ACORN BREAD

very tasty, with a distinctive texture. great for thanksgiving! american colonists in the northeast used all available food sources- acorn bread is an adaptation of a native american recipe which was somewhat common in the late 17th century until the mid 19th among the poorer working classes.

Time: 50 minutes

Number Of Ingredients: 8

Ingredients: acorn meal,flour,baking powder,salt,sugar,eggs,milk,oil

Steps:

1. heat oven to 400 degrees
2. grease a loaf pan
3. sift together dry ingredients in a bowl
4. in a separate bowl , combine egg , milk , and oil
5. combine dry and liquid ingredients
6. stir just enough to moisten dry ingredients
7. batter will be a bit lumpy
8. pour into a greased pan , bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes
9. acorns are very easy to use , similar to chestnuts
10. first examine the acorns as you pick / gather them
11. throw away any that are wormy / moldy / cracked / etc
12. next , shell them
13. early in the season the shell is usually soft enough to cut through
14. later in the season acorns may require a nut cracker , though many times the shells are rather thin and brittle
15. taste the raw acorns- if they are bitter , they need to be boiled
16. tannic acid causes the bitterness , and is easily leached out by boiling the acorns in successive pots of water
17. when the water no longer turns brown , the acorns are ready
18. the next step is to roast the acorns slightly
19. use a warm oven , no more than 250 degrees
20. acorns that have not been boiled will take 60 minutes or so , boiled acorns will take longer', "once they're roasted , the acorns can be used in place of nuts in most recipes , although they are less oily than most nuts", 'they can be glazed like chestnuts , simmered in a soup , ground and used as a flour extender