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My daughter asked me to make a cake for her friend's anniversary.

I have found with every cake I do (and I have not done many) it gets a little easier.

I just need my time go faster.  No wonder why cakes cost so much.  They are Labor intensive.

 

 

Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

 

 

I have been in a bread making mode lately.  This week it has

been working on sourdough starter and the final product sourdough bread. 

 

 I have enough sourdough starter to last a life time.  Starting tomorrow I am

 

 going to start dehydrating  it.. I used freshly ground hard white wheat for bread . 

 

 The starter is made of rye and hard white wheat.

 

Freshly grounded hard white wheat bread

 

Today while dehydrating some vegetables I decided to make some bread .  I took a favorite recipes and a different way of doing it.  It was a recipe where you didn't have to let it rise.  Well I changed it up a little bit to suit me. 
You can go to http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/files/2011/02/Babble-Post-Baguette3jpg
for the original recipe which is great.
Here is what I did different.

2 cups warm water
2 1/2 tsp yeast
2 tbs aguava
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs bread enhancer
3 cups white wheat berries (grind the berries)

Mix water, yeast and aguava together to proof (about 10 minutes)
Then add the salt and enhancer in yeast mixture. Once that is done add about 1/2 the flour to the mixture.  It should be very sticky.  Cover for 1 1/2 hours.  Add remaining flour and kneed for 10 minutes.  Put 2 lbs of dough in a buttered bread pan and let double.  There will be a little of dough left over.  Form a round ball and cut a X on the top, put it on a pizza pan and let rise.
This part might seem a little bit odd.
Pre- heat oven to 425
If you want your bread crusty put a pan on bottom rack while preheating the oven.
Put only the bread on the pizza pan in  the oven, add a cup of ice in the pan on the bottom rack and cook 10-12 minutes. When you bring it out of the oven you have a artisan bread.
If you like a softer bread don't put the ice in the oven and butter it when it comes out.
As soon as you take out your first loaf turn your oven down to 375 degrees and put in your loaf pan in the oven and cook for 35 minutes. While your waiting you can cut into the small loaf. 
When you bring the bread out of the oven take it out of the pan and put butter all over it.
http://thewholetruth.org/Health_Wheat_FAQ.asp Here is a sight you might want to read about flour.


 

Anniversary Cake And Cupcakes

 

I was asked to make cupcakes and flowers for the cake. 

 

 I did one large rose for the top going down

 

the side.   I did not make the cake myself. 

 

 It was for a friends 5th wedding anniversary.

 

They did amazing job on decorating the event.