Baking Bacon On The Farm

Happy Thursday from Our Farm to Your Home...............

Who doesn't love them some scrumptious bacon??? 

I am all about the simple way of life. That includes the easiest way to make everyone's most favorite of the food groups, BACON! 

When I say easiest I mean EASIEST way to make and clean up after making bacon. 

Truth is there is nothing like the smell of frying bacon...........Mmmmm Mmmmm.  But how much do you love cleaning up that mess made by the splattering and the several cups of bacon grease in your fry pan?

I am about to tell you the easiest and least messy way to cook your bacon. No fuss no muss. You will never cook your bacon another way.......

First thing is to start preheating your oven to 350 degrees. It is not necessary that it reach temperature before you put the bacon into the oven. 

Second you want to take your nice shiny cookie sheet.........its ok if it's not shiny :) 

Than take some wonderful parchment paper......trust me on this one. ;) Line your shiny cookie sheet with said wonderful parchment paper..........

Now take your package of lovely bacon and place each slice onto the parchment paper. My cookie sheets hold 10 slices of bacon. It's ok if pieces touch as even in the oven bacon shrinks in size. Don't overlap but touching each other is ok. 

Place your cookie sheet loaded with bacon into the oven and set the timer for 25-29 minutes for regular thin sliced bacon, or up to 50 minutes for the thickest sliced bacon. The time depends on how crispy you like it. I used to only eat my bacon almost burnt crispy but now I eat it cooked brown and through but still a little bit chewy. This thick bacon I cook anywhere from 45 to 50 minutes. Walk away and let your oven do its thing. When the timer goes off check it to make sure it is done to your liking and if not let it go for a few more minutes until your bacon is perfect for you. Be careful removing it from the oven as your cookie sheet is holding all that bacon grease you will use for future cooking projects. IT WILL BE HOT! 

Enjoy your beautifully baked bacon and after your third cup of coffee and relaxing a bit it is now time to clean up. If you use bacon grease for other cooking projects, now is the time you want to pour the grease into your bacon grease jar or can that you keep in the refrigerator. Easy to do with an oven mitt and some practice. 

This is your final clean up. Roll up your parchment paper and throw it in the trash. Your cookie sheet should be nearly spotless if not spotless and you should have nothing to scrub. 

That's it! You have now made the perfect weekend morning breakfast bacon or the perfect slices for BLTs!!! 

Never Fail Homemade Pizza Dough

My Farmer loves pizza! He LOVES it like us girls LOVE chocolate.........

We have a local Pizza Shop that makes a pretty good pizza, but there is nothing like being able to create it yourself in the comfort of your own home. 

This is so easy and so difficult to do incorrectly...........The fact that you can top it with whatever you want and make it as big or as small as you like is what makes it great  for a special family night or a friendly get together with your besties........

Although this recipe has nothing to do with eggs, it does have everything to do with being committed to our homesteading lifestyle and leading a simpler life.

Never Fail Homemade Pizza Dough 

Ingredients:

2 Cups warm (not hot) water

1 Tablespoon yeast (I used rapid rise) 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt 

5 Cups All Purpose Flour (divided into 2 1/2 cup increments)

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil ( you need 2 Tablespoons per pan) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1.) Mix warm water with the yeast and let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes while the yeast proofs. 2.) Meanwhile, put 2 1/2 cups of flour in your KitchenAid mixer, or your large bowl. 

3.)After the yeast is done working its magic in the warm water, add it to the flour. If you are using your KitchenAid Stand Mixer use the dough hook. Mix yeast & water mixture with the flour until completely combined. 

4.)Next, add the another 2 1/2 cups of flour and the salt to this. Knead until smooth with your KtichenAid Stand Mixer or by hand. 

5.)Cover your bowl with plastic wrap to retain heat and let it sit for 20 minutes. It will not rise a lot but that's perfect. 

6.) Pour 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil onto your baking sheet or pizza pan and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. 

7.) Remove your dough ball from the bowl to a lightly floured surface. Cut into 2 sections or more if you are making smaller pizzas. 

8.)Use a little flour on the top of the first section to pat it down. Use a rolling pin to roll it thin and to the size you need. You want it to be about 1/4" in thickness. 

9.) Put the rolled out dough into your pan and pull gently to make it fit the pan. 

10.) Now comes the fun part: Top it with your favorite toppings, sauce, cheese, veggies, meats, whatever your hearts desire. Remember to leave about 3/4" between sauce and edge of crust.

11.) Bake for 18-22 minutes. Let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing. 

As you can see I made a large baking pan size 17x13. It will make 2 this size. I put the other in the freezer for future use. 

ENJOY! 

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