Tis Comfort Food Season

"All things in moderation" is a good thing to keep in mind as I begin the seasonal food chaos that is certain to raise hell with any discipline I managed to maintain the rest of the year. Ah well, the only truly wise advice I have about this is share, share, share! Now let's get on with it and cook something really, really good.

Yesterday I did a trial run of Anadama Bread, a mouth-watering tasty treat I've not made in a very long time. Thanks go to Janny-Fanny for the reminder. This bread is far easier than a lot of others you might attempt. Why? It's a batter dough which means no kneading whatsoever ~ joy!

In a large bowl pour 2 1/2 cups boiling water over 1/2 cup corn meal, 1 tablespoon butter (I used light margarine and it's fine), 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup molasses ... any kind will do tho' full flavor yields a darker bread. Stir until smooth (ie., no clumps of corn meal) and leave for about 30 minutes. Stir in 1 cup flour that you've added 1 envelope of Rapid Rise yeast to and stir well. Add 3 1/2 cups more flour, a cup or so at a time, stirring to make a smooth, sticky batter.

Spray 2 bread pans with non stick, plop dough into, smooth the best you can and cover with plastic wrap (also sprayed with non stick) and let rise in a warmish, draft-free spot until it's more or less doubled and bake at 350 F for 45 - 50 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on rack, cut into and enjoy with margarine or butter. It's also yummy toasted which is how I had it for my supper last night and my breakfast this morning. :>)

A word on yeast ... just buy Rapid Rise. It's so simple ... no proofing! Add it to the dry ingredients and it's fool-proof every time.

Note to my ME friends, The Brothers in Alfred have a most wonderful bakery. When I was there in September they had Anadama bread for sale. I'm sure it's a finer loaf than my recipe but then again, your kitchen won't have that wonderful freshly made bread smell. Ha!

Next up ... Indian Pudding as promised to my FB friends.

As always, thanks for stopping by and do plan a warm and wonderful, full of family fun, stress-free holiday season this year. I plan to. ~ Amber aka Mz Chiclets