Anadama Bread

Not sure why it is, but another thing we often tend to do on a snow day, is to bake bread! I bake bread very often, but I guess snow days are great because you are home for a long period of time. And of course the family is always looking for yummy treats during a storm.
We did get a lot of snow this time! It has been very windy, so I don't know what the final measurement was, but I would say at least 18 inches, maybe more. But today the sun is shining and the skies are a beautiful blue!
This Anadama Bread recipe is one from Mummu. I have another that I often use, but wanted to try hers again. It was delicious (of course), but maybe not quite as sweet as my own recipe. I doubled her recipe, to get two loaves.
For those of you who don't know, Anadama Bread is a popular old New England bread. It contains cornmeal and molasses. The origin of the bread is not known, though it can be traced to the Rockport, MA area before the 1850's. Many believe it was from the local fishermen there, but others feel if came from the Finnish stone cutters that were living there.
Either way, it is a favorite of my family!




Anadama Bread

1-1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup corn meal
1/3 cup molasses
1-1/2 tablespoons shortening
1 package yeast
4 to 4-1/2 cups flour

Bring to a boil in saucepan, the water and salt. Stir in the cornmeal, stirring constantly while bringing it to a boil again. Set aside to cool. Stir in the molasses and shortening. Mix the dry yeast in the flour and spoon into the mixture. Knead until smooth and let rise about 1-1/2 hours. Punch down, and then put into bread pan and let rise until double, about 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees until dark brown, about 40-45 minutes. Brush with butter when removed from the oven.