I really wanted to test out my kitchenaid whisk attachment and some of the higher speeds today.  I decided what better way to do that than making homemade marshmallows for the FIRST. TIME. EVER!!  It was really easy only took 3 ingredients and the outcome was overall fantastic!! I am really enjoying my new Kitchenaid Pro Design 600 that I picked up refurbished by the manufacturer for $220 with the pour shield, spiral dough hook, whisk and cake paddle attachments.  It has held up to everything I’ve thrown in it and is making cooking so much more fun!

Wanna make some marshmallows too?

Marshmallow Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 (.25oz) packets unflavoured powder gelatin
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. Put 1/2 cup water in the botton of the mixer bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water, walk away.
2. In a small saucepan pour remaining 1/2 cup water, honey & sugar. Cook over medium-high heat until boiling, then about 7-9 minutes later check the temp using a candy thermometer if you are lucky enough to have one, I am not, or use the cold water test discussed here.  Once you’ve reached correct temp of 240 degrees farenheit, remove from heat.
3. Turn mixer on to lowest setting and slowly, pouring down the side of the bowl, add the honey mixture.  Once all the mixture is incorporated, time to crank up the speed.  Turn it up to highest speed setting (mine is 10) and let it do it’s thing while you wander around the house waiting so patiently for it to thicken up and resemble marshmallow fluff (or really really stiff frosting).  Roughly 10-15 minutes.
4. Once it’s thickened to your liking scoop into a 13×9 pan lined with parchment paper…or if you are like me and too lazy to wash the ONLY pan you have that size in time…just spread it out on the piece of parchment paper and using your finger kinda spread it around into a rectangular shape that’s roughly 5cm high.
5. Set aside in a safe place ,where no little fingers will try to lick it, to dry for approximately 12 hours (overnight is good too).  Cut into whatever shape makes you happy and store in a dry coolish place….or eat them…or do whatever you like to do with marshmallows.

For storage: I dust the cut marshmallows in flour and put in an air tightish container. They should keep for about a month…assuming they last that long!!

The KitchenAid in action:

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Potatos (peeled, chopped, parboiled) 
• 2 pounds Fish Fillets 
• 1 cup Homemade Mayonnaise (room temperature)
• 1 cup Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
• 1/4 stick (2 oz) Butter (cut into small cubes)
• 4 tablespoons Oil (get fancy use something delicious…Olive, Coconut, Almond..live a little)
• 8-10 round Butter Crackers (crushed, think Ritz crackers)
• 1/4 cup sliced Almonds
• 1 teaspoon Homemade Fish & Poultry Seasoning

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees farenheit. In a lightly greased 13×9 pan line bottom of pan with parboiled potatoes.  
2. Over potatoes evenly place cubes of butter, drizzle 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of F&P Seasoning.
3. Pour 1/2 cup mayonnaise over all of the potatoes, then sprinkly 1/2 a cup of cheddar cheese over the mayonnaise.
4. In a single layer place fish fillets on top of the cheese ensuring full coverage of the lower layers.
5. Pour remaining 1/2 cup of mayonnaise over fish fillets followed by remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.
6. In a small bowl mix crackers, almonds and remaining 1/2 teaspoon F&P seasoning until well incorporated. Generously cover the top of the cheese layer with cracker mixture, ensure that it is completely covered. Drizzle remaining oil evenly over the cracker mixture.
7. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and fish is flaky and potatos are easily pierced with a fork.

Serve with a simple side salad of fresh spring greens, tomatos, onions & shredded carrots, topped with one of these delicious homemade salad dressings (link coming soon!!)

I was on the hunt for a sourdough sandwich bread that my kids would eat AND I could do practically all of it in my gazillion dollar bread maker.  I found this FANTASTIC recipe over at The Fresh Loaf.  After making it EXACTLY as TX farmer notes,  in her sandwich loaf recipe mentioned above, and it turning out SUPER,  I decided to tweak it to suit my lazy need to not measure things by weight unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. Here is the outcome of my “2 additional loaves made  already ” adventure.  
Ingredients 
Starter Dough

26g fed Sourdough Starter

44 g Whole Milk Milk

82g  AP Flour

Let sit at around 72 deg overnight (12 hours) 

Final Dough 

(in this order in the bread maker, or whatever order your bread maker calls for) 

1 Starter Dough portion (this is the yeast) 

4 1/4 cups Flour (AP or 1 cup WW for 1 cup AP) 

1 Tbs Sugar

2.5 Tbs Butter

2 tsp Salt

In a 2 cup Measuring Cup add the following:

2 whole eggs

fill up to 1.5 cup line with Whole Milk 

Directions 

Using a bread maker, select a 20 min dough cycle or stop the mixing at 20 minutes 

or use a mixer with dough hooks… 

or use your hands. 

I’m all about equal opportunity baking.  

Now remove a portion equivalent to the amount of starter dough you added (roughly 1 cup). Set that aside.  Take the main dough and form a ball, place into cover bowl and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.  Place container in fridge overnight (12 hours). 

In the meantime for the extra dough you set aside:

Roll your remaining dough into a thick even log and slice into 6 even pieces. Roll into balls and place on pan or in large 6 count muffin tin.  Cover and let rise for 6 hours or until each ball has almost doubled in size. (fills the muffin cup).  Bake at 350 for 15-20 min until golden brown. 

Serve warm or store for later snack time. 

Once the 12 hours has passed:

Remove main dough from fridge.  You may divide it into two portions for baking ( 2 standard loaf pans or making 2 largish pizza crusts) or if baking in the bread maker don’t divide it (round it to fit nicely in the bread machine pan). 

For bread loaf(ves) (not pizza crust) 
Put main dough (whole) into pan,  cover and set aside for 6-8 hours until it has reached the top of the pan edge… maybe a tad bit higher if you are so inclined. I bake it at the pan edge measurement.

Bread Machine Baking:

When appropriate height is reached, using bake only function, select 45 minutes and press start. When finished remove and let cool on rack for an hour or 3.

Oven baking:

Place shaped loafs into pans and bake in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for 45 minutes until tops are what ever shade of brown you desire. Approximately 45 minutes give or take.
Pizza crust:

Take one half or the main dough and roll out to desired shape and thickness. 

Let rest for about 1-3 hours….basically we’re going for slightly puffy.  

Punch it down if it gets out of hand. 

Sourdough is slow and forgiving… 

…  in my experience. 

Which is why you’re reading this right?? 

Moving… on. 

Top with whatever you enjoy on your pizza and bake it!  

You may bake it in a preheated oven (350 degrees) or  in a wood burning pizza oven or over a campfire on a flat stone… I won’t judge. 

Cook it until it looks golden brown around the edges (for 20 minutes or so) … you may find it desirable to use a pizza stone or to put cornmeal on the bottom for extra fanciness. 

I don’t…  but you might.. and that’s why we’re called INDIVIDUALS. 😂

Whatever you do,  enjoy gobbling it up at the very least!

You’re welcome.