Batter Up!

For a while, in my house we had a bread machine and I enjoyed the ease with which we could create homemade bread.  At some point the machine stopped working and while we tried to replace the appliance and could never find one that was as good as the old one.  Attempts to make bread by hand were fruitless because the house was kept unusually cool and I could never find an acceptable place to allow the bread to rise.  So I pretty much gave up on making homemade bread.

Now that I have my own house, and time on my hands, I am enjoying my experiments with handmade yeast breads.  I find the varieties of bread are much greater than I imagined, and there are many more recipes are available for hand-made breads than for machine-made breads.  I have discovered it is so easy to make my own bread by hand that I have lost the desire to replace the bread machine -- not that I have the space to store it anyway.

Most of my successes have come from recipes developed by Father Dominic Garramone, the Bread Monk.  I find his recipes work consistently and are pretty much fool-proof, even when you do not follow the instructions exactly.  With this recipe I branched out for Father Dominic's recipes, but only because I do could not find a similar recipe in any of his books I own.  This is a batter bread, meaning there is no kneading or shaping involved.  If you have made English Muffin Bread, the process is very similar.  The batter comes together quickly and is easy to handle.  The end result is a moist, flavourful loaf, perfectly at home with dinner or as a savoury accompaniment to afternoon tea.  If you are nervous about working with yeast, give batter breads a try.  The biggest tip I have is to invest in an instant read thermometer to check the temperature of the warm liquid before adding it to the yeast.

Easy Cheese Batter Bread

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 package active dry yeast

4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)

3/4 cups milk

1/2 cup margarine or butter

3 eggs, beaten

• In large bowl, thoroughly combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast
• Add cheese, stirring well to incorporate
• In small saucepan, heat milk and butter until butter is melted and mixture is very warm (120-130 F)
• Pour milk mixture over flour mixture
• Add eggs
• Stir until thoroughly combined and no dry spots remain
• Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap or tea towel
• Let rise in a warm place (80-85 F) for 45-60 minutes or until light and doubled in bulk
• Generously grease a 1 1/2 or 2-quart casserole dish, or 9x5 loaf pan
• Stir batter to break up largest bubbles
• Turn batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly
• Preheat oven to 350F
• Cover and let rise in a warm place (80-85 F) for 20-25 minutes or until light and doubled in bulk
• Uncover pan and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until deep golden brown
• Immediately remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack before slicing

Makes 18 slices

Nutritional Information:  150 calories, 5g Protein, 15g Carbohydrate, 8g Fat, and 290mg Sodium per slice

Adapted from:  Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off Cookbook 1996, recipe submitted by:  Frances Sisinni for Bake-Off Contest 23, 1972

My Observations:

• Because I have never been able to manage to cut thirds of a round anything, I sliced my round loaf into 16 slices rather than 18.
• The original recipe has instructions for using a stand mixer to prepare the batter.  I prefer to make my breads by hand and have adapted the method for hand mixing.
• I find the bread is better with a sharp cheddar cheese.
• The original recipe mentions this bread is actually better the second day; I concur.
• The texture of the loaf is light and airy, with a moist crumb, somewhere between light muffins and savoury tea-cake.  My husband joked that I could have told him it was a cheese cake and he would have believed it. 
• The bread does not need butter, and even left uncovered on the counter remains moist at least 3 days.
• This is definitely a bread to serve either on its own or with a meal rather than for use in sandwiches.

Remembering

Seven years ago, Hurricane Katrina roared through the Louisiana/Mississippi/Alabama Gulf Coast.  It's wake left destruction of hundreds of communities.  It was a life changing experience for everyone who lived in the area.  I remember texting my dearest as I watched coverage of landfall in Plaquemines Parish, that the only home I had ever known would never be the same.  My home had been destroyed.

This week, as I watched coverage of Hurricane Sandy making landfall in New York/New Jersey I was reminded of Katrina.  I had safely evacuated prior to Katrina's landfall and watching the coverage of Sandy was a surreal kind of re-run.  I would say it was interesting, but it was not.  It triggered flashbacks and moments of fear.

As I watched the coverage of landfall and aftermath, I noticed a few differences in the reporting.  I noticed that coverage was far more specific -- reports of power outages were down to streets and intersections in Manhattan; communities and subdivisions were described by name and location.  With Katrina coverage, everything was general -- no specific locations were given, and most of the time the video stopped just short of any landmarks to give locals a sense of where they were filming.  Apparently the whole world is intimately acquainted with New York and the New Jersey shore, and so they need far more specific information.   I also noticed that Hurricane Sandy affected the entirety of the US, and a bit of the world, while Katrina's effects were felt only on the Gulf Coast -- though the whole world knows now that New Orleans is a bowl-shaped city that lies predominantly below sea level.

The aftermath of Katrina, in particular the flooding, was misreported and sloppily handled.  The news media purposely gave the impression that the entire City of New Orleans flooded, and did not bother to correct the impression that it was the Mississippi River which overflowed the levees.  I have noticed the news being much more precise and ensuring that such misinformation is not disseminated regarding New York and New Jersey.

I find the coverage of the two events very interesting.  I find it very interesting how no-one has asked New York politicians why we should rebuild a city that lies in the direct path of a hurricane.  I find it very telling that no-one has made a single comment about the flooded subway system being below sea level.  I find it very interesting how the media goes out of their way to pinpoint, practically down to street addresses, where they are filming and to make sure the areas being discussed are correctly identified by the names locals will recognize.  The only local area name the media ever learned in New Orleans was the "Lower 9th Ward," and even that was often misidentified on maps or in filming.

All media coverage aside, New Orleans did receive a great deal of re-building assistance from New York and New Jersey, particularly from the restaurant community.  And we need to give back.  Being on the ground in an area that was in need of charitable efforts, I can honestly say that local charities know better how to use donations, what is needed, when it is needed, and where the most need is.  If you are planning on donating to a charity to help in the post-Sandy rebuilding efforts, I urge you to consider local charities such as food banks, homeless shelters, animal shelters, churches, or other religious organizations.  These organizations know best how, when, and where to help.  If you do not have access to local charities, I urge you to consider a donation to an organization like Habitat for Humanity.  If your community participates in a Dining Out for New York/New Jersey program, please consider doing that.  Or donating to Tide Loads of Hope -- the value of clean clothes and bed linens can never be underestimated.  These organizations provide targeted help to where it is truly needed and without the bureaucracy and politics of other international charities.  Even if you cannot help with the relief efforts, please remember the people of New York, New Jersey, and other states along the East Coast, as well as those in Haiti and Cuba who were affected by the storm.  There are far more victims than the media will ever cover.