April 27, 2024

Christi’s Homemade Bread Recipe

June 19, 2013 by

When it comes to bread, there is nothing better to me than homemade!  I love the way the bread makes my home smell while it is baking in the oven.  I have always been a homemaker at heart, and there is nothing more special to me than to make a couple of loaves of homemade bread for my family.  My hubby works hard each day, for us, and he deserves something special for dinner.  I love a lot of things homemade, but this recipe is my all-time favorite.  I hope you will give it a try and let me know what you think of it!

 

Homemade Bread

Makes 4 loaves

Homemade Bread

Ingredients:    

 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees)
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup shortening, melted and cooled
12 cups all-purpose flour, divided

 

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, salt and shortening; stir until dissolved. Add half the flour; beat until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough that cleans the bowl. Turn onto a floured surface. Knead 8-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
  2. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. Punch dough down. Cover and let rise again for 30 minutes.
  3. Divide dough into four parts and shape into loaves. Place in four greased 9″ x 5″ x 3″ loaf pans (I use Pampered Chef Loaf Pans). Cover and let rise in a warm place until just to the top edge of the loaf pan*, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans and allow to cool on wire racks.

*If you don’t want that dry-flour look on the top of your bread (as shown in the picture above), brush butter all over the top of the loaf before removing the bread from the loaf pan.  It not only makes the bread taste delicious, but it also gives the bread a nice golden brown color.

We like a denser bread versus a light and airy bread, so I only allow the bread to rise just to the top edge of the loaf pans before going into the oven.  If you want a lighter, airy bread, you will let it rise a little higher before placing in the oven.  Keep in mind that the bread will rise a bit further during the baking process.

 

Enjoy!!

 

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Homemade Laundry Soap

June 5, 2013 by

Over the past few months, I have gained an interest in making all of my cleaning products at home.  I’ve heard so much about women saving money by making their own cleaning products. So I branched out onto the Internet to find a recipe that I liked.  I have found several recipes out there, but the one I’ve shared below is the one that I like the best!  My clothes, towels, and sheets come out clean and soft (soft, mainly because I make my own softener, as well).

If you are looking for a great way to save $$ in your own home, this recipe is for you.  If you would like to make your own laundry detergent & save a few dollars, I highly recommend this recipe.

Homemade Laundry Soap

Ingredients:

1 – (4lb – 12 oz) box of Borax

1 – (3lb – 7 oz) box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

1 – (3lb) container of OxiClean

2 – (14.1 oz) bars of Fels-Naphta soap

1 – (5lb) bag of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

All of these ingredients can be found at your local grocery story in the detergent aisle; with the exception of the baking soda, which can be found in the cooking aisle. 

*Adding 20 drops of your favorite essential oil is a nice addition

Directions:

1. Grate the Fels-Nephta soap in a food processor until it’s a powder.  You can also use a blender.

2. Add the Fels-Neptha powder to a kitchen size garbage bag, and then add remaining ingredients.  Shake well.

3. Store in an air-tight container.  I use a small canister in my laundry room, and just refill when needed.

Use 1 Tbsp for small load; 2 Tbsp for medium sized load; 3 Tbsp for large or heavily soiled load. (I use the scoop that came inside the OxiClean container.)  You will want to start your washing machine and allow it to fill it 1/3 full of water before adding soap.  This detergent will not make suds or bubble, but don’t worry it IS cleaning your clothes!

Since homemade laundry detergent doesn’t contain a sudsing agent it is safe and can also be used in front loading HE washing machines!  For front-loading machines, use about two Tbsp of your homemade detergent and mix the detergent with two Tbsp of hot water before adding to the dispenser.

Making your own laundry soap has many benefits.  I’ve listed some of them in the picture below.

soap

 

If you decide to try this recipe and use it in your own home, I would love to hear from you!

Happy Cleaning!

Christi

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At Home with GCH: Homemade Fabric Softener

March 27, 2013 by

To finish off our month of “All Things Green“, I want to focus on saving you money today, by giving you a recipe of a product that most of use every day in our home!  Anytime I can save the GREEN in my wallet, I’m a happy camper! 🙂

 

Homemade Fabric Softener

Makes 151.6 ounces
I have used this homemade recipe several times in the last week, and I have to say, “I LOVE IT!”  You can choose whichever fragrance of Suave conditioner that you wish!  It works perfectly on making your laundry soft and gentle, and it beats static cling!  Can’t ask for more than that, right?
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Ingredients: 
6 cups HOT water
3 cups White Vinegar
2 cups Suave Conditioner (your choice)

 FabricSoftener1

Directions:

(I had to split this recipe in half to begin with to be able to make the recipe in my blender.)

Blend 3 cups of HOT water and 1-cup of Suave Conditioner in a blender until the conditioner is dissolved. Add in 1-1/2 cups of white vinegar, and blend another 30 seconds. Pour into a 2 liter bottle. Mix remaining ingredients into a blender as directed above and repeat the same process. Pour into 2nd 2-liter bottle and into a 1-pint jar.

Pour into a downy ball… or use approximately 2 Tbsp. in the fabric softener section in your washing machine, then wash and dry the load. Shake well before each use.

FabricSoftener4

I paid 96-cents for a bottle of Suave Conditioner.

I paid $1.00 for a bottle of White Vinegar

The water…well, that didn’t cost me anything!!

The recipe makes 151.6 ounces.

Total cost per ounce: $.0129 

That fits my pocketbook perfectly!

*****
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