Breads & Noodles

Meemah's Blueberry Gingerbread
½ c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
½ tsp. powdered ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
1 c. sour milk or buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
3 Tbsp. molasses
1 c. blueberries
3 Tbsp. Sugar for topping

1. Add the baking soda to the molasses and mix the ingredients "the usual way" [I assume this means creaming the wet ingredients then sifting the dry ones into the wet mixture and adding the berries last]. Don't overwork this dough.
2. Pour into a 9" square pan and sprinkle 3 Tbsp. sugar over the batter.
3. Bake at 350° for 50 min. to 1 hour.

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Meemah's Blueberry Muffins
I found this recipe in Mom's recipe file on an elegant blue monogrammed recipe card! It read "Mrs. A. G. Waite - 50 Griggs Road - Brookline - Massachusetts." This recipe brings back memories of blueberry picking near Meemah & Beepah's house in Duxbury.

2 c. flour (do not sift)
1 ¼ c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
dash salt
½ c. milk
2 eggs
1 stick margarine, melted
2 cups blueberries

1. Dump all ingredients together except for the blueberries. Mix gently then add the berries
2. Put into greased tins, sprinkling the tops with sugar.
3. Bake at 350° for 30 min. Let cool 10 min. before removing from pan.

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Elfriede's Crisco Rolls
Elfriede and her mother-in-law Ione Bunker baked these rolls a lot -- just about every Saturday.

2 c. milk
½ c. sugar
1 1/3 envelopes of yeast
2/3 c. Crisco shortening
6 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
¼ c. water for yeast

Scald milk with shortening and sugar. When cool, add flour and dissolved yeast. Beat well until you have a smooth texture. Let the dough rise in a warm place, covered, then push down when not yet ready to use.

Form round balls, using a little flour on hands and breadboard, about 2 inches across, and let rest a bit. Place in a well-greased roll pan (about 12x17") evenly distributed (about 4-5 across). Let rise about an hour. Bake in 425 degree oven for 15-20 min.

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Lisa's Lemon Blueberry Bread
This bread has an amazing crumbly crust made from lemon peel and cinnamon sugar and is from the Silver Palate New Basics Cookbook.

Preheat oven to 375°

Topping (stir & set aside):
½ c. sugar
13 c. all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature
1 ½ tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Bread:
¾ c. sugar
4 Tbsp. Unsalted butter
½ c. milk
1 egg

Stir together till smooth (but no longer than that).

In another bowl, toss:
2 c. all-purpose flour
t tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt

Stir the flour mix into the wet ingredients, then fold in:
2 c. fresh blueberries (washed & patted dry)
1 to 1 ½ Tbsp. freshly grated lemon zest

1. Transfer batter to oiled 9x5" loaf pan and sprinkle with lemon-cinnamon topping.
2. Bake 50 min. at 375° until topping is a deep golden brown and has formed a thick crust.
3. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

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Todd's Favorite Muffins

¼ c. oil
½ c. molasses
1 c. applesauce
1 ½ c. whole wheat (pastry) flour
½ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
½ c. raisins (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Grease a small size muffin tin.
3. Mix oil, molasses and applesauce.
4. Sift together flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Mix wet and dry ingredients and add raisins.
6. Drop into muffin cups and bake until inserted toothpick comes out clean (~20 min.)

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Grandma's Sweet Yeast Dough
This is the basic dough Grandma used for just about all of her pastries such as Christmas Stollen and Pereira Special.

Grandmother never used a recipe for this; however a couple of us tried to learn it by shadowing her, which is why there are 3 different versions!

Mix in a bowl and make a well:

1. Pour the milk mixture slowly into the well of flour, stirring a small portion of the flour with a small spoon an area about 4 inches across. You can mix a little flour in, but it should not be thick. Norma says sprinkle 1 tsp. sugar on top.
2. Put a towel over the mixture and place over a pot with warm water or in a warm place for 30-50 min., until bubbles appear. Remove the towel.
3. Prepare a large pot of ice water.

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan.
2. Break eggs into a med. size mixing bowl and beat with a whisk. Dribble warm butter into eggs, while beating vigorously with a whisk. You can also let it cool and then add to the eggs.
3. When the yeast and flour mixture is bubbling, stir the egg mixture into it. As it starts to get thick, use your hands to work in all the flour, until the dough is firm and leaves your fingers.
4. When the dough starts to pull away from the bowl, smooth the holes and shape it.
5. Plunge the dough into a large bowl of ice water and leave until the dough rises. Remove to another bowl.

1. Add above to dough, mixing/pulling with hands until it does not stick to the edge of the bowl. Norma says really work it! When the dough leaves the surface of the bowl when pulled, it is ready.
2. Let it rest 15 min.
3. Add 2 Tbsp. milk, a little at a time. [Norma's recipe omits this step]

See Desserts section for fillings: Crumb Cake ... Pereira Special ... Plum Cake

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Grandma's Spaetzle (German egg noodles)
I remember watching in fascination as Grandma deftly "cut" the dough into the water by hand slicing ribbons of dough and shimmying them off of her cutting board. When I made them for myself I discovered that it is harder than it looks!

2 c. flour
2 eggs, beaten slightly
a little milk
½ tsp. salt

Mix & cut into boiling salt water. When they rise, remove with a slotted spoon. Keep warm.

Or...
Sauté in butter with a dash of Maggi and a grating of fresh nutmeg to finish.

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