Anadama Bread

This is a traditional bread from New England, sometimes called Colonial Bread. It is  made with molasses and cornmeal which makes it a little sweet. This is a great bread to serve with soup. This recipe makes two loaves.

 

5 cups flour

½ cup cornmeal

¼ oz yeast (1 pack)

2 ½  cups water

1 tsp salt

2 Tbs butter

½ cup molasses

Stir 1 cup of cold water into the cornmeal. Bring another cup of water to a boil in a saucepan and add the cornmeal mixture. Cook to thick, about 10 minutes. Add salt, butter, molasses and then cool to tepid.

Add ¼ cup warm water to the yeast and then mix that into the cornmeal mixture.

Add 4.5 cups flour and knead to stiff, about 10 minutes. If sticky, add more flour. Shape the dough into a ball and put in a buttered bowl, cover and let rise 1 ½ hour until doubled.

Punch down and divide in two pieces. Shape in loaves and put in buttered loaf pans. Cover and let rise to double.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Pumpkin Muffin Trials

My mother has always made the most wonderful pumpkin bread, so I am using that as my starting recipe. I am trying to make it into muffins that are a little bit healthier, but still as delicious. 

Here is the original recipe:

Mom's Pumpkin Bread

3 cup sugar

1 cup corn oil

4 eggs, beaten

1 can (15oz) pumpkin

3 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

Mix sugar, oil and eggs.

Add pumpkin and mix well.

Add flour/spices and mix well. 

Pour into greased loaf pans.

3 large size foil pans, bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes

5 small loaf pans, bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes

I cut the recipe in half, so now it makes about 12 average size muffins. Then I added some bran, cut down the sugar and substituted lowfat buttermilk for half the oil. They turned out pretty well. Next time I think I might try adding a little molasses to see what that would do. 

Pumpkin Bran Muffins

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup corn oil

1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup bran buds

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground cloves

3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix bran cereal with buttermilk and let soften for 5 minutes.  

Mix together remaining dry ingredients and set aside.

Mix sugars, oil and eggs, add bran/buttermilk.

Add dry ingredients and mix.

Bake in greased muffin tins for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.