Anadama Bread

I got this recipe from my sister in law when Larry and I first got married and I have never changed one thing about it. Following a recipe without any tweaking at all is not something I do very often and to do for 30 years – well you know it has to be pretty good.

I am working to take the recipes on here in a slightly different direction for the next few months. The holidays are over which means we can look for meals that are perhaps a little less costly calorie-wise. And with the economy in rough shape, a bit of frugality is not out of place. This recipe fits on both counts, as well as being about the easiest bread to make in the world. It uses very simple ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboards. I ran it through the Weight Watchers recipe builder and sliced into 16 slices per loaf, it is 2 points per slice which is not bad. So – lets get started!

In a large mixing bowl whisk together
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup of cornmeal [whole grain preferably]
2 packets of instant yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt In a smaller bowl combine
2 cups hot water
1/2 cup dark molasses
5 tablespoons melted butterMix the wet ingredients into the dryAnd whisk briskly for about 2 minutesAdd 2 more cups flour, one at a time, combining well after each one. I like to use a rubber spatula for this because I think it is more efficient.It will be fairly sticky still Generously flour your kneading surface with 1/4 cup all purpose flour, and begin kneading. For some illustrative shots of kneading, go here. When the first 1/4 cup is thoroughly incorporated, add another 1/4, incorporate completely and then another 1/4 cup.
About 3/4 of a cup of flour has been kneaded into the dough at this point. It isn’t quite there yet though.Another 1/4 cup flour and a couple more minutes kneading and it should look like this – a little drier and smoother – just right. Total kneading time is about 6 or 7 minutes. Oil a bowl and place the dough in it, turning a few time to coat all the surfaces and cover with a piece of plastic wrap or small towel, and place bowl in a fairly warm spot. I have a gas stove with a pilot light, so that is where I always raise my breads.This is one of the fastest rising breads I have ever made – usually it is doubled in size in about an hour to 90 minutes. Turn the dough back out onto the counter [you can dust it with a bit of flour if you like, but it doesn't usually stick even without] and knead for a couple minutes until you have a nice uniform ball again. Cut it into two equal pieces.Then shape into loaves. Place the half dough on the counter with the cut side up and form into an elongated oval. Fold the side farthest from you toward yourself and press along the edges to seal. The turn it around and again pull the side farthest from you into the middle and press down. Bring the ends in until the meet in the middle. Using your fingers, kind of pinch all of the edges together and roll gently to smooth it all out. Put in a well greased bread pan and press firmly all over the top to work the dough into an even layer in the pan.Brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter [you can skip this step if you like – doing this will raise the calorie count of course.Return loaves to a warm spot and allow to rise until the dough is just above the top of the pan. It is going to raise a bit more as it bakes. Bake at 350º for about 45 minutes, until the top is very brown and the loaves sound hollow when you thump them.Remove from pans immediately and cool on a rack for as long as you can stand it and then cut into slices to serve.It is so good – just slightly sweet from the molasses, with a hearty texture from the cornmeal. It makes a fantastic sandwich with ham, sharp cheddar and a nice spicy mustard. Or just enjoy it with a bit of butter if you like.