Aunt Dorothy's Refrigerator Yeast Rolls

Everyone has a food that takes them instantly back to their childhood with a single bite. For me it's these rolls. Served at every large family gathering, they were gone before they cooled and it's still the same way today in our home. These are perfect for Thanksgiving, which is just around the corner here in the United States.

The original recipe directions were so simplified, almost too much for more novice cooks, that I've expanded the preparation details here. Many refrigerator roll recipes call for using the dough as far out as 3 days, but I find that it rises too much in that period of time. Perfect timing is within 24 hours but can be pushed to 48.

Aunt Dorothy's Refrigerator Yeast Rolls*
Hand-On Time:
Ready In:
Serves: Makes 3 dozen rolls

Ingredients:

1 packet dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter - room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
1 large egg
8 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Combine 1/2 cup of the warm water with yeast in a large bowl and stir until dissolved. Let rest for 5 minutes until bubbly.
2. Add remaining 2 cups of water to yeast mixture along with butter, sugar and salt. Stir until sugar is dissolved and butter has melted.
3. Beat egg lightly and add to water along with 1 cup of flour. Stir until well blended.
4. Add in remaining flour, a cup at a time, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon until no more flour can be added. Knead in remaining flour with hands, a 1/4 cup at a time until dough is smooth and elastic - about 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Put dough back into bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Store in refrigerator for at least 4 hours but not more than 48 hours.
6. When you are ready to bake rolls, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F, punch down dough and portion into 36 equal pieces. Shape dough into rolls and put into greased muffin tins. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
7. Once rolls are doubled, brush with olive oil or egg wash (1 egg and 2 tablespoons water blended well) and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

*Aunt Dorothy was my grandfather's sister-in-law. I absolutely adored her and my uncle, Hershel. She was sweet and quiet, which was necessary as my uncle took the spotlight every time we visited. He was a real hoot, definitely a story for another time.

No-Knead Honey Whole Wheat Bread

When it comes to comfort food the most comforting of all is homemade bread. There is something warm and wonderful about the aroma as it bakes that makes you want to slow down and take the time to savor it. Baking bread can be time-intensive without a machine, and even then it can take longer than anyone wants to wait for fresh-baked bread. No-Knead bread is just as delicious as the kneaded kind and even the kids can handle this - making it just that much more enjoyable for parents.

No-Knead Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Hands-On Time: 10 minutes
Ready In: 1 hour
Serves: Makes 2 - 8 inch loaves

Ingredients:

3 cups warm water, 110 - 120 degrees F
2 packets instant dry yeast
1/4 cup honey - for vegan use agave nectar
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

1. Grease two 8 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 inch by 2 1/2 inch loaf pans or two 1.5 quart oven-proof bowls.
2. Combine warm water, yeast and honey. Stir to dissolve yeast.
3. In a large bowl, mix together flours and salt. Pour liquid into dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly - dough will be sticky.
4. Divid dough equally between pans. Let stand in a warm spot for 20 minutes until slightly risen.
5. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 40 minutes. The bottom of the loaves will sound hollow when tapped.
6. Turn out of pans and cool on a rack.

8 servings per loaf=

Cheddar Walnut Bread

I love a good sweet bread. Mostly I make things like zucchini, or pumpkin, or banana, but I found myself craving the dense, moist texture of those breads without the sweetness. I wanted a delicious nut and cheese bread that wasn't dry, but also wasn't full of sugar. I searched and searched and all I could find were breads with a large crumb and too much added sugar.

I experimented a lot and finally settled on this recipe. It's not as heavy as a banana bread would be, but not as light as a biscuit or yeast bread. It's somewhere in the middle with a beautiful savory flavor that's just perfect for these crisp fall days.

Cheddar and Walnut Bread
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter-melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil - I use olive oil
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt or 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/3 cups milk
3 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix together butter, oil, salt and sugar.
3. Add eggs one at a time, blending after each addition.
4. Sift together flours, salt, baking powder and baking soda--add to egg mixture alternately with milk. Mix well.
5. Add cheese and nuts and blend until combined.
6. Spoon into two greased  and floured 9x5 loaf pans.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour until a toothpick inserted in the center of each loaf comes out clean.

No-Knead Cheesy Bread

I adore bread. I don't eat a lot of it because of health issues, but boy do I love the stuff. Cheesy bread? Yeah, even that much more. This recipe is from King Arthur Flour along with Cabot Cheese and it's the BOMB. So easy to make you'll find yourself doing this a couple times a week. The possibilities are endless and endlessly delicious!

I added Cabot Sharp Cheddar and Pickled Jalapeños to one loaf and Cabot Orne Meadows Cheddar, Spanish olives and black pepper to another. Total YUM!

Cabot Sharp Cheddar and Pickled Jalapeños

Cabot Sharp Cheddar and Pickled Jalapeños

Cabot Orne Meadows Cheddar, Spanish olives and black pepper

Cabot Orne Meadows Cheddar, Spanish olives and black pepper

Risen No-Knead Dough

Cheese and chiles

One regular loaf - just as delicious!

No-Knead Crusty White Bread

PREP

5 mins. to 10 mins.

BAKE

30 mins. to 40 mins.

TOTAL

4 hrs 35 mins. to 7 days 50 mins.

YIELD

3 or 4 loaves, depending on size

The most basic of all no-knead loaves, this is a wonderful way to get into yeast-bread baking. The easy stir-together dough rests in your refrigerator, developing flavor all the time, till you're ready to bake. About 90 minutes before you want to serve bread, grab a handful of dough, shape it, let it rise, then bake for 30 minutes. The result? Incredible, crusty artisan-style bread. If you're a first-time bread-baker, you'll never believe this bread came out of your own oven. And even if you're a seasoned bread baker, you'll love this recipe's simplicity.

3 cups lukewarm water

6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour* or Organic All-Purpose Flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons instant or active dry yeast

1 cup diced or shredded Cabot Cheese

1/4 cup other mix-in if desired - make sure it's mostly dry or drained very well!

* See "tips" below

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, or a large (6-quart), food-safe plastic bucket. For first-timers, "lukewarm" means about 105°F, but don't stress over getting the temperatures exact here. Comfortably warm is fine; "OUCH, that's hot!" is not. Yeast is a living thing; treat it nicely.

Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for 30 to 60 seconds. If you don't have a mixer, just stir-stir-stir with a big spoon or dough whisk until everything is combined.

Next, you're going to let the dough rise. If you've made the dough in a plastic bucket, you're all set — just let it stay there, covering the bucket with a lid or plastic wrap; a shower cap actually works well here. If you've made the dough in a bowl that's not at least 6-quart capacity, transfer it to a large bowl; it's going to rise a lot. There's no need to grease the bowl, though you can if you like; it makes it a bit easier to get the dough out when it's time to bake bread.

Cover the bowl or bucket, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. (If you're pressed for time, skip the room-temperature rise, and stick it right into the fridge). The longer you keep it in the fridge, the tangier it'll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will taste like sourdough. Over the course of the first day or so, it'll rise, then fall. That's OK; that's what it's supposed to do.

When you're ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands, and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough — a 14-ounce to 19-ounce piece, if you have a scale. It'll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit.

Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface. Knead 1 cup diced or shredded Cabot cheddar into the dough and round it into a ball, or a longer log. Don't fuss around trying to make it perfect; just do the best you can.

Place the loaf on a piece of parchment (if you're going to use a baking stone); or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep the bread moist as it rests before baking.

Let the loaf warm to room temperature and rise; this should take about 60 minutes (or longer, up to a couple of hours, if your house is cool). It won't appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it'll seem to settle and expand. Preheat your oven to 450°F while the loaf rests. If you're using a baking stone, position it on a middle rack while the oven preheats. Place a shallow metal or cast iron pan (not glass, Pyrex, or ceramic) on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to go.

When you're ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2" deep. The bread may deflate a bit; that's OK, it'll pick right up in the hot oven.

Place the bread in the oven — onto the baking stone, if you're using one, or simply onto a middle rack, if it's on a pan — and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. It'll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly.

Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown.

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

Tips from our bakers

• The flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe. If you measure flour by sprinkling it into your measuring cup, then gently sweeping off the excess, use 7 1/2 cups. If you measure flour by dipping your cup into the canister, then sweeping off the excess, use 6 1/2 cups. Most accurate of all (and guaranteed to give you the best results), if you measure flour by weight, use 32 ounces. Using the same ratio/measuring, you can make a half-recipe if you prefer. While it's great to have dough on hand, it's fine to make less.
  
• Want to try this with whole wheat flour? You can absolutely make up to half of the total flour whole wheat, either our Premium or white whole wheat flours. Add an additional 2 teaspoons water per cup of whole wheat flour to prevent the dough from being too dry.
  
• Would it be better to use bread flour here? Bread flour has more gluten-forming protein, so if you choose to use it in this recipe, the crust will be a bit thicker and you won't get quite the same open-holed structure as with all-purpose. We really prefer the texture of both crust and crumb when all-purpose flour is used. If you do use bread flour, increase the water by about 2 teaspoons per cup of flour to make the requisite sticky dough.

Our thanks to Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, whose wonderful book, "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day," is the inspiration for this recipe.

Disclosure:   Much thanks to King Arthur Flour and Cabot Cooperative Creamery for the beautiful box of products and recipe! 

Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread

Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread

Everyone here loves banana bread and when you spruce it up with toasted coconut, peanut butter and chocolate chips it's just that much better! This makes 2 standard size loaves 9 x 5 inches.

Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread
Printable Recipe
Makes 2 loaves

5 overripe bananas
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
3/4 cup cooking oil (I use olive)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup toasted coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup mini chocolate chips (regular size is fine)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil and flour two standard loaf pans.
2. Mash bananas and add sugars. Mix to combine well, working out lumps.
3. Add oil, vanilla and eggs and beat well.
4. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture.
5. Mix coconut and nuts together and set aside 1/2 cup. Blend remaining nuts and coconut into batter along with chocolate chips.
6. Pour batter into pans and top with reserved coconut and nuts.
7. Bake for 1 hour or until done when wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans.

Sunshine Bread

Sunshine Bread. Instructions below.

A long, long time ago (somewhere around 1990) I started getting recipe cards in the mail. You know, the free box to hold them in with 10 or so cards coming at a time. The set was called "My Great Recipes" and though I paid on time all the time, one day they just stopped coming. This was well before the internet and I never did find a phone number in any of the paperwork that came, so I resigned myself to having the cards I did have and let it be.

I did love those cards. In fact, I still have them. One recipe that caught my eye was "Maple Sunburst Coffee Cake". I believe I made it once and, not being a huge maple fan, I didn't make it again. My kids are big cinnamon roll fans, though so I took my standard cinnamon roll recipe and rolled it out differently.

Two circles of dough with butter and cinnamon/sugar in the center, cut into "rays" which are then twisted and there you have it. A pretty and tasty new way to serve up the usual cinnamon roll!

If you want it to be really sun-shiny, add some grated orange zest to the dough and top with an orange and powdered sugar glaze. Either way is just as yummy.

I won't give you a recipe for cinnamon rolls - there are so many out there already, but I will show you how to roll it and what to do with the filling.

 Half of the cinnamon roll dough. You need two balls of dough.

 Dough rolled to 12-inches in diameter. (Mine was 18-inches because I'd made a huge batch of dough.) Roll two.

The two dough circles with cinnamon/sugar/butter in between. This is a special pan I usually use for pizza. I'd tell you what it really is, but then I'd have to ... well, you know. Use parchment paper to make it easier to move the bread once it's baked.

 Place a small bowl, 3-inches in diameter, in the center of the dough to help guide you in cutting the "rays". (Again, my dough was 18-inches so the bowl was 4-inches in diameter.)

 The cuts shown from the center. When making a 12-inch diameter "sun" should be 1-inch apart on the outside edge. The center will be far closer together than shown. Use a very sharp knife to make the cuts or the dough will stick when you try to lift it to twist.

 Twisted. Take each "ray" and twist three times. Once all "rays" are twisted, let rise again until doubled in bulk. Brush an egg wash onto the bread to make it look nicer when finished baking.

 Bake according to recipe directions, checking after 20 minutes, and remove once the bread is golden brown. Wait for 10 minutes before moving the bread to another surface for serving. You can also keep it on the pan it baked on. In my house it rarely makes it off the baking pan.

 The center of the sun. 

 The finished bread. 

Bread Pudding with Vanilla Custard

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding with Vanilla Custard

Serves 8
Printable Recipe

1 loaf Italian bread - about 8-10 cups cubed
4 large eggs
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Toss bread cubes with chocolate chips if using and lay in an even layer in prepared pan.
3. Mix together milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until smooth and well blended. Pour over bread cubes.
4. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until puffy and golden.
5. Remove from oven and keep warm.

Vanilla Custard

2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream or half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Beat eggs and sugar together until pale and lemon yellow with no streaks.2. Bring cream just to a boil in a heavy saucepan.

3. Remove from heat and temper the eggs with the cream-adding a quarter cup at a time-1/2 cup total- and whisking quickly so the eggs do not cook.

4. Put the cream back on the stove over a low flame and add the egg/cream mixture in a thin stream, whisking the entire time, until the sauce forms and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

5. Remove from heat as soon as it thickens and add the vanilla, mixing well to combine. Serve immediately over the pudding. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Italian Eggs

What makes these eggs "Italian"? A movie! Moonstruck, to be exact. There is a scene in Moonstruck where Cher's character is making breakfast and she hollows out a slice of bread, tosses it in a frying pan and adds an egg to the hollowed out center. From the time I first saw that movie (long time ago!) I've been making this particular variation of those eggs.



Start with a nice large loaf of Italian bread and cut into thick slices.


Hollow out the center of each slice. Heat some oil in a heavy frying pan and add the bread.


Add an egg to the center of each slice of bread. Do this slowly so the egg begins to set and doesn't flow out from underneath the bread. Cook until the bottom of the egg is well set.


Flip once and allow to cook for a few minutes longer.


Top with mozzarella cheese and lid the pan for a few minutes until the cheese melts.


Voila! I sometimes add Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb to the top of the eggs for extra flavor.

Sunday Dinner

• Pork Stew
• Layered Salad
• Whole Wheat Bread with Honey
• Ice Cream Sundae Dessert

Pork Stew
Serves 6-8
Printable Recipe

2 lb pork stew meat-cubed
4-5 medium potatoes-peeled and cubed
4 medium carrots-peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium onion-peeled and cut into chunks
3 stalks celery cut into diagonal chunks
1 c frozen peas
1/2 c flour salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
dry thyme
bay leaf


Toss pork cubes in flour that has been seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.
Fry pork in 2 T of oil until browned. Add vegetables (except peas) and seasonings and add enough water to cover all. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until vegetables are tender and pork is cooked through; about 30 minutes. Thicken if necessary and remove bay leaf before serving.


Layered Salad
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

3 c shredded greens
1/2 c celery cut diagonally
1/2 c diced green pepper
1 c shredded carrots
10 oz frozen peas
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. mayo
2/3 c. sour cream
1/2 t. garlic powder
pinch dry basil
5 strips turkey bacon cooked and crumbled

In a clear salad bowl, layer greens, celery, pepper, carrots, peas and cheddar. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder and basil. Mix well and pour on top of salad. Top dressing with bacon and refrigerate, covered, overnight. Mix well before serving.


Whole Wheat Bread with Honey
three small or two large loaves
Printable Recipe

3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons honey
1 pint milk
1 T salt
2 pkgs dry yeast
6 c whole wheat flour (King Arthur white whole wheat is great)

Proof the yeast in 1/2 cup of milk that has been warmed to 110-115 degrees F.
Melt butter and honey in the remainder of the milk in a saucepan over low heat. When lukewarm add the yeast and salt. Stir while adding flour until the dough is stiff enough to knead. Knead on a floured board for 6 to 8 minutes. Put into a greased bowl and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Turn out onto a floured surface and punch down. Divide into 3 small or 2 larger loaf pans and let rise again. Bake in a preheated 350-375 degrees F oven about 50 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.


Ice Cream Sundae Dessert Serves 12-16
Printable Recipe

2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package (12 oz) vanilla wafers, crushed
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 quarts vanilla ice cream or other flavor, softened

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt chocolate chips with milk and salt; cook and stir until thickened, about
25 minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside. Combinewafer crumbs and butter; set aside 1 cup. Press
remaining crumbs into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. pan. Chill for 10-15 minutes. Pour chocolate over
crumbs. Cover and freeze for 10-15 minutes or until firm. Spread the ice cream over chocolate. Sprinkle with
reserved crumbs. Freeze at least 2 hours before serving.

Dinner Last Night

Last night's dinner was spaghetti. Boring, right? Well, that depends on who makes it!

I am not a fan of my own marinara but a few in the house won't eat any other spaghetti sauce. If you have perused my family recipes this will be a repeat for you. It's based on the recipe I learned in school, adapted for my family's tastes. The bacon and ham hock sound odd unless you are Italian. Almost all Italian "gravy" is made with meat in it, even if it's taken out before serving.

Marinara Sauce
Makes 3 quarts
Printable Recipe

4 slices bacon-diced
4 cloves garlic-minced
1 medium onion-diced
2 stalks celery-diced
1 large carrot-diced
1c. beef stock
1 smoked ham hock
3-29 oz cans tomato purée

To Taste: basil, oregano,bay leaf, thyme, parsley,
sugar and salt andpepper

Saute bacon in a large pot until limp but not browned.
Add vegetables and sauté until onions are translucent.
Add stock to deglaze the pan.
Add ham hock and simmer briefly.
Add tomatoes and all seasonings except bay leaf.
Simmer 2 1/2 hours DO NOT LID or it will become acidic.
Stir occasionally.
Add bay leaf and simmer 1/2 hour. Remove ham hock and
pureé through a food mill or process and strain.
Reheat and serve as desired.


Beginning...



...Middle...



...Delicious End!

This is what my kids really like about spaghetti nights.

Anne's Almost Famous Cheese Bread
Makes 2 Loaves
Printable Recipe

This isn't your everyday run-of-the-mill cheese bread. There's a tunnel of savory cheese right through the center of this bread. It's excellent with spaghetti and is so hearty it can be eaten all alone.

5 1/2- 6 c flour
2 pkgs dry yeast
2 t salt
1 t sugar
2 c warm water (110°-120°--or 1 c warm milk and 1 c water)

Add yeast to water and dissolve. Add sugar and about 1 c flour and mix well. Let this stand in a warm area until it "sponges" or puffs up. Add salt and remaining flour, a cup at a time, until the dough forms a ball. Knead until smooth and elastic about 6-8 minutes. Cover with a tablespoon of oil and turn to coat. Let rise, covered, in a warm area until doubled in size, about 1 to 1/2 hours or less if you use rapid rise yeast.

In the meantime make the filling:

4 c shredded cheese (I usually use mozzarella and cheddar mixed although the first time I made this I used a mixture off goat's milk Gruyere and cheddar)
2 eggs
1 t parsley
1/2 t each basil, oregano, and garlic-powdered or fresh minced, and minced onion (I use Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb, about a teaspoon, and that covers all of this)
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

The cheeses, seasonings and eggs ready to mix:


Mix this all together well.

When dough has risen double, punch down and separate into 2 parts.

I do the forming in one of 3 ways.

1) Roll dough into a rectangle about 12 x 15 inches and spread half of the filling down the center. Fold up short ends and roll from long side and pinch closed. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

2) Roll dough into a circle, about 12 inches in diameter. Spread half the filling to within an inch of the edge and fold over towards center, keeping the circular shape. Turn over and bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

3) Shape as above (circle) and place in a lightly greased round casserole or souffle dish and bake as directed.

Once the dough is shaped, set it to rise for a second time, until double in bulk, before baking.

Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let cool for at least half an hour or the cheese will drip right out when you cut it!

This is shaped like #1 above.





This is almost a meal in itself, really, It makes 2 loaves and when we have pasta with it we usually only have one wedge each and save the other loaf for another time. Each loaf makes 8 wedges or slices.


P.S. Dad is HOME. Please keep praying for him!

Winter Breakfast and Irish Cooking

Breakfast Crumb Cake

One of my favorite cookbooks is Monica Sheridan's The Art of Irish Cooking. Not just because of my Irish heritage, (my husband's Irish ancestry is far more copious) but I love the simplicity of Irish cookery and the fact that, despite all odds, the Irish survived where a less hearty group of people may have perished.

I also love this book for this passage:

"I can remember, as if it were yesterday, the day my great-grandmother moved from the cottage where she had lived all her married life to a more modern abode. When the day of parting came she refused to budge until a bucketful of live embers was carried to her new home and the fire kindled from them. In her old home the fire-banked up every night-had never been quenched for two hundred years, and she was not going to abandon her luck and her feeling for the dead generations behind her."

What an heirloom to have! I sadly suspect the fire ended there with great-grandma, but that it lived even that long was a testament to tradition and family.

Another passage I'm fond of:

"Breakfast, which started at 8 A.M. for the smaller children going off to school, always began with oaten porridge and milk straight from the cow and still warm...The porridge was followed by boiled eggs...A great cake
of brown bread stood at either end of the table..."

This passage I love because it so well describes our wintertime breakfasts here except that we don't have a cow. My own favorite brown bread recipe has already been posted and oatmeal and hard boiled eggs are pretty straightforward. I will offer up these few tidbits;

When I make oatmeal I add to the cooking water: brown sugar, vanilla extract, a tablespoon or two of butter and a pinch of salt. It comes out already sweetened and the family prefers it that way. I can't say how much of each honestly, it's just one of those things I will probably never be able to recite a recipe for. When time permits I make steel cut oats from McCann's. They take longer to cook but are worth it.

Hard boiled eggs are on of those things everyone has the "perfect" way to make. I place my eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring the water just to a boil, lid the pan-take off the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. I run them under cold water and the shells usually come right off and I don't suffer from "green yolks".

This is Monica Sheridan's recipe for brown bread, not yeast leavened, but closer to Irish soda bread made with baking soda.

Brown Bread (1)
Printable Recipe

4 cups stone-ground whole-wheat flour
2 cups white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups buttermilk, sour milk, or sweet milk*
(Anne's note *sweet milk is another name for plain old MILK)

Mix the whole-wheat flour thoroughly with the white flour, salt, and soda. Make a well in the center and gradually mix in the liquid. Stir with a wooden spoon. You may need less, or more, liquid-a lot depends on the absorbent quality of the flour. (Anne again-the weather has an impact as well-keep humidity in mind when you are baking-less liquid on humid days, more on dry days is a general rule) The dough should be soft but manageable.

Knead the dough into a ball in the mixing bowl with your floured hands. Put it on a lightly floured baking sheet and with the palm of your hand flatten out in a circle that is 1 1/2 inches thick. With a knife dipped in flour make a cross through the center of the bread so that it will easily break in quarters when it is baked. Bake at 425 degrees F for 25 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees F, and bake a further 15 minutes.

If the crust seems too hard, wrap the baked cake in a damp tea cloth and leave standing upright until it is cool. The bread should not be cut until it has set-about 6 hours after it comes out of the oven.

Now, there is no way I am up to baking our own favorite yeast bread daily-so we often have a very versatile crumb cake that everyone loves.

Breakfast Crumb Cake
Printable Recipe

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar brown or white
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup margarine, butter or shortening
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (PLEASE try freshly grated! It really is different)
2 eggs-slightly beaten
1 1/3 cups buttermilk, sour milk or milk

Mix together flour, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening (or margarine or butter) until
crumbly. Set aside 1/2 cup of crumbs. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well blended. Pour into a greased 13x9x2 baking pan and top with crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

My family is nuts about this right from the oven.

Bread

I'm very fond of baking bread~I adore the smell, the firm, warm, supple feel of dough in my hands, the endless choice of which to make; traditional white, baked in loaf pans until golden, so reminiscent of Grandma; Challah we make to share at Christmastime; whole wheat, beautifully brown and nutty in aroma and flavor; cheese bread with a tunnel of cheese and Italian seasoning made to go with our pasta dinners; French baguettes perfect to pair with creamy chevre, the list goes on...

I recently unearthed a book my father had given me several years ago titled "The Yankee Magazine Book of Forgotten Arts" by R.M. Bacon. It's very much a book I would turn to if I were homesteading~full of drawings, diagrams,recipes for everything from digging and stoning a well to keeping chickens to fireplace cookery and soap making.

I was drawn to the chapter "Whole Wheat Bread from Grain to Loaf" which outlines growing, harvesting and milling grain and gives several recipes for bread.

I've made this one two days in a row now and it lasts about 15 minutes here.

Whole Wheat Bread with Honey
three small or two large loaves
Printable Recipe

3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons honey
1 pint milk
1 T salt
2 pkgs dry yeast (I use Hodgson Mills 25% more packet with great results)
6 c whole wheat flour (King Arthur is my choice for all flours)

Proof the yeast in 1/2 cup of milk that has been warmed to 110-115 degrees F.
Melt butter and honey in the remainder of the milk in a saucepan over low heat. When lukewarm add the yeast and salt. Stir while adding flour until the dough is stiff enough to knead. Knead on a floured board for 6 to 8 minutes. Put into a greased bowl and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Turn out onto a floured surface and punch down. Divide into 3 small or 2 larger loaf pans and let rise again. Bake in a preheated 350-375 degrees F oven about 50 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.