Anadama Bread
From Cooking Down East by Marjorie Standish
Ingredients:
- 2 cups hot water
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cake compressed yeast or 1 envelope dry yeast
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- About 6 cups flour
Method:
Bring water to a boil. Add cornmeal, slowly. Cook water and cornmeal together for just a couple of minutes. Add molasses, salt and shortening. Cook together until ingredients are well mixed.
Turn this mixture into a bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm. In meantime, measure 1/4 cup lukewarm water, dissolve yeast in this. When first mixture is lukewarm, add dissolved yeast.
Start adding sifted flour. When mixture makes a stiff dough, turn onto a floured surface. Start kneading, add more flour as needed, continue kneading until dough is smooth and glossy.
Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover, place in a warm spot, allow dough to rise until doubled in bulk. Poke dough down in bowl and allow to rise once more.
Turn dough onto floured surface and add a bit more flour, if needed. Let dough relax for about 10 minutes. Make into 2 loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover with a towel. Let rise until loaves are about doubled in pans. (Do not allow any yeast dough to rise too high in pans however.)
Bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees, reduce heat and bake 20 minutes at 325 degrees.
Turn loaves from pan and cool on rack. While loaves are still hot, butter the tops of loaves.
Photo Credit: Malcolm Bedell/fromaway.com