Anadama Bread

I'm going to admit a dirty secret to you. I'm not a fan of homemade bread-GASP! I know, I really hope we can all still be friends!

Don't get me wrong, I love a hot buttery slice of homemade bread right out of the oven as much as the next person. But, when it comes to using homemade bread on a regular, day to day basis, mainly sandwiches, I just don't like it. Usually the bread is too dense, or dry, or crumbly. It sits in your esophagus for days since it doesn't seem to absorb any liquid. Not a fan. BUT, a few weeks ago, my friend Kelley had a playgroup involving all sorts of peanut butter sandwiches (emulating the peanut butter place in NY, for those of you that have heard about it). The sandwiches were great, but my favorite part was the soft, nutty and flavorful homemade bread she made it on. So, after hours of begging, crying, pleading and stomping (okay, none of that happened), she gave me the recipe.

It's her dad's recipe and it's delicious! The best part about it is that it makes killer sandwiches. I kid you not, I was just looking for an excuse to make a sandwich every chance I got. It's soft and wholesome and slightly sweet from the molasses. This batch also makes three loaves, and I'm told that it freezes really well, so knock yourself out!

Do any of you have a homemade bread that you love? I've become crazy about baking bread lately, so let me know where the recipe is and I'll try it!

Anadama Bread
By Kelley and her Dad!

Ingredients

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 cups boiling water
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup molasses
2 cups warm water
2 tsp oil
2 pkges or 2 tbs yeast
5-7 cups flour

Directions

Put oatmeal, corn meal, salt and boiling water in a big bowl, and stir until everything is wet. Wait twenty minutes.

Add molasses, oil and warm water to the bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the mixture. Stir until all the yeast is wet. Add 5 cups of flour to the mix, one at a time, and stir. Add additional flour (probably between 1 and 2 cups) a little at a time until dough sticks together but is not sticky (the dough is still a bit sticky to me, so don't worry too much about that).

Let ball sit for 20-30 minutes. Punch it down and knead it one more time.

Cut ball of dough into thirds, and make a loaf out of each. Place in a greased bread pan and let sit for 30 minutes.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes