Yankee Brown Bread Recipes

OLD SCHOOL, NOVA SCOTIA BROWN BREAD

Steps:

• In large bowl, add bran, oatmeal. Add 4 cups boiling water and stir. Allow to stand for ten minutes. (The boiling water will melt the shortening, no need to melt beforehand)
• After 10 minutes proof the yeast; in a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons yeast, 2 teaspoons sugar and one cup of warm water. Allow to stand 10 minutes to proof.
• Add to bran mixture, one cup of molasses, stir, then add the yeast mixture and stir.
• Knead in 10 ½ to 11 ½ cups of flour, move onto floured surface as required and knead until dough feels firm "like a baby's bottom". (This term has been used with this recipe, dating back 50+ years. Bread and babies have changed very little.)
• Let rise in a warm, dry spot until double in size
• Divide and move to greased/prepared bread pans (makes 3 large sized loafs).
• Let rise again in pans and bake at 350⁰F (180⁰C) for 40 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove from oven and cool before turning out of pans.

HOMEMADE BROWN BREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine first four ingredients. Cool to 110°-115°. In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Sprinkle with sugar. Add oat mixture, brown sugar, molasses and 3 cups flour; mix well. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Divide in half; shape into loaves. Place in two greased 9x5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes. , Preheat oven to 375°. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Brush with butter.

OLD-FASHIONED BROWN BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, pour boiling water over oats. Stir in butter and molasses. Let stand until mixture cools to 120°-130°, stirring occasionally., In another bowl, combine 3-1/2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Beat in oat mixture until blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into loaves. Place in two greased 9x5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes., Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°. Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

BALLYMALOE BROWN YEAST BREAD

Steps:

• When making Ballymaloe brown yeast bread, remember that yeast is a living organism. In order to grow, it requires warmth, moisture and nourishment. The yeast feeds on the sugar and produces bubbles of carbon dioxide which causes the bread to rise. Heat of over 122 degrees F/50 degrees C will kill yeast. Have the ingredients and equipment at blood heat. White or brown sugar, honey golden syrup, treacle or molasses may be used. Each will give a slightly different flavour to the bread. At Ballymaloe we use treacle. The dough rises more rapidly with 1 ounce (25 grams) yeast than with 3/4 ounce (20 grams) yeast.
• We use a stone ground wholemeal. Different flours produce breads of different textures and flavour. The amount of natural moisture in the flour varies according to atmospheric conditions. The quantity of water should be altered accordingly. The dough should be just too wet to knead - in fact it does not require kneading. The main ingredients - wholemeal flour, treacle and yeast are highly nutritious.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F/230 degrees C/gas mark 8.
• Mix the flour with the salt. In a small bowl or mixing cup, mix the treacle with 15 fluid ounces/ scant 2 cups (425 milliliters) water and crumble in the yeast.
• Sit the bowl for a few minutes in a warm place to allow the yeast to start to work. Grease a 5 by 8-inch (13 by 20 centimeters) loaf tin with sunflower oil. Meanwhile, check to see if the yeast is rising. After about 4 or 5 minutes it will have a creamy and slightly frothy appearance on top.
• When ready, stir and pour it, with all the remaining 10 fluid ounces/1 1/4 cups (275 milliliters) water into the flour to make a loose, wet dough. The mixture should be too wet to knead. Put the mixture into the greased tin. Sprinkle the top of the loaves with sesame seeds, if you like. Put the tin in a warm place somewhere close to the cooker or near a radiator perhaps. Cover the tins with a tea towel to prevent a skin from forming. Just as the bread comes to the top of the tin, remove the tea towel and pop the loaves in the oven for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C/gas mark 6 for another 40 to 50 minutes, or until it looks nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped. The bread will rise a little further in the oven. This is called "oven spring". If, however, the bread rises to the top of the tin before it goes into the oven it will continue to rise and flow over the edges.
• We usually remove the loaves from the tins about 10 minutes before the end of cooking and put them back into the oven to crisp all round, but if you like a softer crust there's no need to do this.

YANKEE BROWN BREAD

Steps:

• Mix salt, soda, and 1 1/2 C of flour together.
• Add remaining ingredients; beat 5 minutes.
• Place batter in 2 greased and floured loaf pans.
• Bake in low oven (300 deg) for about 1 1/2 hours, or until bread tests done.

FANTABULOUS YANKEE CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Once the oven is hot start the recipe since you want a screaming hot oven.
• Grease the bottom and sides of the cast iron skillet with the shortening. Use more than 1 tablespoon if you need to get more coverage.
• By hand, sift all the dry ingredients together and stir them to make sure they are combined and make a well in the center.
• Combine the eggs, milk and oil and mix well.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir only until they combine. I fold them together with a spatula.
• Let batter rest for 5 minutes.
• Gently pour into your cast iron skillet being careful not to deflate the batter.
• Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

YANKEE CORN BREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Generously grease bottom and side of 10-inch cast-iron skillet with shortening or spray with cooking spray. Heat greased skillet in oven about 5 minutes or until hot.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat milk, butter and egg with egg beater or wire whisk. Stir in remaining ingredients all at once just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Carefully remove skillet from oven. Pour batter into skillet.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm if desired.

YANKEE OATMEAL-MOLASSES BREAD

Steps:

• Place 1/2 cup oats in large bowl of electric mixer fitted with dough hook; pour 3/4 cup boiling water over. Let stand 30 minutes (water will be absorbed and oatmeal will be very soft).
• Pour 1 cup warm water into 2-cup glass measuring cup. Sprinkle yeast over; stir to blend. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. Mix molasses, 2 tablespoons butter and salt into oat mixture in bowl. Mix in yeast mixture. Add enough flour, 1 cup at a time, to form medium-soft dough, mixing at medium speed until well blended, about 3 minutes. Turn out dough onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if dough is too sticky, about 5 minutes. Form dough into ball. Butter large bowl; add dough, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Butter 9x5-inch loaf pan. Punch down dough; turn out into floured surface and knead 3 minutes. Form into 8-inch-long loaf. Transfer to prepared pan. Cover with plastic, then towel; let rise in warm draft-free area until dough has risen about 1/2 inch above rim of pan, about 45 minutes.
• Bake bread 10 minutes; reduce temperature to 350°F. Bake 25 minutes longer. Brush top of bread with glaze; sprinkle 1 tablespoon oats over. Bake until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer to rack; cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn out brad onto rack; cool completely. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Wrap tightly in foil and freeze. If desired, reheat wrapped bread in 350°F oven about 15 minutes.

YEAST PULL-APART BROWN SUGAR MONKEY BREAD

Steps:

• Generously grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan (or an angel food pan).
• Cut the dough into 20 even pieces then shape into small balls (just a bit smaller than a golf ball).
• In a bowl mix together both sugars with cinnamon (if using).
• Dip each ball of dough into the melted butter, then coat in the sugar/cinnamon mixture.
• Place the ball in the loaf pan.
• Repeat with remaining dough balls, stacking up the balls of dough in the pan (the balls will stack on top of each other).
• Sprinkle the top with a bit of sugar mixture.
• Cover and let rise until the balls are just over the top of the pan (about 50 minutes to 1 hour, it will depend on the temperature of your room).
• Set oven to 350 degrees.
• Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until nicely browned.
• Let cool in the pan then unmold.