Wednesday, March 18, 2009

100% Pure Love


This is the 100th Vintage Victuals post!!!

In celebration of this momentous occasion, dear readers, I am happy to share with you a fantastic recipe for 100% Whole Wheat Bread. I'm also pleased to announce my very first VV Giveaway!!

The recipe in this post comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks - packed with vintage recipes, of course! It's the Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking, and you can win this cookbook from Vintage Victuals! The Jesuits have a special place in my heart, as I am, in fact, the product of a Jesuit college education. You may recognize this book from earlier posts on Vintage Victuals.

This is a great resource full of tried-and-true bread recipes that one Jesuit priest gathered from Jesuits around the world through the course of his career as a Jesuit cook. It is also chock full of great breadmaking tips and cute stories about the origins and stories that each recipe brings to the writer's mind. It reminds me a lot of what I love best about cooking and baking - the stories and families that come together around food.
To win this cookbook, all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post answering the following question: What is your favorite family recipe or traditional dish?

Your comment must be posted by Sunday, March 22, 2009 at 11:59 PM EDT. One winner will be randomly chosen by Random.org's Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Monday, March 23, 2009. Good luck!

EDIT: I've gotten reports from 2 or 3 of you that you've had problems leaving a comment. I think I've fixed the glitch, but if you still have problems, then please email me and I will assign you a number for the giveaway!!


Now back to the recipe! This is the whole wheat bread of my DREAMS. Soft, moist, dense, and hearty. Nutty and malty but mild and ever-so-slightly sweet. It toasts up perfectly with a pad of butter and a drizzle of honey. It also makes for an unbelievable turkey sandwich. Chalk up another one for the Jesuits!

100% Whole Wheat Bread

from the The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons salt
5-6 cups 100% whole wheat flour (recommended: King Arthur)


First, make the "sponge." In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast and the warm water and stir until the yeast dissolves. Next, stir in the oil, the honey, the molasses, and the salt. Gradually stir in about 2 1/2 cups of the flour. The dough will be wet and soupy, but a bit spongy. Cover with plastic wrap, and let the sponge ferment for 1 hour.

Next, stir down the sponge, breaking all the bubbles up with a wooden spoon. Using an electric mixer, beat the sponge for 10 minutes, gradually adding about 2 more cups of the flour. The dough should become very thick and tacky, and it should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. The dough will be heavier than regular white-floured doughs. Knead for at least 8-10 minutes, adding flour as needed to prevent stickiness. It should feel smooth and elastic.

Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place the kneaded dough into the bowl, turning it to coat the dough on all sides with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for at least 1 1/2 hours in a warm, draft-free place. The dough will double in size.

Meanwhile, grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans. When dough has risen, punch it down gently. Divide the dough in half and shape each into loaves. Place them into the prepared pans. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise again for about 45 minutes, until doubled in bulk.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake the loaves for 40 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. When loaves have cooled completely, then you can slice them up and enjoy!

52 comments:

EJacks said...

Mmmm... that bread looks delicious!

I would say my favorite family recipe is my mom's stuffing. It's so YUM!! :)

Unknown said...

I have two bc I cannt decide we have so many !
1) is my Mom's Dressing for Turkey and Christmas dinners. It's very old and no exact measurements. It was passed on from my Greatx3 Grandmotherwhich she passed on and so now it's soon to be in my hands once i'm a married woman!
2) is Russian Borscht My family is part Russian so this is from ym grandmother passed form her family. though pretty much all Russian borschts are one in the same.I honest can't say whats all in off the top of my head, but it's a hearty soup/stew that warms the soul !

Unknown said...

My great-grandmother used to make great tomatoes and rice but the winner is my grandmother's yellow cake with chocolate icing.

gt7301b said...

Favorite family recipies are mac and cheese and squash casserole... oh wait I also love rocky road. Okay must stop.

Michelle

Kerstin said...

Yay for a fun giveaway - congrats on your 100th post! My favorite family recipe is my mom's incredible chocolate cake. Your bread looks wonderful - there's nothing like fresh warm bread right out of the oven!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your 100th post! My favorite family recipe is my mother-in-law's sausage loaf. So simple and so good!

Kristen616 said...

Congrats on your 100th post!

My favorite family recipe is of course Pierogi! My grandparents and parents have been making them for ages...they are pure comfort food for me!

And your bread looks delicious!!!

Molly Jean said...

Congrats on your 100th post! The bread looks fantastic too :)

My Mom's stuffing is insanely good... but I have yet to attempt it. Stovetop out of a box is just so much easier ;)

Krystal R said...

Congrats on your 100th post, and for the ability to make bread. It's my kryptonite, I still can't do it!!! My fave family recipe is my MIL's ropa vieja, I have perfected it to match hers exactly! No measurements or recipe needed!

Shawna said...

Congrats!!! Love the giveaway!!

I would say my favorite family recipe is my mom's Chicken Divan, Beef Stroganoff, Hurka sausage or Kolbacz or my MIL's pierogi or Mushroom Barsz (Polish soup)...I have many favorites, apparently!

Ali said...

I'd have to say it is a tie between my mom's Amish Casserole and her Cheesy Italian Biscuits (which go great together, I might add)

Congratulations on 100 posts! woot!

amanda said...

My mom's meatloaf! It's the only recipe from my childhood that I can regularly.

Congrats on 100 posts!

Carrie's Creations said...

Congrats on 100 posts, that's awesome!

My fav. family recipe is my grandmother's chocolate chip cookies. I don't know how she makes them so amazing, I've tried and they just aren't the same. But I'm loving all my practice runs!

Jennifer said...

My favorite family recipe is for pork chow mein. It was my great grandmothers recipe, and she passed it to my mom when she married my dad. It is awesome!

Amy said...

Congrats!! My favorite family recipe would have to be crepes. It's a very simple recipe that was handed down from my great great grandmother from france. They are delicious!

Ashley Pepitone said...

Yay!!! Congrats and thank you for the recipe! Can't wait to try it!

My favorite family recipe is my great-grandmother's sugar cookie recipe. It's my favorite because they are delicious, and also because my great grandmother was a stubborn British woman who lived in Boston, and was an amazing baker and cook- and she knew it. Her recipes were secret, she wouldn't share with anyone. When she died, my aunt found a shoebox with all of her best recipes in it. Except... SHE HAD CHANGED ONE INGREDIENT IN EACH ONE! It took 12 years for my aunt to figure out the secret of the sugar cookies, but she finially did!

Deals, Steals and Heels said...

yay on making it to 100!!

hands down, my favorite recipe is my grandmother's buttermilk biscuits. the ONLY way to know how to make them, is to do it. i've been taking biscuits with her since i was tiny, and i feel so lucky to be able to make them for my loved ones now....although the dispute over "barely done" vs "almost burnt on the bottom" rages on, even in my house! my aunt gave me a crank-turn sifter for christmas 2 years ago so i could make them "the right way".

{The Perfect Palette} said...

congrats on your 100 th post!!!

melslatt said...

My all time favorite meal is my mom's clams and linguine.

Sadly, after I learned how to cook and actually watched her make it, I was utterly disgusted by the amount of butter she used (and she makes the whole thing in the microwave!)

So now I make my own version on the stove with olive oil and wine : )

Missy said...

Congrats on your 100th! YAY! Your blog has been good to me in time of need when it has come to needing that one special recipe!

My fav traditional dish...oh hands down, my mom's duck dressing! Always served on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and Easter if we are lucky! It is so moist and delicious, the shredded duck and duck broth is perfect for it, and the cornbread and lots of sage...oh man, oh man!

Anonymous said...

My dad makes this awesome salsa chicken recipe that is entirely his own creation, and is to die for! I always request it when I visit.

Kelly said...

Congratulations on reaching 100 posts!

I think my favorite recipe is my mom's Macaroni and Cheese. It is the most amazing thing ever!

Kira said...

Yum! My favorite family recipe is my grandmother's homemade peach ice cream with fresh peaches and handchurned by my dad. :-)

Bekkah said...

I think my favorite family recipe is my grandmother's chocolate chip cookie recipe. She makes them with cinnimon and they always come out perfect.

missgeorgiapeach said...

YAY for 100! Congrats Lauren. You and your blog rock!

My favorite family recipe would probably would be a potato dish we cook. We call it "Uncle John's potatoes" because my uncle loves them so much. I actually have no idea what the real recipe name is. It just consists of the frozen cubed potatoes, onions, milk, pepper, and LOTS of cheese. We like to make big batches of it so that we can have it for leftovers. So good!

tinysbridetobe said...

Congrats Lauren! What an awesome job you have done!

My favorite family recipe is Vegetable Lasagna with a white sauce. The filling is made with spinach, mushrooms, julienned carrots, summer squash and zuccini. This recipe also calls for 2 pounds of mozzerella and a pound of ricotta. Not to mention the pamesean that goes into the white sauce! It's one of my most favorite comfort foods of all time.

noellebrucki said...

YAY Lauren! I love your blog!

My favorite recipe has got to me my grandmother's fried chicken and mashed potatoes!!!

Anonymous said...

Happy 100!! :)

My favorite family recipe is my dad's spaghetti sauce, no question. It cooks for three days! Smelling it all that long means you're *dying* to eat it by the time it's ready. And we always have it for Christmas supper. Yum!

Missy said...

Congrats!

My favorite family recipe is definitely homemade Mac N Cheese!!!

Tracy said...

I love my grandmother's cucumber salad - not only the taste, but knowning still that it's the "same" even though she's passed. We make it for all the holidays and it feels like she's still there with us.

~Tracy (Twebber16 at aol.com)

Unknown said...

My favorite family recipe are the America's Test Kitchen Crabcakes -- delicious!!!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on 100 posts!!!

My favorite family recipe is the blintzes that has been passed down on my mom's side. From my husband's side, the borscht. YUM!

Trisha said...

Yay Giveaways! Yay 100th post! I have a hard time picking a favorite... but today I'm craving my Grandma's Fried Green Tomatoes! (Made from the tomatoes grown by my Grandpa.) It doesn't get any better!!!

I miss them!! :)

Augusta & Savannah said...

My favorite family recipe is my moms old-school Meatloaf. OO and my new fav is my sisters Mac & Cheese YUMM!!

Kat said...

My favorite recipe is a Walnut Pear Coffee Cake. Oh, it is SO good.
My husband's favorite would be his mother's Red Velvet cake.

Joanna Eberhart said...

My favorite family recipe is my mother-in-law's meatloaf. It is the only meatloaf I actually like, and was the first dish I cooked that my husband was crazy about.

DanaC said...

My favorite family recipe has to be by far my mother in laws apple pie. It is the one thing that we always have at any of our get togethers.

Patty said...

Hands down it's my dad's pork chops! Yum!

Melissa said...

Congrats on your 100th post :)

My dad is Hungarian, and it's a tie between his homemade cabbage rolls and chicken paprikash. I really need to get his recipes and make them for my blog.

Nicole said...

I dont have a family recipe. My mom never cooked. I am learning as I am going and so far dont have a "fav"

Anonymous said...

Baking bread is my favorite way to spend time in the kitchen -- I would love this book. I've had your Parker House dinner rolls bookmarked forever! Isn't that recipe from this book?

Anyway, unfortunately I can no longer eat my favorite family recipe since one of the key components is chicken, but I loved my mom's concoction called "Spinach Spaghetti!"

Kassy said...

My dad always made the best meals...unfortunately I have no idea where they came from since he passed away quite a few years ago when I was 19 and not really into cooking/baking at that time. His stir fry is on my mind quite frequently and I've never been able to recreate it yet - I guess I'll just have to keep trying :)

Unknown said...

My family doesn't have any recipes of its own, But my wonderful godfather, who taught me how to cook, left me his Greek family's Avgolemono soup recipe. I love that soup! It's bothe delicious and comforting to me.

Amber said...

My granny's potato rolls! They remind me of family & home.

Tiffany said...

Congratulations on your 100th post. My favorite family recipe is my mom's sweet potato casserole.

Anonymous said...

My favorite family recipe is party potatoes.

Anonymous said...

Hm, I don't have similar cooking or eating styles compared to my mom, so that's tough, but there are a few things I've held onto, including my favorite sandwich bread, scotch eggs, and a (relatively) light snack-style cheesecake.

mic said...

i am from the Philippines so my favorite family recipe is chicken adobo with coconut milk...Congratulations on your 100th post

Ashley said...

Mmmmm I love carbs :) My favorite family dish is my Grandma's scalloped potatoes...or her cranberry relish...mmm Thanksgiving..lol.

Jen said...

It's tough to pick one, but the food that has been on my mind today is my mother-in-law's ricotta pie. It only comes out at Easter, and it's wonderful!

Sara said...

Fave family recipe? My mom's homemade chicken soup. A must have when you are sick!

Mrs_Fish said...

Congrats on 100th post! How exciting!

My favorite family recipe has to be a breakfast dish made using mainly eggs, bread, bacon, and cheese. My father makes it every year for Christmas brunch, and we've served it for Christenings and wiccanings alike.

 

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