you to be in right relationship with Him thru the shed blood of our Risen Savior, Jesus Christ. I love you enough, to tell you that. Have a wonderful rest of the day and bake bread and enjoy!! hugs, love and bountiful blessings, patty
