Hey Moon Bakers,

As you read this I’m settling into Rockland, ME with the Sea Education Association where I’m cooking for the crew of the Corwith Cramer for the next couple of months. I’m beyond excited to be back with this organization after a five year caregiving break and I’m equally excited to be back in New England where my bread making journey began. Anadama Bread seems a fitting recipe for adventuring back to the north. It’s legendary in these parts and if you’re curious on why, you can click here. The recipe below is slightly less traditional substituting a couple table spoons of honey for some of the molasses but really, it’s all about course corn meal. By soaking the cornmeal overnight and creating a sponge to help with fermentation, this bread produces a light crumb that’s full of texture. It also makes for quite a large loaf. You’ll have sandwich bread for days so you better plan a picnic and invite some friends!

Ingredients:

Soaker

1/2 cup coarse corn meal
1/2 cup warm water

Sponge

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
Plus the soaker

Dough

1 1/4cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp softened butter

Directions:

Make the "soaker" by mixing the corn meal and water in a small bowl and rest covered for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
Transfer the soaker to a large bowl and add all the other "sponge" ingredients and mix well.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for an hour or until bubbles begin to form.
Add all the "dough" ingredients to the sponge and mix to combine.
Work the dough and help it form a rough ball then transfer onto a floured counter top.
Begin to knead the dough adding more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.
Knead consistantly for 15 to 20 minutes until all the ingredients are well combined and the dough is soft and pliable. (This dough has a tendancy to be dense so it's important to knead it thoroughly to produce a light and airy finish.)
Once the dough is well formed, placed it in large bowl that’s been greased and then cover and let rise at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes or until double in size.
Remove the dough to a counter and reknead adding additional flour if necessary as you degass any trapped air bubbles.

Gently shape the dough into a loaf shape and place into a greased loaf pan and then cover again and let rest for another hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Once the dough has doubled in size, place it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Rotate the pan and continue baking for another 25 minutes.
Carefully remove the bread from the oven and turn out the loaf onto a wire cooling rack.
Let cool before slicing. (I know this part is hard but the bread is so light and fluffy inside that you risk tearing it if you don't wait.)

Do you like Anadama Bread? I’d love to hear your thoughts!