Old-Fashioned Skills

Kaiser Rolls Recipe for Burgers and Sandwiches

July 24, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 4 Comments

Soft and crusty bakery-style kaiser rolls are everything you could ask for when making a deli sandwich or fixing hamburger.

MAKING KAISER ROLLS FROM SCRATCH

We don’t need very much when making kaiser rolls from scratch because the ingredients are simple and the tools are minimal.

For one, we will need a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients.

As convenient as cup measurements are, they aren’t precise, and precision is key for bakery-style kaiser rolls.

The other tool you might want, apart from a couple of baking sheets, is a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.

While you could work this dough by hand, it is quite sticky, so a stand mixer is ideal if you want to keep everything as neat and tidy as possible.

If you plan on baking these rolls a lot, you might want to consider investing in a kaiser roll stamp, or you can do as I do and knot the buns.

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Sourdough Bourbon Banana Bread Recipe (it’s so moist!)

July 10, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 2 Comments

Sourdough banana bread with bourbon-soaked bananas takes this beloved classic up a notch along. Plus, it’s topped with a slightly caramelized cinnamon sugar crust. Scrumptious!

sourdough bourbon banana bread loaf and slices

Banana bread couldn’t be easier to make, but here’s a video tutorial in case you want to see how it’s done! If you’re new to the Kitchen, you’ll see that I do things a little different around here when it comes to my videos… Like what you see? Subscribe to my YouTube channel!

SOURDOUGH BOURBON BANANA BREAD VIDEO

This recipe may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase something after clicking on one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

If you're brand new to sourdough, be sure to check out my post on 
how to make and maintain a sourdough starter!

GET THE KITCHEN SCALE READY

When it comes to baking, scaling ingredients keeps things precise.

A kitchen scale is a practical tool to have on hand and will save you from fussing over the age-old question: to pack the brown sugar, or not to pack it?

Here’s what we’ll need.

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Making Homemade Vanilla Extract (Edible Gifts)

July 3, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 3 Comments

Making vanilla extract from scratch is a reward all on its own. Whether it’s to save a bit of money, enhance your baking experience, or make a thoughtful handmade gift, there’s something special about extracting your own vanilla flavour.

MAKING VANILLA EXTRACT FROM SCRATCH

To some, making a vanilla extract from scratch seems out of the realm of possibility. The truth is, it couldn’t be easier to make!

No matter how many different ways you roll the dice, vanilla is expensive.

Taking the DIY approach, however, will save you a few bucks and give you a cool kitchen project. All you need is a handful of vanilla beans, a half-pint mason jar, 80-proof alcohol, and six months’ worth of patience.

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Making and Maintaining a Sourdough Starter (it’s easy!)

June 19, 2020 by Sylvia Rose Leave a Comment

Why bother with store-bought yeast when you have your own sourdough starter in the fridge? Learn how to make and maintain this old-fashioned leavener with only three ingredients: flour, water and time.

SOURDOUGH: A NOURISHING TRADITION

Sourdough first came on my radar when I read through Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series as a child.

I would have given almost anything to take a bite out of one of Ma Ingalls’s good sourdough biscuits!

Indeed, sourdough has been around for a long time, much longer than most people would guess.

Did you know that sourdough bread dates back to at least 3700 BC?

While sourdough was shelved away for a while (like a number of other old-fashioned skills and traditions) it is experiencing a resurgence.

When yeast was hard to come by in some areas, sourdough was back in popular demand, and it’s no small wonder why!

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Bacon Parmesan Dandelion Salad (a way to eat your wild greens)

June 12, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 3 Comments

A dandelion salad in spring is a gift to your liver. It turns out that those pesky dandelions growing in your backyard are one of Nature’s greatest gifts!

DANDELIONS ARE NATURE’S GIFT

At some point in history, someone decided to go to war against the dandelion.

Troops of herbicidal homeowners were riled up to destroy this sunny plant and the war continues to this very day.

I really don’t understand it, because dandelions are one of the healthiest plants out there, and they’re FREE!

Dandelions are truly God’s gift to humankind because they are brimming with vitamins and minerals.

These nutrient-dense weeds are full of vitamins A, B, C, K and E, and pack more potassium than a banana.

Sulphur, magnesium, manganese, calcium, iron, and silicon, are just some of the other minerals found in dandelions.

One thing that might turn some folks off from eating dandelions is that they are bitter, but not so fast!

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Why Everyone Should Forage (and 7 beginner tips)

June 5, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 9 Comments

Learning how to forage is like learning how to raid Nature’s pantry. Here are four simple reasons for why everyone should forage and some best practices to keep in mind.

THE FORAGER’S PATH

My foraging journey began two or three years ago when I lived by a forest trail.

It was a beautiful respite from busy living and I walked there frequently, delighting in the rich canopy of green.

Sometime after the Pokemon GO! game came out, I was walking through the woods trying to catch Pokemon (I am SO ashamed to admit this) when I stopped dead in my tracks and came to my senses.

Why was I putting so much time and energy into imaginary critters when I didn’t even know what was growing around me?

I loved the woods, but I was a stranger.

Why was it that I could identify Pokemon and corporate logos, but not something real and tangible?

Something needed to change!

RELATED: Things you can do with violets

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