Warbread Recipes

SWEETBREADS

Steps:

• Tear the sweetbread apart into 1 inch sections. Discard the stringy ligaments that hold it together. Rinse with water as you go. Dip the slightly wet sweetbreads into flour.
• Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large heavy skillet. Fry the sweetbreads in the hot oil until golden brown, turning once. Remove from oil, and drain on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

BASIC HOMEMADE BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in warm water; let stand until bubbles form on surface. Whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Stir oil into yeast mixture; pour into flour mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1-1/2 to 2 hours., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half. Shape each into a loaf. Place in 2 greased 9x5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1-1/2 hours., Bake at 375° until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped or has reached an internal temperature of 200°, 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

WAR BREAD

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl combine the rolled oats, cornmeal, whole wheat flour, shortening, molasses and salt.
• pour in the boiling water, stirring constantly, till the mixture is smooth.
• Set aside to cool to 120-130 degrees.
• Sprinkle the yeast on the batter and blend.
• Stir in the white flour, 1/2 cup at a time, first with the spoon and then by hand, or with the flat beater of a mixer.
• The dough will be somewhat heavy and dense and will not have the elasticity of white dough.
• Nevertheless, the dough will form a shaggy mass that cleans the side of the bowl.
• Sprinkle on flour to control stickiness if necessary.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead with a rhytmic motion of push-turn-fold, or with a mixer dough hook, for 8 minutes. the dough will become smooth.
• Sprinkle on more flour if the dough sticks to the work surface or your fingers.
• place the dough in a bowl and pat with butter or greased fingers to keep the surface from crusting.
• cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and put aside for the dough to rise at room temp till twice its original size - about 1 hour (shorter if using rapid rise yeast).
• punch down the dough and knead for 30 seconds to press out bubbles.
• divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces. shape into balls and let them rest on the work surface for 3-4 minutes.
• Form into loaves and place in 2 9-inch or 3 8-inch loaf pans. Cover with wax paper and leave till the center of the dough has risen to an inch above the edge of the pans, about 50 minutes.
• preheat oven to 350 20 minutes before baking.
• bake the loaves in the oven till they are nicely browned and test done, about 1 hour (I check at about 45 minutes). Turn one loaf out of its pan and tap the bottom crust with your finger - a hard, hollow sound means it is done.
• if the loaves brown too quickly, cover with brown sack paper or foil.
• midway through baking and again near the end, shift the pans so loaves are exposed equally exposed to the temperature variations in the oven.
• remove bread from oven and turn out of pans. place on metal rack to cool.

WAR BREAD

Steps:

• To the boiling water add the sugar, fat and salt. Mix all to dissolve and remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm.
• Dissolve the yeast in the 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Add to the other water.
• Add the rye and whole wheat flour. Knead dough for 10 minutes.
• Cover and let rise until twice its bulk. (About an hour).
• Shape into loaves; let rise until double. (About an hour).
• Bake in a preheated 350 deg oven for about 40 minutes.