Grandma Jeanette’s Bread

My grandmother was the epitome of all grandmothers.  She embodied everything that is so wonderfully typical of the perfect grandmother.  She adored her grandchildren.  She laughed heartily at their antics.  The grandchildren could do no wrong in her eyes.  She genuinely appreciated and cherished all of the crafty gifts that we made her.  She would spoil us rotten.  She had a bosom that swallowed you up whenever she hugged you.  Everything we did was worthy of retelling.  She had so many anecdotes filed away in that great big heart of her’s; anecdotes relating to our mischief, or our accomplishments, etc.  She absolutely relished the moments when she had the opportunity to talk about us.  She had a giggle that was ridiculously contagious.  She sang.  She sang with that exaggerated vibrato that seems to become more pronounced the older you get.  One of her favorites was “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong.  That song was released in 1968 – the year I was born… a bit of information I did not have until I wrote this post.  To this day I can’t listen to that song without welling up.

My grandmother was also a wonderful cook.  Her pot roast would melt in your mouth.  Her chocolate chip cookies were cakey and full of molten semi-sweet morsels and walnuts.  And her bread… oh my, her bread was divine.  When we would walk into her house, we would know right away if she was cooking or baking.  There were two smells that would launch us into a frenzy the minute we walked in the door – baking cookies and baking bread.  Like Pavlov’s dog, we reflexively began to salivate as we made a bee-line for the kitchen.  Our goal – to be the first to have a cookie or a slice of bread the minute it came out of the oven.   There is nothing better than hot, gooey chocolate or steaming slices of bread with a dollop of real butter slowly melting into the nooks and crannies.

My grandmother’s bread was something special.  It wasn’t that it was unusual, but it did have a unique flavor that I can only attribute to her.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t until she was in her 80’s that I thought to get the recipe from her.  By that time she hadn’t really cooked or baked in years and her memory wasn’t as sharp as it had been.  But, she gave me her best guess at the recipe.  If it isn’t exactly right, then it is pretty darn close.  I’ve made her bread four times now (not that I’m counting).  My first attempt was an epic failure.  And regrettably it was for a special occasion.  I was having my parents over for dinner to meet my future husband’s parents.  Something went horribly wrong with the bread.  The dough didn’t rise.  The yeast wasn’t working for me for some reason.  I baked it anyway out of desperation and the result was a small, very dense loaf of unleavened bread.  The taste of the bread was similar to my grandmother’s bread, but the texture was awful.  Everyone politely ate it and even complimented me on it.  But I knew, oh yes, I knew they were sparing my feelings.  It was years later when I finally tried to make it again and it was a success!  My kids devoured it, just like I devoured my grandmother’s bread.  What joy!  At that time I was determined to make grandma’s bread a staple in my house.

But success was fleeting because failure was lurking in my kitchen again.  The third time I made the bread, I was feeling confident.  I made the dough and then went to church while it rose.  When we came back, two hours later, there was no change.  I let it sit for another hour and nothing.  Argh!  I baked a loaf anyway, just to see what would happen and I got the same result as I did the first time around.  I was perplexed.  I asked around and my mother-in-law suggested that I may have dissolved my yeast in water that was too hot.  Light bulb!  I did warm my water in the microwave.  Ooops.  So I tried again two days later and, voila, success!  I didn’t realize how temperamental yeast was.  Now I know and now I’ve got this.

So here is the recipe as my grandmother told it to me:

What you need:

• 1 cup of milk (scalded)
• 1 cup of LUKEWARM water (NOT TOO HOT!)
• 1 package of active, dry yeast
• 1/3 cup of shortening (I tried butter too and there is no difference in taste)
• 1/4 cup of sugar (or honey which I have not tried)
• 2 tsp of salt
• 4ish cups of flour

 What you do:

• allow scalded milk to cool
• add salt, shortening (or butter) and sugar to lukewarm milk
• in a separate bowl dissolve yeast in LUKEWARM water
• once dissolved, add yeast mixture to milk mixture
• gradually add flour (I use a Kitchenaid mixer with a dough hook)
• once dough is stiff, knead by hand until it is no longer sticky adding flour as needed
• place dough in a bowl sprayed with a nonstick spray and cover it
• cross your fingers that it rises to about twice its original size
• knead dough again and then divide it in two and place in sprayed loaf pans
• allow dough to rise up to the lip of the pan
• bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes (top will be golden brown)

I hope this recipe works out for someone out there.  I am not a chef or a baker by any stretch of the imagination.  I am a decent cook though and I like to cook for my family.  I like to share recipes that hold some sentimental value to me or I share recipes that are a sure thing.  It’s all about sharing the love and/or my little conveniences and/or my sure bets with the kids.  Home cooked meals are the best for a lot of reasons… and they are usually healthier to boot.