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Dark and Spicy Molasses Bread

The bread isn't really spicy, but the bit of ginger and cloves add a little something. This recipe is from the Old Shaker Recipes cookbook I got at the Rebecca-Ruth Candy Factory. It's printed by Bear Wallow Books. If you're looking for a hearty bread that makes fabulous toast, give this a try. I'm posting the full recipe which makes 2 loaves. We could never eat 2, so I made a half-recipe and I used white whole wheat, so mine wasn't quite so dark.

Ingredients:
2 packages dry yeast (1 package = 2 1/2 tsp. I use SAF Instant)
1/2 cup warm water (Not too hot!)
4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dark molasses
2 cups milk
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
4-5 cups unbleached flour
2-2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1/2 cup wheat germ
3 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon powdered cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
dash of nutmeg

Directions:
1. Sprinkle yeast on the 1/2 cup warm water. Give it a bit of a stir and let it sit for a few minutes to dissolve and get woken up.

2. Put butter, molasses, milk, and brown sugar in a saucepan and heat. Do not boil, you just want the sugar to dissolve and butter to melt. Remove from heat and let it cool to lukewarm.

3. When sugar mixture is cooled, at the dissolved yeast. Pour into a large bowl.

4. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flours and the rest).

5. Add flour mixture a bit at a time, beat well after each addition of flour. Stop when the dough makes a ball and comes away from the sides of the bowl. You might have a bit of flour leftover.

6. Turn dough onto floured bread board and knead 5-8 minutes until smooth and satiny.

7. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and put in a warm place to rise until double (2 hours).

8. Punch down gently.

9. Divide into 2 loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise in warm place until dough is and inch above the pan.

10. Bake in 350-degree oven for 35-45 minutes. Mine got a bit too brown on the top. You might want to put a loose aluminum foil tent over if yours is getting too brown.

11. Brush tops with butter and remove from pan. Eat some while it's warm!

My New Amazon Shop!

Need something for your kitchen? Want to see my some of my favorite movies and books? Stop by my new Amazon store Sweet Tooth Essentials. I've filled the store with essentials for the kitchen that I sometimes use to make recipes on this site as well as some DVDs and books that I love. There are also a few items that I don't have, but am thinking about buying one of these days. Happy shopping!

Pepper Mill

Embarrassing though it is, I will admit that I've been using plastic, disposable pepper mills for several years. I know it's a waste, both of money and resources, but I just haven't found the right mill for me. Currently there are only a few peppercorns left rattling in the bottom of my mill, so I decided it's time to do some research. The testing lab at Cooks Illustrated gave the Unicorn Magnum Plus the top rating. It might be more mill than I need, but after checking the competition, I think it's the one. There is a smaller version called just Magnum, which might be a better choice for me, but I'm still undecided.

Country Cookbooks

When I'm in Kentucky I eventually find my way into a country store. I love the little paperback cookbooks they usually stock. I finally broke down and bought some. I couldn't resist the Milky Way Cake in Ezzibee's Kitchen. Of course I don't have to explain what drove me to the Old Fashioned Candy Cookbook. The Shaker book was recommended by the man at Rebecca Ruth (see yesterday's post) and after looking through it could see why. Shakers were notoriously good at crafts and cooking. I'll post my results here for you all the see.

Rebecca Ruth Candy

My sweet tooth and I are back from visiting family in good ole' Kentucky. Despite the blazing, sticky, 100-degree heat, I made my usual pilgrimage to the Rebecca Ruth Candy Factory. It's right in my home town of Frankfort! Luckily I had the foresight to come prepared with a cooler in the non-air-conditioned truck so my precious chocolate wouldn't melt on the 5 minute drive home.

Rebecca Ruth is famous for their bourbon balls.
I'm not a fan of the liquor filled chocolates, but I have no trouble spending my money on almond bark and caramels.

While I was shopping, I learned that the factory was featured in the "Louisville, Kentucky and Beyond" episode of Road Tasted on the Food Network. I haven't seen the show, but love that it included a personal favorite. The show also featured a favorite of my grandmother, Modjeskas.

Best of all, I learned that Rebecca Ruth does mail order. Hooray! Of course there's nothing better than stepping into that little factory and picking out your favorites, but when you can't travel to Kentucky at least there's an alternative.

Caramel Mini Brownie Cups

This recipe is from The All-American Cookie Book by Nancy Baggett. (An amazing cookbook with tons of tips and trouble-shooting solutions along with fabulous recipes.) I love caramel and couldn't resist trying a brownie that incorporates Rolo candies. You can also use Reese's peanut butter cups!Preparation:

1. Several hours ahead- unwrap the candy and put it in the refrigerator to chill.
   
2. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
3. Spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray or lightly grease. (makes 24)

You will need:

• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 24 Rolo candies, unwrapped and chilled

Some advice: use good chocolate if you want the brownies to taste good. Got everything? Let's start.
1. Melt the butter and chocolates. I put a stainless steel bowl over simmering water for a makeshift double boiler. You can use the microwave if you prefer. With chocolate the key is to go slow and stir frequently. If using the microwave, remove before chocolate is completely melted and stir to finish the job.2. Add 2/3 cup sugar and stir well. Let cool slightly.

3. In a small bowl mix together 2/3 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp baking soda. Set this aside.

4. Now the chocolate mixture should be barely warm. Beat in the egg, then add 1 tsp vanilla. Stir until mixture is smooth and shiny.

5. Add in the flour mixture and stir until incorporated.

6. Spoon the batter into the mini muffin cups. (A mini scoop makes it so easy and neat.)

7. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10-14 minutes. You want the brownies to be almost firm in the middle.

8. Immediately press 1 candy into the center of the brownie until it's flush with the surface.
9. Put muffin pan on a wire rack and leave them alone until totally cool. I know it's hard, but find something useful to do. Read a book. Do laundry. Take a nap. Go for a walk.10. Remove from pan and enjoy! Yum! (Warning = be sure you have milk in the house)

Variations:

• Use mini Reese's peanut butter cups instead of Rolos.
• Add 2 Tablespoons smooth peanut butter to the batter with the egg in step #4.