Saturday, February 19, 2011

Rainy Days and Ranch Bread

The forecast calls for a rainy cold weekend so all my pretty flowers have been pulled in under cover so I can throw a sheet over them if it gets too cold.
It's been so nice the past week that I was hoping we were finished with the cold spell.  Not that I'm ready for 115 degree weather.




Inside we've been keeping nice and warm.  I used my bread machine to bake a white ranch loaf.  The house was filled with a wonderful aroma.
White Ranch Bread
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup Dry Milk
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 TBSP powdered Ranch Dressing
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/8 cup water
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Place all ingredients into bread pan, in the order recommended by manufacturer of bread machine.  Insert the pan into bread maker and select "white", desired crust color, rapid or normal baking cycle and loaf size.  Press start.

I love this bread sliced and grilled with a little butter and garlic to go along with steak and potatoes. 
I think next time I'm going to let the bread machine do its thing until it's time to rise and then pull it out, let it rise on the counter and then bake it in the oven.  I don't like the shape or the hole in the bottom of the bread from the paddle.

Have a great weekend!

Holly
xxx-ooo

8 comments:

just call me jo said...

I love,love,love the smell of newly baked bread. And, unfortunately, I love to eat it even more...I'll bet your house is a happy place this weekend. Enjoy!

Cindy said...

Flowers are lookin good!! Gotta admit, not sure about ranch bread. Just sayin!! Love Ya!!

pam said...

Oh my gosh. Look at those flowers! I am sooo ready for warm weather.

Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking said...

Your flowers are so pretty. Wow I am really getting anxious for Spring to get here. That Ranch Bread looks so good. That wouldn't last long at our house!!

Kris said...

Your flowers are just beautiful!!!! The bread looks so yummy! We are having rain, and lots of it. Sitting here by the fire enjoying it

Anonymous said...

Your flowers are so pretty. I'm so anxious for spring to get here so I can have some pretty flowers too!

Mikalah said...

Yum, that ranch bread looks delish. I used to use our bread machine that way too- just let it do the work and then take out the bread and bake it in pans. It's so easy!

Val said...

Yum! I think I might have to try throwing some ranch dressing mix into a loaf the next time I make my white bread.

Just last night, as we ate a dinner of warm fresh homemade bread with butter and big glasses of milk, we were discussing the fact that we are complete carboholics. How any sane person can ever give up the stuff is completely beyond me!