Submitted by: agcomm,  Wed Dec 31 10:25:49 1997


Prairie Fare: Thoughts on Old Mother Hubbard,  and Bread
 
Graphic accompanies this column in hard copy and is available on
the World Wide Web at
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/newsrelease/graphics/
 
     Everyone probably remembers the first stanza of the nursery
rhyme titled "Old Mother Hubbard and her Dog." But do you
remember the quatrain that follows? "She went to the baker's to
buy him some bread, but when she came back the poor dog was
dead." 
     The lesson I take from that passage is this: bread could
have saved the poor dog's life - - had Old Mother Hubbard arrived
home in a timely manner. I'm betting she dawdled in town,
probably stopped by the butcher's and the candlestick maker's. 
     If bread can save a carnivore's life, it can certainly add
quality to the lives of grain- eating humans. If you've ever been
fortunate enough to eat some truly good bread, either homemade or
from a bake shop, you know what I'm talking about. 
     When I think of crusty bread, I think of Chicago, which is
where I experienced the best bread I've ever eaten. It was at a
downtown bakery that's attached to an Italian restaurant. Oh, the
selection. The bakery serves up traditional French bread, Italian
bread, San Francisco-style sourdough bread, bread studded with
Greek Calamata olives, pretzel bread, whole wheat bread, onion
bread, and other kinds I've since forgotten.
     The first time I patronized this bakery was when I was in
Chicago for a convention. The second time was when my wife and I
were there for a weekend series of Cubs baseball games. I'd been
raving to my wife about this bakery for more than a year, and
because the hotel we stayed at was only a few blocks from the
bakery, that's where we headed after we'd checked in. 
     We didn't order anything on our first visit. One reason was
because it was only 10:30 a.m., but another reason had to do with
anticipation. Except in this case it turned out that eating the
bread was far better than merely thinking about eating it. There
was a deli nearby, so we bought an assortment of cheese to go
with our olive bread.  
     Before we flew out of Chicago, I went back to the bakery and
bought a loaf of pretzel bread and a loaf of sourdough. There was
a Greek restaurant in our hotel that offered carry- out, so we
got a carton of garlicky feta cheese and a cucumber-yogurt
concoction to take along. We sat in the terminal of the world's
busiest airport and had a picnic. Luckily, our flight departed
before any maintenance people could come by and give us grief for
the crumbs. We tried to eat daintily, but you know how it is with
good bread. 
     I've never attempted to make the pretzel bread we ate in
Chicago, but there are many types of breads you can experience
without ever leaving home. The recipe that follows makes eating a
Reuben sandwich even more memorable.
 
     Sourdough Pumpernickel Bread
     Yield: 1 loaf
      cup boiling coffee
     2 tablespoons crushed caraway seed
      cup milk
     1/4 cup light molasses
     1 square semi-sweet chocolate
     3 tablespoons butter
      cup barley flour
     1 cup rye flour
     2 cups bread flour
     1 envelope dry active yeast
     1 teaspoon salt
     3/4 cup sourdough starter*
      cup mashed potatoes
     Procedure:
     Pour coffee over caraway seeds and let steep. Meanwhile, in
a small saucepan combine milk, molasses, chocolate and butter.
Heat until chocolate and butter are melted; add coffee mixture
and let cool to between 120 F and 130 F. Combine in a large bowl
the cooled liquid and all the remaining ingredients. Mix to a
dough and continue mixing vigorously until it comes away clean
from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough onto a floured surface
and knead for about 10 minutes. Use as little dusting flour as
possible while working the dough. Shape into a ball; place in
greased bowl and turn once. Cover with a dry, lint-free towel and
let rise in warm place until double, about an hour. Punch down;
shape into a loaf. Place in greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Cover
and let rise to double. Bake in 350 F oven about 45 minutes.
     *Recipes for sourdough starters are featured in many bread
cookbooks. Those with Internet access can find a recipe at the
following address:
http://www.SOAR.Berkeley.EDU/recipes/baked-goods/breads/sourdough
/starter2.rec 
     What's Your Take on This, Julie?  
     Few aromas can match the appeal of baking bread. Homemade
bread is one of those nostalgic foods that led to the invention
of the popular bread machine. While this recipe isn't designed
for a bread machine, it certainly is worth getting your hands a
little sticky. Making bread can become a fun--and
remembered--family activity. Making bread by hand also is a good
stress reducer.
     Bread, like pasta, is a food that unjustly has been accused
of being "fattening."  Actually, bread, pasta and other grain
products are low-fat, highly nutritious foods with plenty of
complex carbohydrates. Almost any food eaten in large quantity,
without counteracting exercise, can add extra pounds to your
frame.
     Nutrition experts suggest that we eat six to 11 servings
from the grain group every day, depending on our age, gender and
activity level--with a focus on high-fiber whole grains.
Slathering a thick layer of butter on bread or drowning pasta in
a heavy cream sauce, though, adds excess calories and,
potentially, pounds.  
     The flavor of pumpernickel bread is mainly due to the rye
flour it contains. The color gives an indication of its flavor
and texture: the darker the bread, the more sour the taste and
the chewier the texture. Using some rye flour and some bread
flour in this recipe mellows the flavor and increases the loaf
volume. The sourdough starter, coffee and chocolate also add to
the distinctive taste. The barley flour and potatoes add to the
moistness.  
     A serving (1/20 of a loaf) of has about 130 calories, 2.7
grams of fat and is a good source of B vitamins, which help our
bodies use the energy we take in from foods. Unlike "light and
airy" white breads, a hearty slice of pumpernickel bread is more
satisfying and offers a taste of Europe at home. 
                              ###
                                
NDSU Agriculture Communication
Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136
Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187