Old Fashioned Corn Bread

Yellow and crispy, this is the cornbread I make to serve with a pot of beans or chili

 

There's nothing special about the ingredients. This is probably the closest you get to most of our mothers' and grandmothers recipes.

For the buttermilk, I prefer to sour my own; I like the taste better. Feel free to use buttermilk.

If you do prefer to make your own buttermilk, as I do, you simply add 1-1/2 Tbsp. of white vinegar to 1-1/2 cup of milk.  



Pouring the batter in a hot cast iron skillet and letting it cook on the stove top for a minute makes it nice and crusty.  

Then you stick it in the oven to finish baking.

You can also bake this in a glass 8" square Pyrex dish. You will want to put the glass baking dish in the oven with the 2 Tbsp of Crisco and get it really hot before pouring in the batter. The bread won't be as crispy around the edges or bottom as it will be in the cast iron skillet but you won't be disappointed.


Old Fashioned Cornbread

Ingredients:
1 cup yellow cornmeal (stone ground, course)
1/2 unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1-1/2 cups buttermilk or see note to make your own
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Crisco shortening


NOTE: 
To 1-1/2 cups milk, add 1-1/2 Tbsp white distilled vinegar.  Stir and allow to sit.  It will thicken in a short amount of time.


Method:
If you are making your own buttermilk, do so now and set aside. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder.  In a large measuring cup whisk together the buttermilk and the egg.  Add the baking soda to the milk and egg mixture. Pour this mixture into the dry mixture and mix slightly with a fork.

Melt 1/4 cup of the shortening and slowly whisk into the batter.

Place a cast iron skillet over high heat and melt the remaining 2 Tbsp. shortening.  Pour the batter in to the skillet and allow to cook for 1 minute.  Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. 

Dilly Bread

This bread was an extremely popular one in 60's.  Every mother was making it; it was all the rage.  It was a Pillsbury Bake-Off winner which catapulted it into millions of American homes.  Mine was one of those homes.  My mother made it all the time. She let me make it with her and it has remained one of my favorites.
 

 
The ingredients are easy to assemble:  yeast, cottage cheese, flour, sugar, butter, dill weed, egg, instant dried onion, baking soda, and salt.





It's a yeast bread



and a batter bread; so you don't have to knead it.

I love that it has cottage cheese in it.  I was one of those children who loved cottage cheese.

Once mixed up you'll have a heavy batter.  Cover the mixing bowl and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour.  


Stir down the batter and spoon it into a greased 1-1/2  to 2 quart casserole


Cover with wax paper and let rise until the batter doubles; about 45 minutes. I put mine in a non-heated oven because Lovey and I keep our house pretty cool in the winter.




When doubled, remove the wax paper and bake in oven preheated to 350°F for about 40 - 45 minutes.   My mother always made it in a small, round, enameled Dutch oven exactly like this one. 



I love that the minute the bread comes out of the oven it's finished off by brushing the top of the loaf with melted butter then sprinkled with salt.  



This is absolutely the best bread to serve with soups and stews.  Simply sliced and buttered, or


 
use it to make a grilled cheese sandwich.  Mmmmmm.



  Dilly Bread
Yield 1 loaf
Adapted from my mother's adaptation of the Pillsbury Bake-Off Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup small curd cottage cheese, room temp
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 - 3 Tbsp. dried minced onion
2 Tbsp. fresh or 1 Tbsp. dried dill weed **
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs, room temp
1 pkg. active dry yeast
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. butter, melted
coarse Kosher salt

Mise en place:

• measure cottage cheese and 1 Tbsp. butter into small saucepan
• measure sugar, onion, dill, 1 tsp. salt, baking soda, eggs, and yeast into a large mixing bowl
• Measure out flour
• melt the 1/2 tsp. butter and set aside with Kosher salt
• generously grease a 1-1/2 to 2 quart casserole

Method:
In a small saucepan, heat the cottage cheese and 1 Tbsp. of the butter until warm to the touch (110° to 120°F).  Turn the cottage cheese into the mixing bowl with the next 7 measured out ingredients.  Stir until mixed.

Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time to make a stiff batter, beating well after each addition with a wooden spoon, if by hand, or with a mixer using the flat paddle.  This is a heavy batter, not a dough, and will not be kneaded.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about one hour.  Remove the plastic wrap and stir down the batter with 20 strong strokes.  Spoon the batter into a generously greased 1-1/2 to 2 quart casserole.

Cover with wax paper and leave until the batter doubles in volume, about 45 minutes.  Keep the wax paper from touching the expanding batter or it may collapse when the paper is pulled away.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Bake the loaf until it is deep brown and crusty, around 40 - 45 minutes.  A wooden skewer inserted in the center should come out clean and dry when the bread is done.  If moist particles cling to the probe, return the loaf to the oven for an additional 5 - 10 minutes.  Cover with foil if needed to prevent excessive browning.

Remove the bread from the oven and immediately brush with the 1/2 tsp. melted butter.  Sprinkle salt lightly over the crust.  allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the casserole and placing it on a metal rack to cool.

**The original recipe called for 2 tsp. dill seed.  I used dill seed for years, then when dill weed became regularly available in the markets I started playing around with using fresh dill weed.  It's wonderful either way so the choice is up to you.

Valtrompia Canape Bread

Instead of buying crispy canape breads at the market for your next party, try making your own. 

I've had these tube pans for years and have enjoyed using them time and time again to make fun shaped canape breads.  They come three tubes to a set; a scallop, a star, and a heart.  Today I'm using the scallop and the star tubes.

The recipe that came with the tubes is a very easy one and has been fool proof all these years.  I've never bothered using another recipe with them although I'm sure it would be easy to do.  The recipe makes a dense, crusty bread that is ideal for Hors D'oeuvres.  I've often wondered why the recipe makes enough dough for two loaves when there are three tube pans.  Life if full of funny little mysteries.

I like to proof my yeast just to make sure it's still alive and kicking. 

The dough is easily mixed up in a stand mixer and kneaded with the dough hook.  You can knead by hand if you want.  I usually do; because it's great therapy for me.

Let the dough double in size then punch it down.  Divide it in two, roll into logs about 2" shorter than the tubes and place in the tubes.

Bake them for an hour.

Heh, looky here.  I've never had one bust out of the pan like this before.

A shooting star

Slice thinly.  These are good as is...

or you can place on a cookie sheet and toast them in the oven.

These are so great for dips, spreads, mini sandwiches and whatever else your creative minds can dream up!

Valtrompia - Canape Bread
Makes 2 loaves
Recipe adapted from Rowoco's recipe provided with the bread molds

Ingredients:
1/3 cup water
1 tsp sugar
2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1-1/4 tsp salt
3 to 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Method:
In a heat proof measuring cup (like a Pyrex) heat the water in the microwave to a temp between 102° and 120° (130° to 140° may kill your yeast).  Add the sugar and yeast.  Stir and allow to sit for about 5 minutes.  If the mixture does not become foamy within that time your yeast is dead so repeat this with some fresh yeast.

Scald the milk either in the microwave or in a small saucepan.  Pour in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer.  Melt the butter and add to milk along with the salt.  Using the flat paddle, stir until combined.

Add the yeast mixture and stir until combined.  Add 2-1/2 cups of the flour and incorporate on low speed.  Stir in as much of the remaining flour as necessary to form a soft dough (that is usually one more cup for me).

Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough (on low speed), adding enough of the remaining flour as necessary to form a smooth ball (for about 7-1/2 minutes).  If you prefer to knead by hand, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until your dough is smooth and does not stick to your hands.

Place dough in a greased bowl (I use solid Crisco).  Roll the dough around in the bowl so that all surfaces of the dough is greased all over.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in a warm draft free place to rise until double in bulk.

Punch down.  Divide the dough in half.  Roll into logs 2 inches shorter than the tube and insert in mold.  Cap both ends and bake in a 400° oven for 60 to 70 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to remove ends and push bread out of the tube.  Let bread cool completely on a cooling rack.

When completely cooled slice thinly using a serrated knife.  Use as is or toast both sides of the slices in the oven.

Baguette Parisienne

Isn't is amazing how 4 simple ingredients, when combined, produce one of life's greatest pleasures?  What would that be, you ask?  Mais bien sûr, it is the Baguette ordinaire or the Baguette parisienne!

Flour, water, salt and yeast.  That's all.  That's the law.  The shortening is to rub on the baking pans I use.  It's not part of the bread itself.

In a heavy duty stand mixer with the paddle, or flat beater, stir the salt, warm water and yeast together until combined then add 3 cups of the flour.  Try to stay within the range of 105° to 120° with your warm water; get it too hot (like 130° to 140°) and it will kill the yeast.  You will be committing murder of a living organism.

Cup by cup, add 3 more cups of the flour and keep incorporating it.  You will have a big gloppy mess but that's OK.  You'll take care of that in the next step.  One thing to watch, especially if you have a KitchenAid, is to avoid letting the dough ride up the paddle/flat beater all the way to the beater shaft.  It's a mess to clean up.  Please don't ask me how I know this to be true.

Throw some flour on your work space, throw the dough down and sprinkle some flour on top of the dough as well as your hands.  Begin to knead and work in the flour.  You will probably work in another full cup of flour.

To knead the dough, push the dough out front, away from you with the heel of your hands, fingers spread out (like you're 'high-fiving' someone).  Slip your right hand under the far right edge of the dough and fold it back on itself to the left.

At the same time you are folding turn the dough a quarter turn to the left. Begin kneading again pushing away from you then folding the right side over the left while turning. Keep doing this and sprinkle flour whenever the dough becomes sticky and dough sticks to your hands.

Eventually you will have a smooth, pliable mound of dough that is silky.  This may take ten minutes.  To break up your push-fold-turn routine of kneading, pick up the ball of dough and throw it hard against the work surface.  Then start kneading again.  Believe me, the dough loves this and you can get rid of all sorts of frustrations by doing this.  This is one reason I love making bread and kneading by hand; it's therapeutic.

Another reason is that I like to be able to tell by touch that the dough is ready. One way to judge is to press the palm of your hand on top of the dough.  If dough doesn't stick to the surface of your palm, it's good to go.   There is nothing wrong with kneading in your mixer using the dough hook.  I do this when I'm not in the mood to knead and allowing your dough hook to do all the work produces a fine product too.

Rub some Crisco around the inside of a large bowl.  Roll the ball of dough around to lightly coat all sides.  Cover with a damp tea towel and set in a warm (ideally, 85° to 90°F) draft-free area and let the dough double in size.  The 1st rising time will be around 2 hours.  Since Lovey and I like to keep the house fairly cool during the winter, I put my bowl in the oven (no heat turned on).  Don't worry if you don't have a warm place to let the dough rise; it will just take longer to double.

While the dough is rising, grease your pans if necessary.  My pans are dimpled and the manufacturer instructions suggested they be greased.  I use Crisco shortening.  Get your fingers in there and rub it lightly over the interior of your pans.

When the dough has doubled punch it down right in the bowl.

Fold it over a couple of times.

Dump the mound of dough out onto a work surface to begin the shaping process; don't use any more flour from this point.  With a knife or a pastry scraper divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, because this recipe will make 4 baguettes.  I know, the math is quite advanced.  Please stay with me.

Mine weighed out to around 12.5 ounces each.  Allow your pieces of dough to rest for about 5 minutes.

Working with one piece at a time, squeeze it while shaping it into a piece of rope.  Lay it down on your work surface and roll it back and forth between your outstretched palms, working the thick spots towards the thinner spots until your whole loaf is more or less uniform in diameter and about one inch shorter than the pan on both ends. 

Scoring the bread.  This little tool is referred to as a lame (pronounced “lahm.”)  It's simply a French word that means “blade.”  You don't have to have one of these tools.  You can use any razor blade or very sharp knife.  Sometimes I use a serrated knife.



My slashes aren't the prettiest today and they could have been angled a little more towards the length of the baguette.  Oh well, who cares?  Just don't slash them directly across the width of the baguette.

 

These are the loaves after they have risen in their pan.  Be sure to let them rise enough so they fill the pans and the tops are well above the edge of the pan.

Allow the loaves to cool with air circulating around them.

The more holes in the texture, or crumb, of your bread the better.  I'm sure it's recorded in the annals of French law that upon removal from the oven, you immediately tear off a piece of your hot bread and slather it with sweet cream butter.  All those holes in your crumb are made to be filled up with butter.

A fresh baguette can go stale within 2 to 3 hours so you will want to freeze what you don't eat.  I halve the leftover loaves because they fit in my freezer easier this way.  Wrap securely in foil and freeze.  When you are ready to eat the frozen loaves, heat the wrapped loaves in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes or when the bread is soft when you squeeze it.  Unwrap it when you take it out of the oven so it can cool similarly to how you cooled the loaves when you first baked them.

You can also give a loaf or two to a neighbor. You will be their new best friend.

Baguette Parisienne

Produces 4 loaves around 22" long

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp salt

2-1/2 cups warm water (100° - 120°)

1 - .25 oz. packet (or approx. 2-1/2 tsp) instant yeast

7 cups all purpose flour, divided

Method:
In a heavy duty stand mixer with the paddle, or flat beater, mix the salt, warm water and yeast.  Try to stay within the range of 105° to 120° with your warm water; get it too hot (like 130° to 140°) and it will kill the yeast.  Stir until combined then add 3 cups of the flour.

Cup by cup add around 3 cups more flour.  By now your dough should be a big sticky glob; but that's the way you want it.

Measure out 1 cup of flour into a pile to the side of your work space.  Sprinkle some flour in the area you will be kneading the dough and turn the dough out onto the work surface.  Sprinkle a little flour on top fo the dough and on your hands.

Knead your dough, adding flour as you go.  You will probably use the cup of mounded flour you measured on the side.  As you knead (could be as long as 10 minutes) the dough will start to feel more like dough than a sticky blob.  Then it will take on a different feel; more elastic.

Rub some shortening or vegetable oil around the inside of a large mixing bowl.  Roll the dough around 2 or 3 times to coat with the shortening.  This will keep the surface of the dough from crusting over.  Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel (squeezed out very well) and place in a warm, non-drafty place to rise.

While the dough is rising, lightly grease your pans with shortening.  I use Crisco.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down several times then turn out on the work surface (no more flour from this point).  Knead a couple of times then divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (weighing is a good idea).  Form in rounds and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

To loave, work with one piece of dough at a time and work it with your hands until it's shaped like a piece of rope.  Lay it down on your work surface and with outstretched palms roll the dough back and forth working the thick spots into the thinner until you have a somewhat uniform shape in diameter and that is one inch shorter than the pan on each end.  Lay it in the greased pan.  Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.

A note here on handling the dough.  Don't be timid about manhandling the dough.  The rougher you are with it the more tender your bread will be.

Take a lame, very sharp knife or a razor blade and make 4 to 5 slashes on each loaf.  Your slashes should be long and diagonal and 1/8 to 3/8 inches deep.

Set the pans back in the warm place for the loaves' final rising.  All the loaves to rise until they fill the pans and the center stands well above the edge.

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Bake the loaves for 15 minutes then turn the oven down to 350°F. and continue baking for another 30 minutes.

Remove the loaves from the oven and pop them out of the pans.  Lay the loaves across the pans or on a cooling rack and allow them to cool with air circulating around them.

Bread not eaten will go stale in 2 to 3 hours.  Wrap the loaves tightly in aluminum foil and freeze.  To refresh, heat up the wrapped loaves in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are soft to oyour squeeze.  Unwrap and let it cool with good circulation.

Mini Banana Nut Bread Muffins

There was once a little bakery in Jackson, Wyoming on King Street called Bur's Buns & Breads.  It was an institution in the 1970's.  A sign hung over the door with their motto on it, proudly commanding passers by to "get your buns in here".

The owner of that bakery, Laurel Wicks,  wrote a book hailing their motto as the title. 

This muffin recipe is adapted from that book.  The recipe is easy with simple ingredients.  I especially like the addition of ground cloves. The muffins freeze nicely.  You can make  loaves of bread, muffins or, like I did, mini-muffins.

Mini Banana Nut Bread Muffins

Adapted from "Get Your Buns In Here" by Laura Wicks

Makes 2 loaves, 1 dozen muffins or 24 mini muffins

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

3 ripe bananas

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans

 

Mise en place

• prepare baking pans.  If making loaves, grease the pans and line bottom with parchment paper.  If making muffins use vegetable oil spray
• preheat oven to 325°F.
• measure oil into mixing bowl
• measure and add granulated sugar to the mixing bowl with the oil
• add eggs to mixing bowl
• in a small mixing bowl mash bananas with a fork
• measure the cinnamon and cloves
• in a medium mixing bowl measure the baking soda, baking powder and flour; combine with a whisk
• chop pecans and add to the mixing bowl with the flour mixture

Method:

Cream together the oil, sugar and eggs.  When this combination is fluffy, add the bananas, cinnamon and cloves.  Blend until smooth.

 

Gradually stir the dry ingredients mix into the batter.  After smoothly blended, fill the muffin tins 3/4 full with the batter.  If making loaves, divide between two loaf pans.

 

Bake for 30 minutes if baking muffins; 1-1/4 hours if baking loaves.  Test with a toothpick.

 

Allow muffins to cool for 10 minutes in pan then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.