Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Full American Breakfast

 Kevin's Full American Breakfast

My husband loved the 'Full English Breakfast' served at B&Bs across England. Quite often, he  tries to replicate the Full English Breakfast here in Wisconsin and fries up the bacon, eggs, tomatoes, and mushrooms, serving them with a side of beans. But never has he resorted to frying bread. That just seems a little over the top. :-)  The photo is of Kevin's Full American Breakfast, including potatoes (something the Brits could take notice of, by the way) as served last Saturday. (Oh yeah, that's home-canned raspberry jam in that jar. YUM!)

And lest anyone tell you that it is 'a heart attack on a plate,' don't believe them. For the past several years in this country, when we've been told to stay away from meat and eggs - and instead eat more grains - obesity and heart disease have skyrocketed. They're also the same people who told us that coffee was bad for us - then good for us - then bad for us, etc.  Okay, I won't make this story any longer than absolutely necessary... 


What was I saying about grains?? So I realize I'm totally contradicting myself when I introduce you to these warm loaves of white bread, fresh from the oven!


We eat this for the pleasure of it, not the nutrition

But a nice addition to Kevin's Full American Breakfast is homemade white bread. White bread makes amazing toast, spread with soft Real Wisconsin Butter, of course! (And yes, I should get a kickback from the American Dairy Association, but I don't.)  Making homemade white bread is soooo easy, especially if you have an electric mixer with a dough hook. Mine is KitchenAid.

 My KitchenAid mixer on a different task. I was thrilled when I found this blood red mixer on sale!

Does anyone not love freshly-baked bread? So unless you're making this for yourself only, plan to go through one loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven. Making two loaves is hardly worth it, so I always make four at a time. One tends to get eaten up right away, another goes in the pantry to be eaten within a couple days, and two go into the freezer for later.

Recipe, White Bread -



Four small loaves (4 x 8 loaf pans). When our family was young, I would bake six loaves at a time and those were the large loaf pans! Amazing how life changes, isn't it!

Use shortening, not oil or butter, to generously grease four loaf pans. If you use oil or butter, your bread will stick to them and you'll have to use a chisel to get it out of the pans! I am not kidding!

In a large sauce pan, melt 6 T. butter, then pour in 1 qt. whole milk. Heat on low until it's just slightly warmer than tepid. Milk that is too warm will kill the yeast. So maybe I'd say warm like you'd want for a baby's bottle. Remove from heat. Stir in 6 T. sugar, 4 t. salt.

Sprinkle in 4 packages of dry yeast and stir slowly until it's dissolved.

Now pour mixture into your mixer bowl and add three cups of flour slowly while mixer is mixing. Continue adding flour until you've got a total of 10 cups of flour. You may need to add a little more if the dough is sticky. As the mixer continues to mix the dough, watch the dough to see when it has completely left the sides of the mixer bowl and is no longer soft and sticky.  Mix four or five minutes longer.

If this is hard on the motor of your electric mixer, you can always knead it by hand on a floured board, but the mixer - with a dough hook -  is just easier. Okay. Now, assuming that all is as it should be, turn off the mixer and turn dough out onto a floured counter. Dust the top of the dough with flour and knead by hand for a few minutes.

Turn dough ball into a large greased bowl (I like to use stainless steel). Turn the ball over a couple times to grease the top of it. Cover with a cloth and set in a warm location. When it has nearly doubled in size and if you touch it, it stays indented, then the dough is ready to make into loaves.

Now's a good time to preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Punch dough down to get rid of air bubbles. Divide dough into four equal pieces. Shape into loaves, being careful to tuck under edges and ends as you set the loaf into the pan. Set these loaves in a warm place and allow to rise until the dough is about 1/2 inch above the top of the sides of the loaf pans.

Place in preheated 400 degree oven. Bake 24-26 minutes. Tap loaves. They should be golden and sound hollow. Remove from oven and turn out onto racks. Set loaves on their sides and brush the tops with soft butter. Did I say Real Wisconsin Butter?? Allow loaves to cool enough so that you don't burn your mouth when you're trying to eat that first slice!  Go get the butter.

Kevin's grandpa always told me that it was dangerous to eat bread straight from the oven because it would form a ball in your stomach that couldn't be digested. I guess I've just been lucky.

You do have to have a pretty good bread knife to cut it when it's hot. Bread cuts much easier when it's had time to cool. 

Do yourself and everyone else a favor and go bake bread!  And please let me know how it turns out.

Oh yum!!


This post is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
and Tasty Tuesday
and Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods
and Tuesdays at the Table

25 comments:

Unknown said...

I love a good full American breakfast! Granted, I couldn't eat it every day, but on the weekends, there really isn't anything better! And white bread.. i know they say it's not good for us, but its soooooo good! I love the smell of it baking too....mmmmmmmm!!

Michelle said...

I love breakfast, its really my favorite meal! We do 'big' breakfast Saturdays here and sometimes we're even lucky enough to have a jar of my Mom's homemade strawberry jam here or my Aunt's homemade apple butter, yum! I just mention that because your rasberry jam sounds so good! I'm so tired of the eat this don't eat this cycle. I think fresh is always best and moderation is a must. Simple right? Okay, last thanks for the bread recipe. I can't wait to try it out. My Grandma and Mom are wonderful bakers. I love to bake too but I've never been able to make a good homemade bread.

Sherry @ Lamp Unto My Feet said...

What time is breakfast?! :) This looks delish and homemade bread is so wonderful especially hot out of the oven with a bit of butter or homemade jam. :)

Tracy said...

We love the classic breakfast too!! After doing a lot of reading we found that true free range eggs (where the chickens are completely free to roam)have less cholestorol and more good stuff for you. This makes it so you can enjoy eggs without guilt.
Combine that with your bread and if we could only get a healthier breakfast meat we would be set.

Midwest to Midlands said...

We often have that breakfast for supper, as in fact we may have it tonight. I like fresh bread too much. Got a loaf of fresh Stollen at the grocery store yesterday, and it was so super good. As for fried bread, I thought it tasted so good, something I had never heard of before. Then after I found out how it was made-I was quite surprised, over the top as you say. Butter, I could use that as a dip without any problem:)

chasity said...

all of it looks delicious!!
i loved sauteed mushrooms with my eggs~
mmmmm.

all i was going to eat for breakfast this morning was cereal...
now i see this.

get out the pans!

Linda... said...

OMGosh - the breakfast, the bread -YUM. Everything looks so, so good. I miss cooking big meals like that. Maybe I should have a breakfast party. ha ha
Have a great day!!

Unknown said...

Oh, My. Gosh.! That sounds sooooo good. Maybe the girls and I will try this over break. Speaking of break, there goes my diet again because I will HAVE to use real butter and some yummy jam on it! VERY thankful the girls take after their father in build. Long and lean they are; me....not so much! I'm more fun and fluffy!

Anonymous said...

:) *giggle giggle* we don't buy bread from the store. :) Mom has some sourdough starter (which we got from the last time we bought bread three years ago) and then makes our white bread. I kneed it too sometimes. Kneeding bread is actually REALLY good for carpel tunnel, it opens it all up. :)
The breakfast looks WONDERFUL! I'll have to get mom to try it sometime. :)
Blessings,
Natalya

Heide said...

Ohhh! There is nothing like a piece of Homemade Bread fresh from the oven!!! With real butter! It is so comforting in the winter! ;) I just made a batch of bread a couple of days ago, one cinnamon, one plain. There is only a small end left!

My current favorite reciepe for bread is from Williams-Sonoma Family Meals Cookbook. Makes nice toast.

Happy Baking everyone!!

Judy S. said...

If someone could only figure out how to bottle the smell of baking bread......yum!

Miz Helen said...

I just love the name of your Blog and we love a nice slice of homemade bread with REAL butter. Thank you so much for sharing and you have a great week.

Cranberry Morning said...

It's been fun to read your comments! Natalya, I've never known anyone who's actually kept up with the 'starter' for three years! I was just thinking the other day that I should do that again. Makes pretty good bread!

I think we're all pretty convinced that fresh bread is delicious! Heidi, I'll have to look up that recipe. Or, better yet, you could e-mail it to me. hint hint. LOL

Have a good evening, everyone! I think the house is warm enough now that I can take off my coat. We were gone all day and the fire was pretty low when we got home.

Yenta Mary said...

There is nothing in the world as glorious as homebaked bread, especially when served with homemade jam!!!

Ma What's 4 dinner said...

Yay!!! EAT MORE BACON!!!! I'll sign up for that. I love that kind of breakfast...and the full irish breakfast...with the sausage and tomatoes. Yes please! And seriously, I know we're supposed to eat good for you wheat bread, and I do, but really what's better that a big slice of white bread slathered in real butter. I'll be over in 10 minutes. :)

Lots of yummy love,
Alex aka Ma What's for Dinner
www.mawhats4dinner.com

Unknown said...

Bread! I am on a mission to learn how to bake amazing bread and this recipe just got bookmarked :)

I was recently in Wisconsin working with some of those Dairy farmers that make all that amazing butter and I tell ya, they are as great as their butter :)

As for what you are "supposed" to eat. I am with you sister friend! Julia Child always cooked with the real stuff and LOVED to eat and she lived to a ripe old age!

Unknown said...

LOL! Just read Lana's fun and fluffy comment!!! Right there with ya!

Empty Nester said...

Why didn't you let me know sooner? I would have come for that breakfast in a 'skinny minute'! LOL

I am going to try the bread recipe! Although I don't usually have success.

wacki04@TheKing'sCourt IV said...

I know I just had breakfast, but I want it again after seeing this, lol! YUMMY!

I'm still working on getting my bread recipes down pat, this seems to be a great recipe!

J_on_tour said...

It's great to have the opportunity to create a full English once in a while. It's definitely a saturday thing .... when at home.

Linda Stubbs said...

Can I come to your house? It looks so nummy! Thank you so for the bread recipe. I will print it off........I am Home now for 3 weeks........I am gong to like it.......a lot!

Hugs sweet friend! Linda

Prairiemaid said...

What time is breakfast? LOL Actually, I cook a fair size breakfast nearly every morning. This morning was sausage, biscuits and gravy.....I only had 3 eggs!

I can almost smell your fresh bread. I never thought of laying it one its side. Does that help it retain its shape?

Thanks for coming by!

Blessings,
Cheryl

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Thank-you for your great comment on my gluten-free bread post. Your bread looks really yummy, you should link this post to my Food and Health Carnival. I think everyone would love reading your post.
Merry Christmas
http://www.lisasglutenfree.com

Anonymous said...

Thank-you for adding your link to my Food and Health Carnival. I hope you will link again.
Take Care.

Jean at The Delightful Repast said...

Love your caption under the photo of white bread: "We eat this for the pleasure of it, not the nutrition." I make several kinds of "un-nutritious" white bread--the classic loaves like this, rustic boules, French baguettes, sourdough--and enjoy them thoroughly! I'll skip desert every time and have bread instead.

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