Irresistible Molasses Bread

Okay, I know, you don’t want to or you “can’t” make bread. Well, I’m telling you that yes, you can make bread and you should make this one. No worries about failing, this is a very easy, “anyone can make it bread”.

Often called Anadama bread, it is an old-fashioned, New England favorite, with a legendary history and numerous variations. Aside from all of that (google it, to learn more), this is just an easy, delicious recipe for everyday bread, with a wonderfully warm, slightly nutty flavor. It is terrific hot out of the oven, the next day and beyond, as simple toast with butter, or used for an incredibly yummy grilled cheese. Another New England favorite, that works beautifully with this bread, is a peanut butter and bacon sandwich. If you haven’t tried a peanut butter and bacon sandwich, do not delay, do not make a face…just try it, it is flat-out delicious.

Ohlin’s Bakery, was a local favorite that made a bread, similar to an Anadama bread, that was absolutely irresistible. Unfortunately, the bakery had a bad fire and has never re-opened. We were flat-out addicted to the Ohlin’s Bakery version and this is my attempt to meld the two. While this is still not quite the same, it’s darn close and satisfies my nostalgic taste buds. Also worth noting, this makes two loaves and that is a very good thing, because it is hard to stay away from it. If you happen to have more will-power than me, don’t despair, it freezes beautifully or, delight a friend with the second loaf. One caveat, this does not bake up as a full size loaf, it is more like a quick bread size, so don’t despair when it has a lower rise.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup medium cornmeal
2 cups water, boiled
1/2 cup warm water
1 package yeast, 2-1/4 tsp.
1/2 cup molasses
1 Tbs. kosher salt
3 Tbs. butter, room temperature, cut into cubes
4 1/2 cups bread flour

DIRECTIONS
First, place the cornmeal in a large bowl. Then, stirring continuously to prevent lumps, slowly pour the boiling water into the cornmeal. Set aside for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, put the 1/2 cup of warm water and sprinkle the yeast over it. Sprinkling this into the water, as opposed to just dumping it in, prevents clumping.

After the 30 minutes, add the molasses, salt and butter to the cornmeal mixture and stir to combine. Next add the yeast, water mixture, again, stir to combine. Then add the flour, one cup at a time, stirring to combine after each cup. By the way, I do not use a mixer for this, I do it by hand. It will be a rather wet, scraggy mess, not to worry, that’s normal.

Finally, grease two 5×9 loaf pans and spoon the mixture into the pans. No need to fuss over splitting it evenly, just eyeball it. Then, cover the loaf pans with a clean dish towel and set aside for 3-4 hours, until puffy and roughly doubled in size.

Then, when nearly ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350º, bake the bread for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out dry. Let the loaves cool for a few minutes and then remove from the pan and continue to cool on a rack.