Bread 2008
A recent article written by DeKalb County’s own Judy O’Daniel about baking Sally Lunn made me start thinking about the breads I have known, eaten and/or baked. Ms. O’Daniel states there are many versions of Sally Lunn – some say she was French, but England lays claim to the real Sally Lunn. Visitors to Bath can see where she lived, see her kitchen and see how she made those tea breads. And they can even sample such at afternoon tea in the restaurant over Sally’s ancient kitchen. I think of bread of not being sweet; however, some of the Sally Lunn recipes have enough sugar that they are more like cake. I found an old Sally Lunn recipe in a cookbook entitled “Southern Cooking” – this is a book of recipes by Mrs.S. R. Dull, who wrote for the Atlanta Constitution for many years – this recipe is not sweet:
Sally Lunn
1 pint milk
2 tbsp butter or substitute
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp slt
3 eggs
1/2 cake of compressed yeast
Flour sufficient to make a good thick bater, about 3 or 4 cups
Scald milk and, while hot, put into it the butter, sugar and salt. Let stand until tepid. Dissolve yeast cake in ¼ cup cold water. Beat eggs together until light; add milk and yeast, then flour; beat for several minutes to thoroughly mix. Set aside to rise. When risen, beat down. Let rise again and repeat the beating down. The beating takes the place of kneading and is done three or four times. The vessel should be kept at just a pleasant degree of heat, 68 or 70 degrees. When time to bake, pour into a greased pan and let double in size, which will require about an hour. Bake in a moderate oven from three-fourths to one hour, according to the depth of the loaf. If should be well cooked, with a thick crust. It may be put into muffin molds and have individual lunns. The small ones will require about thirty minutes to cook — the same as rolls.
Just how many breads can you name? Hoecake, cornbread, egg bread, biscuits, rolls, sourdough, Amish, corn pone, bran muffins, fritters, pancakes and on and on. One of my very favorites is Mexican Cornbread. In my childhood days my mother used to make what she called fritters – she used cornbread dough, dropped spoons full into hot grease in an iron skillet and fried them. They were wonderful and I have even tried to make them during my married life, but they didn’t turn out the same. As I’ve told you before I’ve made sourdough bread for many years and it’s always a hit wherever I take it. The preacher we have right now serves communion every first Sunday and as long as I’ve been going to that church I’ve baked the communion bread, but once a month really keeps me hopping.
A young mother wanted to get some of my sourdough starter and when she came for it she brought me Amish bread starter. Well, I made it and it was so sweet that we didn’t really care for it; however, I shared that with a Geraldine friend who is a severe diabetic and she changed it. She has added fruit and we both love it. John is a sweet aholic (I’ve told you this over and over), but he loves this Amish Cranberry Bread I bake. It’s a rather long procedure, but you might want to try it. In parentheses I’ve put the substitutes that can be made for diabetics. I like to bake mine in the miniature pans – one recipe makes six mini-loaves. I place the tiny pans on a cookie sheet for baking. The loaves just fit in a quart freezer bag and make nice little gifts when you want to share something with a visitor. First of all you have to have a cup of Amish bread starter before you can begin. At certain times, I can share starter. I try to keep some in the freezer at all times, too.
Amish Bread (something similar to this is called “Herman”)
Day 1 -Do nothing
Day 2 – Mush the bag (as far as I cana tell this means squeeze the bag — that’s what I do)
Day 3 – Mush the bag
Day 4 – Mush the bag
Day 5 – Mush the bag
Day 6 – Add to the bag 1 cup plain flour, 3/4 cup sugar or substitute, 1 cup milk and mush the bag
Day 7 – Mush the bag
Day 8 – Mush the bag
Day 9 – Mush the bag
Day 10 – Mix and divide the starter
Pour contents of bag into a non-metal bowl and add l l/2 cp flour, ¾ cp. Sugar (1/2 cp sugar and ¼ cp. Sugar substitute), 1 ½ cp. Milk. Mix well. Measure one cup in four freezer bags – keep one and share three with friends. As I said before, I keep some in the freezer and use it when I’m ready.
To remaining batter in the bowl add:
3 eggs beater
1 cup oil (or 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 large box instant vanilla pudding mix1
NOTE: For Cranberry Bread – add 1 pkg dried cranberries and use cinnamon, omit nutmeg.
For Pineapple Bread – Drain and add 15 1/4 ounce can crushed pineapple, ¾ cup chopped pecans or other nuts. Here just use the nutmeg and omit cinnamon. Bake in two greased loaf pans at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes in pan before dumping.
We all know bread is the staff of life, so try baking fresh bread – it will enhance your style of country living.