Made from Scratch

For some reason, I was recently seized by this urge to start making more things from scratch. This includes bread (well, sort of scratch, because I'm employing the help of my bread machine), soap, and hand lotion. Yes. Hand lotion. But we'll save that for another post.

Part of the reason for some of these projects was inspiration from a blog/website I recently discovered...Chickens in the Road. There are lots of recipes and how-to's, and all kinds of neat stuff.

This morning I mixed up some starter for sourdough bread.It seems to be doing what it's supposed to so far. See it bubbling up?

And then later, I tried a "Chickens in the Road" recipe for Apple-Streudel Ladder Loaf. Here it is after baking. I didn't get a picture before. I was too sticky. And buttery.

Please ignore the un-Martha-Stewart-like tearing of the parchment paper.

The dough recipe I used was the one in my bread machine book, but otherwise I followed the recipe for the most part. I did drizzle on a little powdered sugar glaze after it cooled.
So far I've resisted the temptation to try it...trying to wait until after supper. I'll let you know how it comes out!

After-supper update: The verdict? Yummy!! I think it would also be good to use more apple filling, spread it out on the dough rectangle, roll up jelly-roll style, and slice and bake as for cinnamon rolls. Mmmmm...maybe next time! :)