anadama oatmeal bread

Anadama bread is originally from New England. It has oatmeal and molasses. The legend about the origin of the name goes like this (according to a not-so-reputable source):

"A fisherman, angry with his wife, Anna, for serving him nothing but cornmeal and molasses, one day adds flour and yeast to his porridge and eats the resultant bread, while cursing, 'Anna, damn her.'"

Ahem... So, I thought I'd show more of the process of baking the bread. Here are the steps to take after making the dough.

Once you've made the dough, flour the banneton.

Make the dough into a ball and place it in the banneton.

Cover with a towel and let proof (rise) for an hour.

Bake at 450 degrees Farenheit for about 25 minutes.

Let cool and serve.

 

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Ingredients

1 cup + 2 Tbsp boiling water

1/4 cup oatmeal

2 Tbsp cornmeal

2 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp molasses

1/4 cup dry milk

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups bread flour

2 Tbsp gluten

2 tsp instant, rapid-rise yeast

Directions

Put ingredients in bread machine, in order. Start the "dough" cycle.
Shape into a loaf and put in a floured banneton or bowl or basket to proof for an hour, covered by a towel.
Preheat the oven for that same hour at 450 degrees Farenheit.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust is brown.
Take the bread out, let cool for 15 minutes.

basic sourdough bread

The first time I tried this recipe I was using a bread machine, so I decided to let it go through the whole process, including baking. I left, thinking that when I came back I'd have a lovely sourdough loaf waiting for me. Instead, I came home at night and the machine had caught on fire, and the dough had spilled all over the place. Fortunately, my friends Tom and Paul found it before it burnt the house down. OK, so maybe I shouldn't have expected so much from the bread machine since I got it used at a Goodwill. It still works wonderfully on the dough setting, though.

I'm not sure if I like this recipe for basic sourdough bread the best. I'm still investigating. You'll get dense, moist, tasty white sourdough bread.

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Ingredients

4 3/4 cups bread flour 
3 tablespoons white sugar 
2 1/2 teaspoons salt 
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast 
1 cup warm milk 
2 tablespoons margarine, softened 
1 1/2 cups sourdough starter 
1 extra large egg 
1 tablespoon water 


Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt, and dry yeast. Add milk and softened butter or margarine. Stir in starter. Mix in up to 3 3/4 cups flour gradually, you may need more depending on your climate.

2. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turn once to oil surface, and cover. Allow to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in volume.

3. Punch down, and let rest 15 minutes. Shape into loaves. Place on a greased baking pan. Allow to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.

4. Brush egg wash over tops of loaves, and sprinkle with chopped onion. 5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or till done.