Whole wheat molasses bread

From Burden's Landing

Jessica's note: I really love this bread. Despite the fact that the flour used is 100 percent whole wheat (as opposed to some combination of all-purpose and whole wheat), the bread doesn't turn out dry at all. The molasses and yogurt keep it moist. Besides making the bread moist and noticeably (but not cake-level) sweet, the molasses also infuses the bread with lovely flavor that complements the whole wheat. This bread takes me far less time to make than most quick breads do, is almost as moist, and contains no eggs, oil, or butter except for the grease you use to prep the pan! It goes well with either savory or sweet accompaniments. I enjoy it toasted and spread with peanut butter. I've also eaten it with beans. It tastes very similar to the "motorloaf" that is available at Tal-y-Tara. (The motorloaf is so named for its portability: perfect for transporting a selection of tea sandwiches (for a picnic, or, say, a polo match? But of course.).)

Ingredients

  • Oil or butter for the pan
  • 1-2/3 cups buttermilk or yogurt or 1 1/2 cups milk and 2 tablespoons white vinegar (see Step 2)
  • 2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup molasses

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease an 8- × 4-inch or 9- × 5-inch loaf pan.

2. If you’re using buttermilk or yogurt, ignore this step. Otherwise, make soured milk: Warm the milk gently to take the chill off—1 minute in the microwave is sufficient—and add the vinegar. Let it rest while you prepare the other ingredients.

3. Mix together the dry ingredients. Stir the molasses into the buttermilk. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients (just enough to combine), then pour into the loaf pan. Bake until firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Reference

I first saw this recipe on this blog post. I later learned that this great recipe apparently comes from Bittman's How to Cook Everything. I don't recall seeing it in our edition of the cookbook. Perhaps it appears in a later edition. Thankfully, Bittman posted it on his website. It's also available on the New York Times website.

Notes

1. This bread has finished baking for me in 45 minutes at 325 degrees. That might be our oven, though.

2. I've only ever greased the pan using butter, not oil. But Mom has used oil to grease pans before, and she tells me it has worked out just fine. I don't see how it would be great on a nonstick baking pan, however, as I imagine the oil wouldn't remain as a film on the pan but would run in rivulets down the sides and collect in a pool at the bottom. Worth a try.

3. I've tried making this bread with buttermilk and (low-fat plain) yogurt. I used powdered buttermilk, which is a bit of a pain because the brand I use (Bob's Red Mill) requires you to reconstitute it before using it, whereas another brand I used to use (can't remember the brand, but you see it often in cardboard cans in conventional grocery stores). I usually have plain yogurt on hand, so unless I happen to have a carton of buttermilk around, I intend on using yogurt for all future bakings of this bread.

4. I've never used corn meal when making this bread -- only corn flour. My bread comes out with a tight crumb. I've read that corn meal gives the bread some crunch. I'm not always a fan of the crunch of corn meal, but I'm open to try using it instead of corn flour, which just happens to be what I had in the pantry.

5. I use Plantation Barbados unsulphured molasses. I know blackstrap molasses is healthier, but its flavor is overpowering (and would certainly be even more so in a half-cup quantity!), and I despise it!

6. I'd like to try making this with caraway seeds, as this bread has a texture vaguely reminiscent of pumpernickel bread. I also think some nuts (particularly walnuts) and maybe even dried fruit (tart cherries!) would be tasty. Those ingredients would make this a lovely bread to serve with a cheese plate.