I have always wanted to make bread. The smell of fresh bread, well it is just wonderful. When I was stationed in Germany their were bakeries and guest houses everywhere. Shoppes that sold cheese, wines, and bread, with tables to sit at. Eat it there if you like, or take it home. Well 35 years later I decided to buy a jar of yeast. My Mother said I was on my own with this. I guess my love of yeast rolls goes back to grade school. I asked the cooks in the cafeteria for the recipe to their rolls we had at lunch. Kids today should get the lunches we did. My mother, she only tried to bake the rolls once. That's why I'm on my own with this now.
After all those years that recipe for rolls is still in Mom's box of recipes. I decided not to try that as my first attempt at baking. Getting out the trusty cookbook "the Betty Furness Westinghouse, Cook Book", from 1954. This the second copy my Mother has, the first was burned in a house fire. My sister was lucky to find another copy. The notes and stuff are missing, but it is a great cook book. Now the chapter on yeast bread comes with pointers. I read this part many times before attempting to bake.
To start off with it list 5 tricks to baking bread and I'm going to share them with you. Guess you might need to know them if you decide to try it to. Tip one is be careful about the temperature of liquid used. Yeast should never be put in liquid hotter that 85 degrees. It also said it is like checking a babies bottle. Tip 2, use fresh yeast. Tip 3, keep the bread dough away from drafts. Between 80 and 85 degrees is ideal. Tip 4, if the house is chilly, when you finish kneading the dough. Turn on the oven for 1 minute, then turn it off, set dough in and let it rise. This only works in an electric oven. And tip 5, have a large bowl for the dough to rise in, and don't let it cascade over the side. Measure accurate, follow recipe, and be sure to use all-purpose flour.
As I'm reading in this book, and pondering over all these recipes, I come upon Oatmeal Bread. I love Oatmeal Cookies, this looks like a good one, until words like sponge, and dough as separate parts. OK , I have a recipe for sponge, then combine the ingredients of dough. As I read down some more it said this makes 3 loaves. I don't think I want to mess up 3 loaves of bread my first time trying. Is that wrong, well the lady who taught me to cook, refuses to help bake bread. With that said, I'm going to pick something easier. Plymouth Bread is only one paragraph, this is it.
The first ingredient is corn meal. Corn meal in bread? OK; but it doesn't look hard. 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons butter, or margarine, and a 1/2 cup sorghum molasses. Then more water, some salt, and 4 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour. As I read it, it said stir corn meal into boiling water, stirring constantly. I can do this, it's not rocket science. Famous last words, before I mess up all 5 tips, and bake bread for the first time. I start by putting a pot of water on to boil, then start getting out my ingredients.
I messed up already. Pour out the boiling water, measure out 2 cups of water put back on the stove. Make sure you have all your ingredients ready before you start. Now add 1/2 cup of corn meal stirring constantly thing. Messed up again, this is where not having 3 hands comes in. I was supposed to pour the corn meal slowly with one hand, stir with the other hand and keep the pot from falling off the stove with the other hand. O Well, I'll break up the lumps on the side of the pot, since I have to stir for 5 minutes. Now, with another hand put 1/2 cup of lukewarm water into a bowl. In this we add 1 cake quick-acting yeast.
Yes I have messed up again. I bought a jar of yeast, and 2 1/4 teaspoons equals 1 package or 1 cake of yeast. I measured out 2 1/4 tablespoons. I did realize it in time though. It looked like to much, so I poured it back. Measuring it again 2 1/4 teaspoons, I add the 1/2 cup warm water. To my corn meal boiling and still stirring, I add 1/2 cup molasses, and 2 tablespoons margarine. The margarine and molasses all mixed together with the corn meal I turn off and let sit. This is not going well.
Going over to the counter I measure 4 3/4 cups of flour. Putting it in a large bowl. Check the mixture on the stove. The old milk on the wrist trick, right, I stuck my finger in the pot. It didn't burn, it was just warm, so I poured in the bowl of melted yeast. Stirring in the yeast mixing it well, then pouring into the bowl of flour. Now taking the wooden spoon and mixing it all into the flour. The direction say knead the mixture, but this isn't right. The mixture is sticking to my fingers. I thought kneading was folding the mixture over and over. This is just sticking to my fingers.
The book said let the mixture rise to double in size. This does not look like what I thought it should. I just set it on the stove and realized I had just used self-rising flour, instead of plain flour. I got the flour off the counter, and the all purpose flour is in the cupboard. I do not believe this. What else can go wrong. I just can't believe I just messed up that bad. What is done is done. Worse thing will be throwing it in the trash and starting over. The biggest lost is the molasses. I have totally messed up, but an hour later I split this in two well greased bread pans.
It said do not cover, seems like they covered dough when it rises. I covered it and thought about it, then decided to turn the oven on for 1 minute. Turning off the oven, I un-covered them and stuck them in for about 1/2 hour or so. I didn't leave covered long but since I made every mistake in the book, thought it made a great picture. When they had doubled in size I took them out, turn the oven on to 350 to pre-heat. Popped them back in to bake. What can it hurt now, the book said one hour.
Looks like Bread
Looks like maybe I should have checked on it before the hour was up. Just one more mess up, check on it next time. Some ovens cook faster than others. We are going to taste it, before throwing it away. You know I think maybe, that molasses might be why the dough, doesn't look like dough. That molasses is some sticky stuff. Well lets cut one of these loaves. They do feel spongy, I wonder how they taste.
That doesn't look so bad
With a little melted butter
Well, I guess, seeing one loaf is almost gone. Considering everything I did wrong, you know you can use yeast with self-rising flour. Now, if you think you can't bake. I have just done everything wrong, and the Plymouth Bread taste great. I do hope my next bread goes better. If not at least I hope it taste as good as this one. As always share with your friends. Thank-you for reading Charles Kenneth's Corner.
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