Off-Grid in West Virginia

Wednesday

Linda

It’s been a rainy and down right nasty day.  I checked the battery panel this morning and we still had a full charge from the sun yesterday. It’s about 2:00 in the afternoon right now and I have just done another check.  We are down two lights and have about 49V showing. Still not bad but I turned the generator on for a little while between down pours. WeatherBug shows some more nastiness is on it’s way. I’ll want to watch some TV tonight, so a little added charge won’t hurt.

Can you Smell It

What better day than a day like today to bake bread.  It’s not too hot and there isn’t much else to do. It’s a good opportunity to get a few loaves ahead in the freezer. Who knows how hot it will be next week. I like making my own bread and the aroma that floats through the house is heavenly. I don’t use a bread maker.  It’s one of those appliances that would use a substantial amount of our power, but that’s ok, it feels good to punch some dough. Do you think people would have less stress if they made more bread?  If you would like to try it here is the recipe I used. I got this from another site so I can’t take any credit for it, but it sure tastes good.

Basic Bread Recipe2 cups warm water1 pkg active dry yeast1teaspoon honey2 tablespoons veg. oil ( I use olive oil)5-6 cups unbleached flourButter

Pour 2 cups water into bowl. Add yeast and stir until dissolved.  (I sometimes warm the bowl a little if its cold). Add the honey and mix well. Let sit for 5-10 min.  It should bubble slightly.

In the same bowl mix the oil, salt, and 1-2 cups of flour to yeast mixture. Beat with a hand mixer or a spoon 3-5 minutes.  Add a cup of flour at a time not more than 3 additional cups.  Dough should become a ball, not too sticky and have elasticity.  Knead on floured surface. Dough is ready when it springs back and leaves no dimple. Grease bowl with butter, (I use a little olive oil) and cover. Let rise 1 1/2 hours.  Dough should double in size.

Punch the dough to let out the air and knead again.  When it looks like it’s original consistency cut it in half.  Shape into two loaves and place into greased pans.  Cover and let rise for another hour or until they double in size.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  You can brush melted butter on the tops.  This gives it flavor and color.  Bread will be browned and a little hard on top.  It should sound hollow when you thump it.

There will be updates on the coop and wood shed either tomorrow or Friday. There have been some weather and supply delays.  Sonny may do the updates, but there’s a good chance he will be too busy munching on warm bread and licking his buttery fingers.  That’s ok, I make it for him to enjoy. Hope you enjoy some too.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 at 3:41 pm and is filed under Off-Grid, Self-Sufficiency, Sustainability. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.