Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[UNCLaur]

Thank you Delisha, jvls1942, and CelticLady for your advice!! We decided to disable the automatic door and keep the ladies inside for the cold snap. I think they'll be fine. Thanks again!

 

[Celtic Chick]

Ohhh and for everyone like me that is using a heat lamp or bringing things indoors. Will the transition back to normal cold weather be hard on them because we brought them in or artificially raised the temps?

I had a hen in the house a few weeks ago, right before Christmas, for about a week. DH took her back out when we had 2 days above freezing. She has a heat bulb to sit under if she wants, but she really didn't, except at night. The cold didn't seem to be an issue for her.

All my birds look pretty darn cold today, though. Not much movement out in the coop today. Poor birdies............

Thank you Delisha, jvls1942, and CelticLady for your advice!! We decided to disable the automatic door and keep the ladies inside for the cold snap. I think they'll be fine. Thanks again!

CelticLady? Who--hoo, I'm going up in the world!

Just kidding! I am glad we could help you. With the temps & the winds so brutal, they will not miss not being able to go outside for a few days. And I'm sure they won't miss the draft from the door being open on such a windy day either. Good luck to you and your birdies.

Thanks Mel! Nice pen, and a big

to your BIL!

 

[babylady4]

MG, it almost sounds like you are killing the yeast with water/liquid that is too hot initially (or it is too cold and it is not activated), and you are not kneading the dough enough. Bread dough should feel soft to the touch, almost like satin. If you need a good place to proof your dough, put a pan of boiling water in your oven and place your dough in a bowl over the steam. Cake yeast is ideal to use, but difficult to find. If you let your dry yeast 'proof' in the warm liquids and sugar for about 10 minutes before you add your flour, that should help a lot. It should become a nice foamy mess. Using the Kitchenaid dough hook is a piece of cake! It does all your kneading for you! Just keep letting the hook knock the dough around until it is nice and soft, usually 10-15 minutes. Only add the least amount of flour initially as well (usually recipes will have and extra 1/2 c you can add), flour will lose or gain moisture so add the least amount first then if the dough is still sticky add the rest in 1/4 c amounts or until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl (sticking at the bottom of the KA bowl is fine, you want that).


Good luck!

 

[jvls1942]

I am back, {obviously, eh ?}

the cinnamon rolls are raising ,, I have a half hour to kill before I have to heat up the oven,,

MomG, I turn the oven on for about 4 minutes and warm it up.. turn the oven off then I use it as the proofer ..
when it is time to heat the oven up for baking, I just remove whatever is in there raising, and set it on the table for the time being..

I took the leftover christmas cookie frosting and added a little coffee and almond extract to it..

I use the kitchen aid mixer with the hook..

In a 1/3 cup of warm water put a teaspoon of sugar and a heaping Tablespoon of dry yeast posder..

put :
2 eggs
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons grape seed oil (or butter)
mix this on about 4th or 5th speed for a minute or so..

into the liquid, put 2 cups of flour.. mix on 1st or second speed ..

then add the yeast mixture..

add 1 cup of flour, mix in.
add the last cup of flour .. this should be 4 cups of flour..

mix at 1st speed gradually at about every minute, raise the speed 1 notch until you are at 4th speed..

let it toss the dough to the sides of the bowl until all the flour is mixed in and the dough is cleaning off the sides of the bowl..

it is quite sticky dough at this point, but not too liquidy.. add more flour if needed,,

the mixer should be pounding by this time.. what I mean is, if you don't have the catch latched, the beater will bounce up .. you will know..

dump the dough onto a floured counter and knead.. you don't have to knead it long.. just a couple of minutes until you can shape it into a smooth ball..

put the smooth ball into a lightly greased serving bowl.. turn it to coat all sides with the oil..
stick the bowl into the proof oven for 45 minutes to an hour..

it should be about double in size..

I use a 9 x 11 cake pan..

divide the dough into 3 more or less equal pieces.. then cut each piece into 5 equal pieces..
the pieces should be about the size of two marshmallows.. this is not rocket science.. If you have some small ones and some larger ones, no big deal..

put the cake pan into the proof oven and let rise for 45 minutes to an hour..

remove the cake pan and turn the oven on to 375 F..

then bake for about 15 minutes.. watch the top of the rolls,, when they are golden brown they are done.. they will darken a bit as soon as you take them out of the oven.. so don't let them get too dark..

I think you know the rest,, tear off a hot one and put lots of butter on it.. this is the mandatory baker's taste test..

my timer just went off.. time to turn the oven on to preheat and in about a half hour from now,,,, cinnamon rolls !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jvls1942]

the flash did not work, but you get the idea.. these are glazed while hot, so the glazing melted in down and around ..

excuse me while I pour a cuppa and do the baker's taste test ..

about 2 hours start to finish ..

I wish you all were here..

..........jiminwisc..........

 

[cuties]

Jim, you are the meaaaanest!

 

[delisha]

Ok now I have to make Carmel rolls tomorrow..

To make full proof sweet rolls..make a starter the night before..

1/4 tsp dry yeast(one dry pack)
1/2 cup 100 degree water mix and place in a glass bowl..
1/2 cup flour
1 tbs sugar..stir in and cover over night.

the next day I scald 1 cup of milk
and add 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)Mix and cool to tepid(touch the bowl)
Mix it together with the starter add
1/2 cup tepid water
Mix
2 tsp salt
Mix
3 eggs
mix
1/2 sugar
mix
1 tsp dry yeast
add dough hook and mix
slowly add
6 1/2 cup flour one cup at a time..mix between each cup
It will be sticky dough. after last cup is added I put it on high and mix for 3 minutes..cover and let rest for 2 hours

I dump 2 cup of flour on the table and empty my contents on top..smooch it with my hands and flip the dough over a few times..than roll out into a rectangle.

I dot the rectangle with butter
I mix 2 tsp cinnamon to 1 cup sugar and sprinkle on top
You can add pecans too
roll them up and slice in two inch rings (12 extra large rolls or 24 small rolls)
Place them in a large 13x9 pan or two pans if you do the smaller rolls..let them raise for two hours and bake 350 for 20 minutes



Cream cheese frosting for these..

1 3 oz package Cream Cheese(soft)
1/2 cup butter(Soft)
1 cup powder sugar(Sifted)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

 

[mxmarg]

Jim, thanks to you we had freshly made dinner rolls last night!

Then today the heating element in the stove gave up the ghost... %^#@!* So it's really a special kind of torture reading about everyone's baking escapades.

I was so surprised that the chickies spent most of the day OUTSIDE the coop! They were under the coop in the straw layered space with wind breaks on two sides. The black one even came out from underneath to sit on the cold ground to sit in the sun! No wind breaks! Really?! Would not have believed it. They are made of some tough stuff.

Fed them scrambled eggs and scratch and cracked corn during the day. Last night I had a 100 watt reptile heat bulb in there. Except for directly underneath, the coop was the same temp. as it was outside. Tonight I switched to a warmer red bulb.

Yes they're handling the weather like champs... but I worry about the stress of doing so! hence the red bulb.

Keep warm everyone! If I can't bake, at least I can go make myself a cuppa hot cider now!

 

[bigzio]

Real Winter Evening To Everyone.....somebody is gonna be gaining weight with all the goodies being baked....and bl4 you will need to make a road trip to Colorado for the most important ingredient in those brownies...

Nice job with the duck pen...must be cool to take a bath with a real duck!

Nothing new here...just more Cabin Fever....

Stay Safe...bigz

 

[irishrovr]

It's so brutal out there! The hubs had to have his car towed home after work today. The battery is OK but something must be too cold to work. We'll leave it in the garage for a few days and see what happens. It's an oldie that we've been talking about replacing sometime. I think sometime is now.

I was busy keeping warm inside today with the sewing machine but even that refused to work this evening. It's not an oldie and still under warranty so I'll have to send it out to get repaired. Figures. I just gave my daughter my trusty old Kenmore when she was home for Christmas.

The chickaroos are going to eat me out of house and home! I suppose they need to eat more to generate the energy to keep warm. All that poo should be good for the garden. I'm already thinking about spring planting. Got a long way to go before I can get out there and actually see the soil again!

Time for some hot chocolate! If anyone has a roll or a cinnamon bun or a brownie they can spare - c'mon over!

Stay cozy!