The final product: 3 loaves of bread, 2 dozen muffins, 1 dozen biscuits
In light of my goal to simplify my life (schedule and all!), I have began to complete my baking for the month all at once. I am trying to increase eating whole grains as a more substantial part of our diet. They are so nutritious and filling, so we don’t have to eat as much meat (as grain is an excellent source of protein as well and far cheaper!).
I have set the first weekend of the month to be my baking weekend. Now, I do keep it rather simple. I stick to a batch of bread, muffins, and biscuits. I may throw in a batch of cornbread and pizza crust, but these are less frequently (a batch of these lasts two months normally). This has worked really well for the last two months. I even incorporated the process of soaking my grains in the schedule to increase the nutritional content of the grain and break down the phytates (which makes it difficult to digest). This is an optional step. I start soaking on Friday morning and bake everything on Saturday.
I have found that baking the products and then placing them in the freezer in ziploc bags really makes it easy to just pull something out for breakfast or dinner. I figured out how much we would eat in a month’s time and then made a batch large enough to last that duration. For instance, we eat three loaves of bread, approx. 2 dozen muffins, and 1 dozen biscuits in a months time. I serve biscuits with soups, muffins with smoothies and breakfasts, and bread with everything (well, almost!).
So figure out your family favorites and simplify by making big batches at a scheduled time! That way you aren’t rushing at the last minute…and increase your grain diet at the same time!
My Recipes
I have included my soaking step, but this can be skipped if you like and just combined with the next step. For more on soaking, read here. I also use coconut oil now for greasing all my pans, applying it with my fingers, as it is a solid substance. I just rub it into my hands afterwards because it is so good for your skin! You may want to melt it in a saucepan if you want to use it in the following recipes.
Homemade Bread
Raspberry Muffins
These are to die for!
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use whole wheat pastry)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder (can cut if not soaking)
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar (I use rapadura, or another natural sweetener)
1 1/2 cups raspberries, frozen
2 eggs, well beaten
2/3 cup oil
1. SOAKING: Since this recipe does not call for buttermilk or other milk liquids, I simply soak the flour in 2 Tbls of kefir/cultured buttermilk, along with the oil and a bit of water to make it a moist texture. Soak 12-24 hours. After soaking, I add remaining ingredients.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and stir in the undrained raspberries and eggs. Thoroughly mix in oil. Spoon batter into lightly greased muffin tins or 1 loaf pan. Muffin cups will be full. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans.
Makes 1 dozen.
Millet Muffins
A fun way to use other grains!
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used 1/4 cup barley, and 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry)
1/3 cup ground millet flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup cultured buttermilk/kefir
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup oil (I used coconut oil, melted)
1/2 cup honey
3 bananas, mashed
1. SOAKING: Combine flour and cultured buttermilk/kefir, honey & oil. Soak 12-24 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins.
3. In a large bowl, mix the flour, millet, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, egg, oil and honey (or combine it all together at once, as I did, since I had already soaked the buttermilk with the flour). Stir buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture just until evenly moist. Transfer batter to muffin tins. Bake for 15 minutes.
Makes 1 dozen
Spelt Biscuits
7 cups spelt flour (or any combination! I use half spelt and half whole wheat pastry flour)
7 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups butter (or 3/4 c. butter, 3/4 c. coconut oil)
2 cups buttermilk/kefir
1. SOAKING: Soak flour and buttermilk/kefir for 12-24 hours.
2. Add remaining ingredients to the flour and buttermilk. Put 1/8 cup of olive oil in the bottom of a 13x 9 pan (you will probably need two pans). Pour flour on counter, and pat out 1 inch thick. Cut out with glass cup that is floured. Dip in oil, top and bottom. Put them close together in pan. Bake at 400 for 18 minutes.
Makes 22 biscuits
Here are muffin batches and the biscuits soaking the day before. The bread is pictured below. Notice it is a moist wet dough. Soaking actually just gets you started on the project in advance and is really quite simple!
February 6th, 2008 at 10:30 am
This is a great idea. When I bake enough bread to freeze I usually slice it after it is cooled & then freeze it in the bags. Just a suggestion if this isn’t something you do. Lisa
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February 6th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I am realy impressed but this young mother!!!
It took me 28 years to be a “good” mother and wife!!!
How will you be in so many years???a “perfect” mother?!!!
Congratulations from France!
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February 6th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Hmmm, I wish we only ate 3 loaves of bread a month. We go through at least 2 loaves a week!!
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Lindsay replied on February 6th, 2008:
Wow! If you really eat that much bread…I would definitely consider making it yourself, maybe twice a month - 4 loaves. My recipe is actually for 4 loaves, but I like larger loaves, so I condense it into 3 loaves. I remember growing up…it was my task to make bread. I would have to make 4 loaves a week to feed our family of 10! We loved bread, but especially that wonderful flavor that it has just coming out of the oven. One loaf would be gone in a flash!
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Amy Best replied on February 7th, 2008:
I actually do make my own. My mom and I make sourdough (but we’ve managed to make it not taste sour at all! yes!)- we alternate weeks, so I make four loaves one week and give her two, then she does the same the next week. It works really well- you get a week off from making the bread and from feeding the starter (which happens daily). Yeah, I think it’s a Taylor thing to like bread- Justin just doesn’t get the craze.
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February 6th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
We’re right there with you, Amy!
Lindsay, how do you keep them from getting freezer burnt?
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Lindsay replied on February 6th, 2008:
I don’t have any problem with freezer burn. I slice them and put them in ziploc bags. Freezer burn would only result over a longer period of time.
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February 6th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I don’t like the way bread tastes after it’s been in the freezer, but I find that the fridge will keep bread a little longer than room temperature. Weekly baking works for me, but I think I could incorporate the monthly baking idea with some of the muffins we eat. Thanks for the handy tip and the recipes
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Lindsay replied on February 6th, 2008:
I used to store my bread in the refrigerator, but it always dried out the bread and made it more dense in texture. Do you experience this? If I freeze it, and then defrost and store at room temperature until we eat the whole loaf, it maintains its more tender and fluffy texture.
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Mrs. Taft replied on February 8th, 2008:
I guess I don’t notice because my breads are already dense?
I just way prefer the taste of fresh bread to frozen and thawed bread. 
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Tia replied on February 9th, 2008:
I freeze our breads all the time. We have a deep freezer, so if bread is on sale, I’ll buy an extra loaf or two. I want to start to bake bread. But I came from a family where we bought everything. We didn’t live simply at all. I never kneaded dough in my life. The thought nearly terrifies me! I have thought about getting a bread maker.
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Samara Root replied on March 14th, 2008:
Hi Tia,
Just a thought for you…I wouldn’t buy a bread maker till you had at least tried making bread by hand or stand-up mixer. I have a bread maker, but I use my stand up mixer anyways! (Kithen Aid). I make the same sourdough that Amy does (yeah!) (Or I do when I’m not prostrated by morning sickness
and the bread machine does not do well with it…anyways, my advice would be to experiment with breadmaking by hand. It is so fun, and you get to know the process and the bread can be REALLY good and also REALLY easy.
(And there is such a feeling of accomplishment seeing a nice brown loaf rise that you keaded with your own hands!
Good luck!
I’d love to hear how your breadmaking goes. E-mail me sometime at safeenas.sister@gmail.com .
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Tia replied on March 14th, 2008:
Thanks Samara! I have Kitchen Aid stuff too! LOVE LOVE LOVE my stand up mixer!!! Definitely worth the money!
I’ve only seen bread kneeded on tv. And then they say to knead for 10 mins, kinda makes my eyes bug out of my head!
Thanks for the tips…when I breakdown and decide to do it, I’ll let you know!! Thanks again!
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February 7th, 2008 at 4:26 am
We need one loaf a day…
One day, who knows …we might need one a week , when we are only two of us left at home!
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February 7th, 2008 at 5:57 am
Lindsay:
I made the raspberry muffins this morning (except that I used blueberries instead). We loved them. Do you defrost your raspberries or put them in frozen?
I used frozen blueberries and I thought the batter seemed a bit dry although the muffins were not dry at all once they were cooked.
Also, I have to agree with Nicole. It took me nearly 20 years to become a proficient homemaker. It is wonderful to see a young lady who has been so well trained. You should give your mother a big hug!!!
Love,
Heather - Doodle Acres
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Lindsay replied on February 7th, 2008:
Heather,
I use a partially defrosted berry for the muffins. If they are completely defrosted, the muffin will be really runny. I throw them in mostly frozen and just mash it around a bit until the berries are broken down, not completely though. This recipe does make a drier mix, I have noticed as well, but it always turns out great and moist.
Thanks Nicole and Heather for your sweet comments. I feel far from having it all together, but I am definitely blessed with a mother who taught me well.
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February 7th, 2008 at 8:03 am
When you make your pizza crust ahead of time do you just make the dough or actually cook it? I think that would help me so much if i could make it ahead of time, but I’m kind of clueless on how to do it (I’m new to the whole freezing thing).
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Lindsay replied on February 7th, 2008:
K, I posted a link to my pizza crust recipe above. It makes 4 crusts at a time. I freeze the dough individually in ziploc bags. They will rise and expand in the freezer, but that is fine. I just use one at a time and pull it out in the morning when I plan to make it for dinner, to let it defrost. Then I roll it out and put all the toppings on and bake. So no pre-baking is necessary before freezing. It makes pizza nights so much easier to have the crusts already made this way!
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February 7th, 2008 at 11:03 am
That is great you have a system down that works for you. I normally cook or bake in batches. like yesterday I made 6 dozen corn muffins. We can freeze what we don’t eat and have it later. or I make 4 lasagnas or 4 enchiladas at one time and eat one that night and freeze 3 for later.
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February 8th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Wow I am totally inspired! I wish I had a big freezer! I have a little side by side fridge/freezer and it just doesn’t hold too much!
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February 26th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I just made the millet muffins, they are SO good. I didn’t put bananas in because I didn’t have any, but they were still really moist. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
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March 16th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
You have totally inspired me also. I have been staying at home for almost two years now. I have always made meals from scratch but now that my boys are getting a little older it is so hard for me to keep up with them and still get everything done every day. Baking 1-2 times per month is such a great idea! I’ve even incorporated using a meal plan for breakfast & lunch. Thanks again for all the ideas!
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March 19th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Thanks for these recipes. I couldn’t limit myself to baking just once a month, however, because we all love the way house smells when I’ve baked something.
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April 19th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
i am so glad i found this site. ive just heard about this soaking wheat and i was wondering do you soak it at room temp or in the refrigerator?
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