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Cheese and Sage Bread

¼ C. shortening
1/3 C. sugar
1 egg (beaten)
1 C. sharp cheddar cheese
2 C. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. dried sage or 3-4 fresh leaves chopped
¾ C. milk

Cream the sugar and the shortening together. Add the beaten egg. Add cheese and mix well.
Sift the flour and baking powder together, add the sage.
Add the dry ingredients to the mixture and blend well.
Gradually mix in the milk and if the mixture seems a bit dry, mix in another ¼ C. milk.
Grease and flour a bread pan.
Turn the dough into the bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Test to see if the bread is done by inserting a knife into the center of the loaf.
If, when you pull the knife out, dough sticks to the knife,
continue baking for another 10 minutes and test again.

Leftover cheese bread is especially good if you spread a little butter on a slice and then heat it under the broiler just long enough to lightly toast the surface.

 

 

Grandma Jennie’s Banana Bread

In a large bowl cream and beat:

1 C. sugar
½ C. softened butter
3 very ripe bananas
2 fresh eggs

 

In a medium bowl sift and mix:

2 cups King Arthur All purpose Flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt

Blend the dry ingredients into the moist ingredients adding !/4 of the dry ingredients at a time. When the mixture is well blended you can add your favorite chopped nuts (Grandma Jennie always used walnuts) or you can bake your bread without any nuts in it. Your choice.

Pour your mixture into a glass loaf pan that you have coated with butter and dusted with flour.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 ½ hours or until a knife, inserted into the loaf, comes out clean and free of dough.

Serve hot with butter.

Reheat banana bread by coating lightly with butter and placing under a broiler for a few minutes or until the butter is bubbly and the bread is lightly toasted around the edges.

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Quick Breads

            Since we made banana bread last week I thought that a discussion of Quick Breads might be fun. This is where the difference between bread and a loaf cake blur. Quick breads can be served with breakfast or as dessert. They are also wonderful with coffee or tea.
            Quick Breads involve a basic recipe to which you can add your own choice of ingredients. That is my favorite kind of recipe.

Basic Quick Bread Batter

In a large bowl cream and mix:

1 C. sugar
4 Tb. butter
1 C. milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

In a smaller bowl sift:

2 C. King Arthur cake or All Purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

            You can bake this just as it is or you can add the ingredients of your choice. You can add some cranberries, orange juice and a little cinnamon and mix well. How about some finely chopped apples with a little pumpkin pie spice? Go for a summer delight by adding a bit of mango.
            Here’s another idea. Divide your dough in half. To one half add chocolate and leave the other half plain. Place layers of 1/2 of the plain dough then ½ of the chocolate dough and so on. Swirl the dough with a knife to make a marbled effect. Or you could add cinnamon to ½ of the dough, layer and marble for cinnamon bread.
            This is a great recipe to use to invent your own Quick Bread. Also, when you are expecting company for dinner and you need a dessert in a hurry, this is a great solution. Just throw into the basic batter whatever you have around the kitchen or in the frig. Try adding mini chocolate chips! The kids will love it!

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Cheddar Cheese and Apple Bread

2 ½ C. King Arthur Flour
¾ C. sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 beaten eggs
¾ C. milk
½ C. butter (softened)
8 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 1/4 C. chopped fresh apples

If desired:
¾ C. chopped nuts
And/or
½ C. raisins
In a medium bowl combine all of the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl eggs, milk, and butter and mix well.
Add ¼ of the dry ingredients at a time to the moist ingredients mixing well after each add.
Grease and flour a 9 X 5 inch loaf pan.
Spoon mixture into the loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 ¼ hours (75 minutes).
When a knife is inserted into the bread and comes out clean, the bread is done.

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The Very Best Sourdough Bread Recipe Ever!

                        Rule #1 – There is nothing better in this great world then fresh baked bread slathered in butter.
                        Rule #2 – There is nothing harder in this world to make then really good home made bread.

Experience is the best teacher so if your first loaves of bread don’t turn out to be wonderful, don’t be discouraged. Try, try again.

Sourdough starter

            The wonderful flavor of sourdough bread is dependent on a starter.  A starter is a small batch of dough, containing yeast, that is allowed to ferment. A small amount of the starter is used in the making of sourdough bread. The rest of the starter is “fed” and allowed to ferment for the next batch. I have heard of starters being kept alive for many years, but the best I have been able to do is 10 months. Starters are tricky and they are delicate. You can use wild yeast that your dough will collect from the air. I use commercially made yeast simply because it is easier and more reliable.

Be sure all ingredients are room temperature including the container and utensils.

Dissolve ½ tsp. dry yeast in 1 ½ C. warm water.

Sift together ;
2 C King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar

Stir sifted ingredients into the yeast mixture.
Pour into a jar and cover.
Store in a warm place for about three days and stir twice daily.
The starter is ready when it is thick and bubbly

            If you use your starter daily you can keep it in a cool place in your kitchen. If you use it only on weekends you’ll need to refrigerate it during the week. You can freeze your starter if you use it rarely. To re-activate a frozen starter thaw for 48 hours before using. 12 to 24 hours before using, set the starter in a warm place in your kitchen and add 1 ½ C. of warm water and 2 C. of flour to it.

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            The following recipes, as well as the recipe for starter, are from my Grandmother Jenny who will forever be my mentor in all things.

 

Sourdough Bread

½ C. evaporated milk (reconstituted).
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 ½ C. sourdough starter
2 ½ to 3 ½ C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. oil
Combine milk and butter in a small pan over a low heat until butter has melted.
Add sugar, and salt and stir until dissolved.
Combine slightly cooled milk mixture and starter in a large bowl.
Stir in 2 ½ C. flour.

            Turn the dough mixture onto a floured board and knead 7 to 10 minutes. If dough becomes sticky add a little more flour. Dough should be smooth and elastic. Place dough into a greased bowl and turn once so that both sides have picked up some of the grease from the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel to prevent the dough from drying out. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it is doubled in size. This should take about 2-3 hours.
            Take the dough from the bowl and place on your floured bread board. Punch down the dough and knead in ½ C. flour. Place dough back into the greased bowl and cover with plastic or damp cloth. Allow the dough to rise again.
            Divide the dough in half. Shape the dough into 2 loaves about 12 inches long and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover with plastic or damp cloth and allow to rise once more. Make 4 shallow diagonal slashes in the top of each loaf.
            Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a shallow pan of water on the lower rack of your oven and place the second rack in the middle of your oven. The steam from the pan of water will help to create a crispy crust. Remove the pan of water after the first 15 minutes.
            Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown.

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            Once you have an active starter you can use it to make any sourdough recipe. Here are a few from Grandma Jenny’s recipe collection.

Sourdough Pancakes

1 C. sourdough starter
1 ½ tsp. salt
1/3 C. melted butter
¼ C. powdered milk
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tbsp. sugar

2 eggs

            Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Pour ¼ C. at a time on to a hot greased griddle. Cook 3 minutes until the tops look dry. Turn and cook another 3 minutes. Serves 4 to 6 people. This is a great recipe for camping!

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Sourdough Biscuits

            These were a part of every dinner at Grandma Jenny’s and often part of breakfast too!

2 C. sourdough starter
2 C. King Arthur Flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
½ C. butter

            In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter until it looks like very small pebbles. Stir in your starter. Place the dough on a well floured bred board and knead lightly. If the dough becomes sticky knead in more flour. Roll out the dough to a ½ inch thickness. Using your biscuit cutter cut out 2 ½ inch diameter circles of dough. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

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            There are thousands of wonderful sourdough recipes and once you have a starter you can make almost any of them. The older the starter the more of a sourdough taste your baking will have.
Word of caution.  Starters do settle with age and a liquid will form on the top. This is quite normal. If however the liquid turns to orange discard the starter and start over

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