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Welcome to Paula's Bread
Dear Fellow Breadlovers,
This is known as the month of love. In this newsletter, I am sharing with you some of our family traditions to express our love one to another which I hope you enjoy. In keeping with the main goal of this newsletter's purpose (nutrition & baking), read about how you can incorporate another grain, barley, easily in your baked products. Happy baking!
God bless you,
paula :)
Check out my web site for the products mentioned throughout the newsletter: www.paulasbread.com
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Family "Love" Ideas!
Our family turns this special Valentine's Day into a family affair. Sometimes our Valentine Party falls on the actual day (14th) but most of our focus is just to get together and enjoy each other. We make everything with a heart theme. We make personalized construction paper place mats for each other. When all the family arrives, we have a dinner and then, the desserts begin. I use the heart pancake rings to make a perfect heart shaped sugar cookie. Each family member gets a heart cookie to ice and then cover with candy. We have a contest on the best decorated cookie. Some cookies never get to be judged as they are eaten before the judging takes place.
Our next tradition is to make a valentine card. We draw names to find the special family member you will make a card. I have all the supplies (construction paper, scissors, markers, etc.) available. It is really special to watch the creativity of each person in wanting to make a special card for their family member AND the touching notes of gratefulness and praise to that family member. Really, this is what Valentine's Day should be about. To encourage someone you love. Turn it into a family affair and encourage one another to demonstrate their love. See my paulasbread blog for pics of one of our past family Valentine Party. We have not had this year's party yet! :) Great Sugar Cookie Recipe! 1 c butter (soft)
1 1/2 c powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp almond
2 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tarter
Cream butter with sugar, egg, vanilla and almond. Sift together flour,
baking soda and cream of tarter. Mix into the butter mixture. Chill 2-3
hours. Roll out till 3/16th of an inch. Cut into desired shapes. Bake
on a GREASED cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes, or until
edges are just starting to turn golden. Cool and frost. Makes 5 dozen.
If you are not going to frost, sprinkle tops of cookies with granulated
sugar just before baking.Note from Paula: Okay, I realize that I am using the dreaded powdered sugar but this is only a few times a year! :) I like to use this recipe because I am not using shortening. Try to change your recipes to butter a natural, healthy fat rather than shortening.
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New Grains for our Diet!
This month I will feature a wonderful grain, barley. This can be added to soups & stews as a thickener or your baked goods. It will add great flavor to your recipes. Barley as a whole-grain food, provides several health benefits. It is a high soluble fiber and can reduce blood cholesterol and blood glucose levels. Barley is also low in fat.
Hulled barley, also known as barley groats, is the
whole grain form of barley, with only the outermost hull removed. Hulled barley is the most nutritious form of barley. With its bran still intact, it is nutrient
dense and high in fiber. It's full of important trace minerals like
iron and contains a range of B vitamins. Although the cooking time is
longer, the nutritional benefits are
worth the effort. The added bonus is its distinct nutty flavor and
brownish color. Chewy
and rich in fiber, it's the healthiest kind of barley.
Pearl barley is the most common form of barley.
It's still chewy and nutritious, but less so than hulled barley because
the outer husk and bran layers have been removed. The polished grains
are also softer and take less time to cook, about 40 minutes. Most recipes call for pearl barley or intend for cooks to use this
type, even if they don't specify. However, it is usually fine to
substitute hulled barley. Just be aware that you may need to adjust the
recipe cooking time.
Cooking with Barley
Barley can be used in place of rice in almost any dish. For convenience
you may want to cook a large quantity to have on hand for different
recipes. Reheating takes only a few minutes.
The cooking method for all forms of barley is the same--only the
cooking times vary. Combine barley, water, and salt in a heavy
saucepan. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat to low
and steam until grains are soft and all liquid is absorbed.
To shorten the cooking times listed below, soak the barley
overnight for cooking in the morning, or soak all day for cooking the
barley at dinnertime.
| Cooking Barley | | BARLEY (1 cup dry) | CUPS WATER | COOK TIME | CUPS YIELD |
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| Pearl Barley | 3 | 50 - 60 min. | 3 1/2 | | Hulled Barley | 3 | 1 hr. 15 min. | 3 | | Quick Barley | 2 | 10 to 12 min. | 2 1/2 | | Barley Grits | 2/3 | 2 to 3 min. | 1 | | Barley, flakes | 3 | 30 min. | 2 1/4 |
See below a Barley Bread Recipe!
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Barley Recipes
Barley/Whole Wheat Bread!
by Sensible Cooking Cookbook
5 cups warm water
1/2 tsp vitamin C crystals*
1/3 cup oil
2 Tbsp sugar (can use 2 Tbsp. Xagave)
3 cups barley flour
3 cups white wheat flour
2 Tbsp SAF yeast
5-6 cups unbleached flour**
1 Tbsp salt***
Put first 6 ingredients in Bosch Universal bowl with dough hook. Pulse "M" (momentary) switch to moisten. Add SAF yeast and salt and knead for 4 minutes to develop gluten. Add remaining white flour until sides of bowl are clean and continue to knead 4-5 minutes. Let rise 30 minutes. Punch down. Form into 4 loaves and let rise in greased loaf pans until double.
Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Note from Paula:
*I used 1 Tbsp dough enhancer not the vitamin C.
**I used whole white wheat instead of unbleached flour.
***I like using 2 Tbsp salt instead of 1 Tbsp.
Barley Beef Soup!
by Sensible Cooking Cookbook
3/4 cup pearl barley
2 1/2 cups salted water
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
2 cups carrots (chopped or grated)
2 cups onions (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
8 cups beef bouillon
1 quart tomatoes (chopped or pureed)
1/2 cup apple juice
salt and pepper to taste
Cook barley in salt water. Brown ground beef. Add remaining ingredients to pot. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Serve with a dollop of sour cream in each bowl. Sprinkle with toasted croutons and fresh parsley. Serve with warm bread or rolls.
Note from Paula: I would recommend using hulled barley as opposed to pearled barley to increase the nutrition in your soup. I also increase the barley to 1 1/4 cups. This is a fabulous soup!! It tastes great!
Using Barley in your bread products!
Remember you should only use 1/3 barley flour WITH 2/3 whole wheat flour. The gluten content in barley is not high enough to use more barley flour in a bread recipe. The wheat flour will help your barley bread rise. I would also recommend adding vital gluten and dough enhancer to help the elasticity of your bread. Because barley flour is lower in gluten, your bread will need the added gluten to be lighter and fluffier. Happy baking.
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Customer Corner
"Paula is my absolute FAVORITE
"go to" person for all my bread making supplies and healthy cooking
needs. She is very prompt with all communication and delivery of items. She
is always happy to answer questions and is very cheerful and pleasant to work
with! The supplies she offers are only TOP NOTCH supplies that are the best
available on the market. Having a BOSCH UNIVERSAL PLUS makes my life truly
easier, and grinding my own wheat fresh with a NUTRIMILL allows me to feel good
about feeding my family the very best in nutrition. I am so thankful that I
have Paula as a resource. Give Paula's Bread a try and you will be glad
you did!" Tammy H., Iowa
Have a customer comment you'd like to share? Email me!
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Tips for the Harried Woman
This is the "month of love" and usually focuses on a high expectations from wives wanting to be remembered on that special day, February 14th. Humm...does this only set us up for great disappointment? I think so. The world focuses on this one day to express our love but really God wants us to make the whole year a time to express love rather than concentrating on a specific day. By changing our mindset for this 'day of love,' it will help us to tell our expectations 'good-bye!'
This is not to say we should not make a special dinner or card to express our love on February 14th, but do not limit planning a special dinner or sending a card expressing your love to this one and only day. This is something that could be demonstrated throughout the year. Let us practice loving one another and purpose to write more notes of appreciation to all those who have blessed our lives.
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Encouraging Thoughts:
The
first thing I heard the Lord say to me on Friday was, "Don't stop. Keep
playing." It was in reference to the story about the little boy who went
to the piano concert to hear a famous pianist and before the show began, he
managed to slip away and get on stage and before his mother knew what had
happened, he was seated at the piano plunking out a one-finger rendition of
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
People
were snickering and his mother was mortified, when suddenly the great pianist
appears behind the child and stretching his arms around the boy, leans close,
with his hands on the keys, and whispers, "Don't stop. Keep playing." Then adding bass notes and a
trilling treble, he and the boy produce a masterpiece. Just as Jesus took the little
boy's bread and fish to feed 5000, He uses our piddly offerings and produces
masterpieces--as long as we don't give up too soon. Discouragement usually
follows me like a stray dog, and too often I wonder, "Should I quit now?
Can I give up?"But I heard the Lord
whisper in my ear, "Don't stop. Keep playing." So as
long as He has need of it, I'll do just that and wait for Him to create a masterpiece
from it. From: leaannsgarden.blogspot.com
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Paula's Bread
Combo Special:
Bosch Universal Mixer & Nutrimill Grain Mill only $669.98!
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