Beard on Bread (24 page)

This is an old, old recipe for Sally Lunn. I like to bake it in a large tube pan and invert it. It makes a beautiful standing loaf that, when fresh, should be torn apart with forks rather than cut, to retain its lightness. Or, after cooling, it can be sliced and toasted. If you have some left, I recommend that you freeze it and use it sliced and toasted.

[1 ring loaf]

Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a mixing bowl, and allow to proof. Add the milk, butter, and salt, and stir well to combine. Add the eggs and incorporate them well with a wooden spoon. Then add the flour in small amounts, and beat well with a wooden spoon after each addition. Make a stiff but workable batter, using up to four cups of flour if necessary. Cover the bowl, and let the batter rise slowly in a rather cool
spot until doubled in bulk. Beat it down with a wooden spoon for about 1 minute. Scrape into a well-buttered 9- or 10-inch tube pan, and again let the batter rise—this time to the very top of the pan.

Bake in a preheated 375° oven 45 to 50 minutes or until the bread is dark and golden on top and sounds hollow when rapped with your knuckles. Turn out on a rack to cool, or serve warm, if you prefer, with sweet butter.

A light, rather sweetish, easy-to-make bread that is similar to Sally Lunn. It will slice nicely if baked in a tube pan according to the directions, and it can be reheated, wrapped in foil and buttered if you wish, in a 350° oven for 10 to 15 minutes or in the microwave oven for 20 seconds. It makes an attractive loaf of bread for a gift.

[1 ring loaf]

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan until the milk is warm; the butter does not need to melt. Combine with the eggs, vanilla, and the flour mixture, using an electric mixer at lowest speed until the flour is moistened; then beat 2 minutes at medium speed. By hand, stir in the remaining flour to form a stiff batter. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Stir down the dough. Spread in a well-buttered 10-inch tube pan, then cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

This is almost a batter bread. It has a nice crumb, lightness, a delicious “nose,” and a very pleasant “dilly” flavor. I prefer using 2 teaspoons dill weed to the dill seed, but that is a matter of personal taste. It is not a good keeper.

[1 loaf]

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water in a large mixing bowl, and allow to proof for about 5 minutes. Stir the cottage cheese into the yeast mixture, then add the egg and blend thoroughly. Put in the grated onion, melted butter, salt, and baking soda. Stir in the flours, 1 cup at a time, and the dill seed and turn out on a lightly floured board. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and springs back when indented with the fingers. Butter a 9 × 5 × 3-inch loaf tin and shape the dough to fit the pan. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk.

Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when you remove it from the pan and tap it with your knuckles. Cool on a rack before slicing.

As its name suggests, this bread is derived from English muffin batter. Large-grained, with a fairly coarse crumb, it is excellent when sliced and toasted, otherwise, it is rather uninteresting. It may be baked in one large tin, which gives deep slices, or in two small ones.

[1 large loaf or 2 smaller loaves]

Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a large bowl, stir until the yeast and sugar are dissolved, and let the mixture sit until it proofs. Add the flour, mixed with the salt, and the warm milk in alternate portions while stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Holding the bowl tightly, beat the dough very hard until it shows some elasticity and looks almost ready to leave the sides of the bowl. (Unlike a kneaded dough, however, it will remain loose and sticky.) When it has an almost gummy quality, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1¼ to 1½ hours, until doubled in bulk. Stir down with a wooden spoon, add the dissolved soda, and beat vigorously again for about 1 minute, being careful to distribute the soda thoroughly, or else the bread will be streaked. Then butter one 10-inch or two 8 × 4 × 2-inch tins and fill with the dough, using a rubber spatula to scrape it from the bowl.

Let rise again in a warm place for about 1 to 1¼ hours. Bake the bread in a preheated 375° oven until it is golden on top and shrinks slightly from the sides of the pan. Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. (If necessary, loosen from edges of the pans with a knife.) Cut in slices about ½ inch thick for toasting, and butter them well.

This recipe was developed for use in a microwave oven. It will not brown during baking, but it makes wonderful toast with excellent flavor, and you don’t need a brown loaf to make toast, really. This is as close to original English muffins as you can possibly get, and I find it highly satisfactory. You are going to be amused watching this bread rise in the microwave oven.