Any Home Bakers Here?

[ronott1]

Well, I haven't posted in a bit so thought I would share a recent bake. It was dessert night, so I went back to the first sugar cookie recipe I learned to make (wasn't passed down or from a family recipe book or anything, I found it online but nonetheless love it). This is the recipe I use to bake sugar cookies without decoration/royal icing, as they're perfect by themselves. Some of the other recipes don't taste so well by themselves. With the gas stove, I have to keep an eye on them and take them out a bit before the timer and adjust from there so they won't burn. Anywho, enough rambling, here's some simple but tasty sugar cookies!

View attachment 2031094

Nice looking cookies!

 

[jnicholes]

Sardines, mozzarella, tomato sauce, and oregano.

Napoletana pizza!

 

[Aria]

I did not get that. Was it a pm or an email? If it was an email, it was likely targeted to you because of browsing chicken sites and not from back yard chickens

Ron, It was an email that appeared in my Spam Folder. I will NOT open.
Thanks Aria

 

[ronott1]

Ron, It was an email that appeared in my Spam Folder. I will NOT open.
Thanks Aria

Perfect! It is great when the spam filter works like it is supposed to

 

[bruceha2000]

I can't say they're organic or free range or anything but it might help with the feed bill anyway.

How are your birds raised?

Organic means you feed them organic feed. They can be "organic" even if they live their entire lives in a cage.

"Cage" free means they are not confined to a cage, nothing about how many birds are living in a building. Could be 100 sq ft/bird, could be 1 sq ft/bird as far as the definition goes. By that definition my 23 hens would be cage free even if they were never allowed out of the 10x12 coop. They would still be considered "cage free" since they have an auto door that opens/closes with the daylight and lets them out into the barn alley.

The "legal" definition of "free range" is actually a huge joke compared to what people ASSUME it means. It means they have access to the outside of the building they live in and they don't live in cages. It doesn't say anything about how big the space must be nor how much time or how often they can be out there. Not even that there be ground and plants out there, it could be a concrete pad. If you have a coop and open the pop door to an outside run on the ground every day, your birds ARE "free range". My girls are free range because I open the barn door every morning. They choose to come out or not (like when there is snow!) all day and head back to the the coop when it starts to get dark.

"Pasture raised" means they are outside in the ground all day but that doesn't mean they can go anywhere, any time. A chicken tractor you move as the "grazing" dictates is "pasture raised" and I believe pretty much ANY "pasture raised" egg you buy in a store will be of that nature. That said, they could be in mobile chicken coops that are moved and the hens let out onto the pasture every day. Since my girls come and go from the barn as they please and have access to a full acre of fenced grassland they are not only free range but also pasture raised.

There really is no term for "They can be outside whenever they want, for however long they want and go pretty much anywhere they want". Those would be my hens.

JEAN LOPEZ "IMPROVE BUSINESS STRATEGY WITH BACKYARD CHICKENS"....did anyone else get this? Aria

Nope, I get a number of spam emails but I haven't seen that one. I wouldn't open it either.

Today, I used olive oil. To my surprise, the dough came out completely different before Rising.

Oh yes, must be olive oil!!!!
Our pizza dough recipe is 1 package Active Dry yeast (we buy the bottle so 2 1/4 tsp), 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 cup lukewarm water (which means basically turn the tap to hot, wait for it to be hot and get a cup). When the mixture is foamy (10 - 15 minutes) add 1/4 cup olive oil. I mix the first stuff in a 2 cup measuring cup so adding the oil is easy, just add until there is 1 1/4 cup of fluid in the measuring cup. The other ingredients are 1 1/2 c white flour, 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1 tsp salt.

 

[igorsMistress]

How are your birds raised?

Organic means you feed them organic feed. They can be "organic" even if they live their entire lives in a cage.

"Cage" free means they are not confined to a cage, nothing about how many birds are living in a building. Could be 100 sq ft/bird, could be 1 sq ft/bird as far as the definition goes. By that definition my 23 hens would be cage free even if they were never allowed out of the 10x12 coop. They would still be considered "cage free" since they have an auto door that opens/closes with the daylight and lets them out into the barn alley.

The "legal" definition of "free range" is actually a huge joke compared to what people ASSUME it means. It means they have access to the outside of the building they live in and they don't live in cages. It doesn't say anything about how big the space must be nor how much time or how often they can be out there. Not even that there be ground and plants out there, it could be a concrete pad. If you have a coop and open the pop door to an outside run on the ground every day, your birds ARE "free range". My girls are free range because I open the barn door every morning. They choose to come out or not (like when there is snow!) all day and head back to the the coop when it starts to get dark.

"Pasture raised" means they are outside in the ground all day but that doesn't mean they can go anywhere, any time. A chicken tractor you move as the "grazing" dictates is "pasture raised" and I believe pretty much ANY "pasture raised" egg you buy in a store will be of that nature. That said, they could be in mobile chicken coops that are moved and the hens let out onto the pasture every day. Since my girls come and go from the barn as they please and have access to a full acre of fenced grassland they are not only free range but also pasture raised.

There really is no term for "They can be outside whenever they want, for however long they want and go pretty much anywhere they want". Those would be my hens.


Nope, I get a number of spam emails but I haven't seen that one. I wouldn't open it either.


Oh yes, must be olive oil!!!!
Our pizza dough recipe is 1 package Active Dry yeast (we buy the bottle so 2 1/4 tsp), 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 cup lukewarm water (which means basically turn the tap to hot, wait for it to be hot and get a cup). When the mixture is foamy (10 - 15 minutes) add 1/4 cup olive oil. I mix the first stuff in a 2 cup measuring cup so adding the oil is easy, just add until there is 1 1/4 cup of fluid in the measuring cup. The other ingredients are 1 1/2 c white flour, 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1 tsp salt.

It doesn't matter how, in AZ I have to sell and label as Nest Run and that's all I can claim. My birds are raised the same as yours, they do whatever they want.

 

[bruceha2000]

I've never heard of "nest run" eggs. I looked it up, says the eggs are as they came from the production facility without being washed, sized or candled for quality.

That would also describe my eggs.

OK, I found this for Arizona:
"Nest Run Egg Producers: These small producers of eggs, by statute, are limited to 750 dozens of nest run eggs (unwashed and ungraded) per year. They are required to register with the Department of Agriculture(link is external). There is no fee for this. In addition to registering, they are required to properly label their eggs and keep them under refrigeration at 45 degrees F or less. Nest Run Producers are prohibited from using trademarked or trade name cartons belonging to other companies."

I don't think that means you are precluded from describing the housing and life your hens live. There are people who will pay more for eggs from humanely raised hens. I figure anyone from PETA would have one heck of a time claiming my spoiled butt chickens are not being raised ethically.

 

[ThreeOfSeven]

I have a batch of that "5-Minute A Day" bread dough in the fridge, and I tried something new. Naan bread, and it's delicious! Sorry, no pics, DH and I ate them. I'm starting the LOVE that dough recipe! ❤❤❤

 

[HomesteaderWife]

@ThreeOfSeven - Please share next time you make it, I've never heard of this!

 

[ThreeOfSeven]

@ThreeOfSeven - Please share next time you make it, I've never heard of this!

So naan is buttery Indian flatbread that's cooked in a cast iron skillet (12") and is used to sop up delicious Indian curries. There's a note in the cookbook that it's someone's favorite bread to make while camping. (Okay, now I want to go camping just so I can make this bread in the woods!)

First you need to make the Master Recipe (a refrigerated bread dough), which has been posted in this thread many times.

For 1 Flatbread

1/4 pound (about peach size) of Master Recipe
1 Tablespoon ghee or oil
Unsalted butter for brushing the loaf (or ghee if available)

Dust surface of the refrigerated dough and cut off 1/4 pound (peach size) piece. Dust it with flour and quickly shape into a ball by stretching surface around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball 1/4 turn as you go. Using your hands and a rolling pin, and minimal flour, roll out to a uniform thickness of 1/8-inch throughout and to a diameter of 8-9 inches.

Heat a heavy 12-inch cast iron skillete over high heat on the stovetop. When water droplets flicked onto the pan skitter across the surface and evaporate quickly, the pan is ready. Add the ghee or oil

Drop the rolled dough round onto the skillet, decrease the heat to medium, and cover the skillet to trap the steam and heat.

Check for doneness with a spatula at about 3 minutes or sooner if you're smelling overly quick browning. Adjust the heat as needed. Flip the naan when the underside is richly browned.

Continue cooking another 2 to 6 minutes or until the naan feels firm, even at the edges, and the second side is browned. If you've rolled a thicker naan or if you're using dough with whole grains, you'll need more pan time.

Remove the naan from the pan, brush with butter if the dough was cooked in oil, and serve.