Some Days, You Should Just Stay Out of the Kitchen

(Gardening has been updated.)

Furthering my attempts to become more self reliant, I am experimenting with newer ways of making bread, and trying to make my own homemade yogurt. Yogurt is for my family's benefit: me, I'm lactose intolerant.

Obtained a breadmaker through Freecycle. Love it. Makes great bread. My family is accustomed to my making it by hand. They are having difficulty transitioning to that "breadmaker loaf style." So I thought I would make the dough in the ABM (solves my kneading issues), and let it rise/bake normally.

I've done it once, reasonably successfully (I let it rise too long in the ABM.) Tried it again this morning. Total fail. Threw out that dough and started over. It's still a work in progress.

Felt some strange compulsion to attempt the manufacture of home made yogurt. So far, that's not working for me. 

Tried it in a crockpot. TOTAL failure (smelled like vanilla in my house for a long while though.) I think it's because I let it cool too long before I added the yogurt starter.

So this morning I tried to make it in my Excalibur dehydrator. Yeah. What no one tells you is a FOUR TRAY dehydrator is too squat to make yogurt in pint jars. That left me scrambling for a substitute. So I currently have it incubating in a glass loaf pan covered with plastic wrap. We'll see. 

My next experiment will be putting it in those shorter jam/jelly jars. Have to go buy the jam/jelly first though. I don't have any.

Yeesh. The stuff I go through to bring more homemaking light and knowledge to my faithful followers <grin.>  At least I'm good for a laugh if nothing else.

Stay tuned.

Bread update: came out "okay," albeit small. I think next time I'm going to try all of the dough in just one bread pan.

YOGURT UPDATE: Success !! Solidified in the glass loaf pan just fine. 

DH says it tastes fine (I made Vanilla yogurt) but he says the texture isn't "like you get in the store."

I have some dehydrated Banana Slices, which I am adding/folding in to the yogurt. Supposedly in a few hours, the banana slices will have incorporated the residual liquid in the yogurt which will result in a custard-like yogurt texture, and soft bananas. We'll see.