Sister Jennie's Potato Bread

Potato breads are yummy, and potatoes add some heartiness to a bread in my opinion.  You should feel free to not use instant flakes if you don’t want to.  I haven’t tried that, but he recommends it.  I think I’ll get there one day.  This is apparently a Shaker recipe. Apparently you can let it rise for longer than the 4 hours listed here, depending on the temperature of you room and the quality of your yeast.  Things are a lot more standard today than when this recipe was first created.  That’s interesting to note.  I personally thought the dough was quite beautiful.  Made me wonder if I’m a bread nerd.

Sister Jennie's Potato Bread [two medium loaves]

Bernard Clayton

INGREDIENTS     

1 cup plain mashed potatoes (instant flakes and water are fine)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 package dry yeast

1/2 cup hot water (120°-130°)

4 to 5 cups bread flour, approximately

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

BAKING PANS: 2 medium (8"-x-4") baking pans, greased or Teflon

In a large mixing bowl combine the potatoes, eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, yeast, warm water, and 2 cups flour. Stir into a rough batter. Kneading will come later.

FIRST RISING: 1 1/2 hours

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set aside until the batter doubles in volume, 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, cream the butter with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Set aside.

Remove the plastic wrap and beat down the batter. Stir in the creamed butter and sugar. Add the balance of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, using a wooden spoon. When the batter gets heavy, replace the beater with a dough hook. The dough will be a rough, shaggy mass that will clean the sides of the bowl. If the dough continues to be moist and sticky, sprinkle with small amounts of flour.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead with a rhythmic motion of push-turn-fold. Knead for 10 minutes. The dough will be smooth and elastic when stretched between the hands.

SECOND RISING: 1 1/2 hours

Place the dough in a mixing bowl and pat with buttered or greased fingers. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave until the dough has risen to about twice its original volume, about 1 1/2 hours. You can test if it has risen by poking a finger into it; the dent will remain if it is ready.

Punch down the dough, turn it out onto the work surface again, and knead for 30 seconds to press out the bubbles. With a sharp knife, divide the dough in half. Shape into balls. Let rest under a towel for 3 to 4 minutes.

Form the loaves by pressing each ball into a flat oval, roughly the length of the bread pan. Fold the oval in half, pinch the seam tightly to seal, tuck under the ends, and place in the pan, seam down. Place the loaves in a warm place, cover with wax or parchment paper, and let rise to double in volume, above the edge of the pans, 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375° 20 minutes before baking.

Bake the loaves until they are a golden brown, about 40 minutes. Turn one loaf out of its pan and tap the bottom crust with a forefinger. A hard, hollow sound means the bread is baked. If not, return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. If the tops of the loaves appear to be browning too quickly, cover with a piece of foil or brown sack paper.

Remove the bread from the oven. Turn from the pans and place on a metal rack to cool before slicing.

This loaf will keep well for several days at room temperature.

Maple Oatmeal Bread

Having spent most of my youth in New Hampshire on the border with Maine I have a great affinity for maple syrup.  The real stuff is sooooo very good.  And while it’s nearly impossible to find American maple syrup in California (Canadian imports are readily available- go figure), my husband used to work in Vermont and actually did maple sugaring for a time.  So whenever we need maple syrup, we order a 1/2 gallon from Spring Lake Ranch (http://www.springlakeranch.org/support/order-now). Not only is it a taste from my youth and part of my husband’s past, but it’s also a good cause.  The proceeds go to support a therapeutic community that goes a long way to helping people back to wellness.  We get grade B cuz it’s yummy!!! 

This bread is different from other oatmeal breads I’ve had in that we soak the oatmeal in water for an hour before we even begin the dough.  That might be why the dough was so sticky. Either way, the maple syrup is what makes this bread.  The sweetness and special flavor that maple imparts is so good.  This bread is oh so soft and yummy.  A personal fav!!

Maple Oatmeal Bread [two loaves]

Ramona Stafford via Bernard Clayton

INGREDIENTS     

2 1/2 cups boiling water

1 cup quick or regular rolled oats

1 package dry yeast

3/4 cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon cooking oil

5 cups bread flour, approximately

BAKING PANS: 2 medium (8"-x-4") loaf pans, greased or Teflon

In a large bowl pour the boiling water over the oatmeal and set aside to soak for 1 hour.

Sprinkle the yeast over the cooled oatmeal and stir to mix. Add the maple syrup, salt, cooking oil, and 3 cups flour. Blend all the ingredients. It will have the consistency of a heavy batter.

FIRST RISING: 1 hour

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for about 1 hour.

Add additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a dough that can be lifted from the bowl and placed on the surface to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add more flour if the ball of dough is sticky. The dough should clean the bowl in the final stages of kneading.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape into loaves. Drop each into a prepared pan. Push the dough into the corners.

SECOND RISING: 45 mins.

Cover the pans with wax or parchment paper and leave at room temperature until the dough reaches the edge of the pan, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350° 15 minutes before baking.

Bake the bread for 40 to 50 minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven and turn the loaves from the pans. Place the loaves on a metal rack to cool before serving.

English Oatmeal Bread

This bread was good.  It didn’t rise for me as much as it should have. I think the house was too cold that day, so I made rolls.  They taste yummy but are dense.

English Oatmeal Bread [two loaves or two dozen buns]

INGREDIENTS     

2 cups oatmeal, plus 2 tablespoons for dusting

2 cups milk

1 package dry yeast

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup whole-wheat flour

2 cups bread or unbleached flour, approximately

1 egg, beaten, mixed with 1 tablespoon water

BAKING PANS: 2 small (7"-x-3") baking pans, greased or Teflon, or 1 baking sheet, sprinkled with cornmeal

In a large bowl soak the oatmeal in the milk for 2 hours.

Stir the yeast into the oatmeal mixture; add the butter, salt, and whole-wheat flour. Beat by hand 100 strokes. Add 1/2 cup white flour and continue beating for 2 minutes more.

Stir in the balance of the white flour, 1/2 cup at a time, first with the spoon and then by hand. The dough will be a rough, shaggy mass that will clean the sides of the bowl. If, however, the dough continues to be slack and moist, and sticks to your fingers, the blade, or work surface, sprinkle with additional flour.

Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and knead with the rhythmic motion of push-turn-fold.

The dough will become smooth and elastic. Occasionally change the kneading rhythm by raising the dough above the table and crashing it down hard against the surface. Wham! Knead by hand for about 8 minutes.

FIRST RISING: 1 1/2 hours

Place the dough in the mixing bowl and pat with buttered fingers to keep the surface from crusting. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and put aside at room temperature until it has risen to about twice its original size, as judged by how far it creeps up the sides of the bowl, 1 ½ hours. It can also be tested by poking a finger into it—the dent remains when the dough is risen.

Punch down the dough, turn it onto the work surface, and knead briefly to press out the bubbles.

For loaves: divide the dough into 2 pieces with a knife. Shape into balls, and let them rest under a towel for 3 to 4 minutes. Form each loaf by pressing a ball under your palms into a flat oval, roughly the length of the baking pan. Fold the oval in half, pinch the seam tightly to seal, tuck under the ends, and place in the pan, seam down.

For buns: roll the dough under the palms into a long sausage-like piece about 2" in diameter. With a sharp knife, cut it into equal lengths (perhaps 1 1/2" long). Roll the small pieces into balls between your palms, or under your cupped palm press the dough hard against the work surface. The buns can be made any size you desire. Place them on the baking sheet spaced apart to give them room to rise.

SECOND RISING: 45 mins.

Cover the pans or the buns with wax paper and leave at room temperature until they have risen to double in volume, and for the loaves, until the center of the dough has risen above the level of the edge of the pan, about 45 minutes.

Brush the raised breads with the egg wash and sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons oatmeal.

Preheat the oven to 400° 20 minutes before baking.

Bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350°, and continue baking for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are a golden brown and test done. Turn one loaf out of its pan and tap the bottom crust with the forefinger. A hard, hollow sound means it is baked. If the loaves appear to be browning too quickly, cover with a piece of foil or brown sack paper.

Remove the breads from the oven and place on a metal rack to cool.