Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Let's Finish this Bread!

The dough has risen ...
Time to punch it down and turn out onto a floured surface.

My surface is my great-grandmother's handmade biscuit board.  Mary Catherine or "Caddy" was born in 1871, married in 1889 and lived to the age of 91 years.  As a small child I remember visiting my great aunt and uncle's house where Caddy lived.  And I also remember the spittoon that always sat next to her chair ... hmmm ... but I would love to know how many biscuits have been cut out on this board.

Knead the dough a few times then divide into three pieces.  Knead each piece 8 or 10 times and place in a greased loaf pan.  Brush tops with oil.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled - 4 to 5 hours or all day, if needed, since the dough can rise very slowly.


     
Uncover dough and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and tests done.

Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.  Brush tops with melted butter.  Wrap well and store.  Can refrigerate.  The loaves also freeze well.  It's obvious I need to work on dividing the dough into more even sections, but they're still pretty and do they ever smell wonderful!


So now, you're supposed to let them cool but since someone couldn't wait, one loaf has already been sliced for a sandwich.  The excuse was that a warm slice of bread would help the cheese melt better .... makes sense to me.

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