Beard on Bread (17 page)

Combine the yeast, salt, and water in a mixing bowl. Add the flour, cup by cup, stirring with a wooden spoon to incorporate as much of it as you can. Turn out on a floured board, and knead enough to blend the ingredients. You will have a very heavy dough with little or no life, so shape it as best you can into a ball and place in a small, well-buttered bowl, turning to coat the surface with butter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to seal, and then cover with foil. Let rest in a semi-warm area for 16 to 18 hours.

Uncover. You will note that little or nothing has happened to the dough. Punch it down anyway, and knead it on a lightly floured board for a minute or two. (You’ll find it easier to handle than the original mass.) Butter an 8 × 4 × 2-inch loaf tin and shape the dough to fit it. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk.

Bake in a preheated 375° oven 45 to 50 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped on top and bottom. The finished loaf will be about 2½ inches high.

There are numerous varieties of what is known as “black bread.” I tried out recipes for a great many in the course of this book and finally settled on this one, which is not as dark as the commercial ones but has a flavor that I think is extraordinarily good and a very nice texture. It is rather fun to make, too, and even if you don’t achieve the perfect look that one finds in the professional loaves of this kind, the recipe works very well. Thinly sliced it is a delicious bread with seafood, and it makes extremely good sandwiches. It will hold well if wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator. It has the advantage over many other black breads of not being too sweet.

[2 free-form or regular loaves]

Add the cornmeal to the cold water and mix well. Pour into boiling water and stir until thickened. When it is thickened and bubbly, stir in the butter, salt, sugar, caraway seeds, cocoa, and instant coffee.

Dissolve the yeast in warm water, add to the mixture, and stir well.
Blend in the flours, adding more liquid if necessary, and stir until you have a fairly sticky dough. Turn out on a floured board and knead, adding more flour if necessary, to make a firm, elastic dough. Form into a ball and place in a well-buttered bowl, turning to coat with butter on all sides. Put in a warm, draft-free spot to rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down the dough and knead for two or three minutes. Form into two balls, and either shape into free-form loaves or roll and fit into two bread pans 8 × 4 × 2 inches. Allow to rise until almost doubled in bulk. Brush the bread with the beaten egg white and cold water and bake at 375° for 50 to 60 minutes or until the bread taps hollow. If you have doubts about whether it is done, let it bake longer. This loaf is better a little overdone than underdone.

If the bread is to be baked in round free-form loaves, arrange on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal and place a flan ring or other guard around the dough to prevent its spreading too much; or let the loaves rise in 8-inch pie tins or skillets and then turn out onto the baking sheet or directly onto
oven tiles
just before baking.

This is as good an oatmeal bread as I have ever eaten, and it makes wonderful toast. The recipe yields a great deal more than the previous one, so it is good if you have a large family or want to give a loaf away as a gift.

It is essential to leave the dough uncovered during the two risings.

[3 loaves]

Pour the boiling water over the oatmeal in a large bowl and leave to cool. Then stir in 2 cups of flour and the yeast. Place in a warm, draft-free spot and allow to rise, uncovered, until doubled in bulk. Punch down and work in the salt, salad oil, molasses, and enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out on a floured board and knead, adding extra flour if necessary, to make a smooth, pliable, firm dough—about 10 minutes, but you cannot knead too much. Divide the dough into three equal pieces, and form into loaves to fit three buttered 9 × 5 × 3-inch loaf tins. Allow to rise again, uncovered, until doubled in bulk. Bake in a preheated 350° oven 40 to 60 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when removed from the tins and rapped on top and bottom. Cool on racks before slicing.

There are two or three favorite recipes for oatmeal bread in this country. I first encountered this one in Nevada, in a restaurant that was made famous by Lucius Beebe, and it was so good that I extracted the recipe from the owner and have been using it for many years. It is an interesting, loosely textured bread with an unusual light-brown color and a rich, full flavor. It is delicious with sweet butter, and it keeps well.

[2 small loaves]

Cook the oats in the boiling water until thickened, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm. Meanwhile, stir the yeast and teaspoon of sugar into the warm water until dissolved, and allow to proof. Add the warm milk, salt, brown sugar, and yeast mixture to the oats and stir well, then stir in 4 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Turn out on a floured board. Knead into a smooth, pliable, elastic dough, if necessary using as much as ½ to 1 cup, or more, of additional flour to get it to the right feel. (This will take about 10 minutes.) Shape the dough into a ball, put into a well-buttered bowl, and turn to coat on all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1½ hours.

Punch the dough down. Knead for 2 or 3 minutes and shape into two loaves. Thoroughly butter two 8 × 4 × 2-inch tins. Place the dough in the tins, cover, and let rise in a warm place until about even with the top of the tins, or amost doubled in bulk.