My November Kitchen... Apple Butter and Basic White Bread

Apple Butter

(from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

4.5 pounds tart cooking apples, cored and quartered (about 14 medium)

3 cups apple juice

2 cups sugar

1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon

0.5 teaspoons ground cloves

0.5 teaspoons ground allspice

In an 8 to 10 quart heavy kettle combine apples and cider.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Press through a food mill or sieve until you have 8.5 cups pulp.  Return pulp to kettle.

Stir in sugar, cinnamon, cloves and allspice.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cook, uncovered, over very low heat 1.5 hours or until very thick and mixture mounds on a spoon, stirring often.  Be sure to not have the heat too high, or the apple butter will burn to the bottom of the pan, which would be very sad.

Pour into 8-ounce containers with lids.  Freeze or store in the refrigerator.  This keeps for a really long time in the fridge.  If you freeze, make sure to leave some room at the top of the container for expansion. I used old jelly jars with the screw-on lids and found labels in the canning section of the hardware store.  Should make for very nice Christmas gifts for teachers, neighbors and other lucky souls...

I was thinking about my Gramma today.  The one I wrote about in this post.  She passed away at the end of September.  I will write more about my feelings about life with out my gramma sometime, but right now I don't know how to do it because there are too many thoughts and memories  of her dancing in my brain that I don't know how to write them down.

So instead, I made some bread.  White bread like she used to make.  For most people who knew my Gramma, her sweet smile and white bread go hand in hand.  She would often make it into cinnamon or caramel rolls, but my favorite way to have her bread was toasted with her strawberry freezer jam.  On the day of her funeral, I went into her basement and opened up her freezer door and found several jars of freezer jam.  I remember thinking that there is really no price that could be put on a jar of that jam.  Part of me wanted to taste some right away, but most of me wanted to never open a jar.  I wanted to save it all forever so that I could look at those sweet berries that my Gramma's hands had lovingly prepared.  Can you tell that I am sentimental about my Gramma?

Anyways, back to me making bread today.  I was absolutely amazed at how well it turned out- the best bread I've ever made (which isn't really saying too much because I haven't make a lot of bread in my life).  I suspect that a significant part of me grieving my Gramma is going to involve a lot of flour, butter and yeast... with any luck I'll grow to be the pro that she was and will inspire future generations with generous helpings of toasted white bread and warm cinnamon rolls...

Here's the recipe I used (not Gramma's, but it's got to be close)

Basic White Bread
(from the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer manual)

1/2 cup low-fat milk
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp margarine or butter
2 packages active dry yeast
1.5 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
5-6 cups all-purpose flour (I used all 6)

Place milk, sugar, slat and margarine in small saucepan.  Heat over low heat until margarine melts and sugar dissolves.  Cool to lukewarm
Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl (pour hot water in your mixing bowl to warm it, then pour it out before you add your measured warm water).  Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4.5 cups flour.  Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer.  Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.
Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix about 2 minutes, or until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl.  Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer, or until dough is smooth and elastic.  Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch.
Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover.  Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.
Punch dough down and divide in half.  Shape each half into a loaf, as directed on page 60, and place in greased 8.5 x 4.5x 2.5-inch baking pan.  Cover.  Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.
Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.