Syrian Bread

5 lb. Robin Hood flour       

1 cup sugar

3½  to 4 tsp. salt

1 stick margarine, melted

2 3-strip Rapid Rise yeast (dry, total of 6 envelopes)

4 cups warm water (warm enough for yeast)

Directions:  Add yeast to 2 cups warm water with a ½ tsp. or so of sugar to help activate the yeast.  Stir until mixed.  Put flour, sugar and salt in large mixing bowl.  Add margarine and yeast/water to the dry ingredients.  Mix with your buttered hands.  Add additional water as needed to form dough—sometimes takes more than 4 cups.  Knead until dough still looks shaggy, but slight bounce back to finger touch.  Usually 3-5 minutes.

Place dough in a draft-free place, cover with plastic wrap, wrap bowel in bath towel, and let rise.  Carefully punch down dough and let rise again.  Butter your hands (always want the dough to have some butter on it throughout the process so it does not form a hard shell).  Divide dough into balls that will make one loaf, and place dough balls on wax paper.  Cover with towels and let rest/rise for about 30 minutes. 

Butter Hands. Pick up the dough, turn over on counter and pat out with fingers.  Cover with towel and let rest 10 minutes.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Flatten loaves and butter.  Put bread directly on oven rack.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Flip the loaves.  Bake another 8 minutes.  Bread should be golden brown on both sides.

Comment:  Aunt Mary’s prize.  In sharing the recipe, variations have included as little as ¼ cup sugar or a total of 5 cups warm water or a little more melted margarine.  Aunt Mary frequently doubled the recipe and made 10 lb. batches.  Debate rages on about packets of yeast versus fresh yeast.  Aunt Mary was a big believer in using Robin Hood flour. 

Aunt Mary’s most famous instruction:  “Knead the dough until you are sweating under your boobs.”  However, that must have taken her 3-5 minutes.

And, remember, your bread will never be as good as Aunt Mary’s or Granny’s or Aunt Aigia’s bread.

Baked French Swirl

16 oz. loaf Pepperidge Farm cinnamon swirl bread

6 eggs

3 cups half-and- half cream

2 tsp. vanilla

Cinnamon Sugar

Powdered Sugar

Directions: Cut bread into cubes. Place cubes into lightly greased 3 quart shallow

baking dish. Beat eggs, half-and- half cream, and vanilla in a medium bowl with

whisk. Pour egg mixture over bread cubes. Press bread cubes to ensure all are

coated by egg mixture. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes

or until knife in center comes out clean.

To serve, sprinkle with sugars and serve with butter and syrup.

Comment:

Beer Bread

3 cups SELF rising flour

1 can beer

3 T. sugar

Directions:  Combine flour and sugar, mix well.  Add beer and mix with hands.  

Batter will be sticky.  Pour into bread pan.  Bake 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  

The top will be crunchy.   Butter can be put on top of the bread.   

Comment:  I have used regular flour, instead of self-rising and it is good too, but 

very dense.  Kory actually prefers the dense bread (made with regular flour) over the 

self-rising flour.

Romer Dough

2 pkg. yeast  

1 cup lukewarm water

2/3 cup sugar  

1 cup lukewarm milk

1 tsp. salt  

2 eggs

½ cup butter or margarine  

7 cups flour

Powdered sugar

Directions:   Pour water over yeast.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Cream butter, sugar, salt.  

Add eggs.  Add milk to yeast and 3 cups flour.  Add butter mixture and remaining 

flour.  Knead smooth and let rise until double.  Knead again, put into pans and let 

rise second time.

For Twisters:  Cut dough into strips, twist.  Deep fry for 3-4 minutes.  Roll in 

powdered sugar.

For Rolls:  Spread dough with butter, powdered sugar and cinnamon.  Roll like 

jellyroll.  Cut in 2-inch pieces.  Place in greased pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 

minutes.  Ice with powdered sugar and milk.

Comment:  Grandma Romer’s famous twisters.

Banana Nut Bread

2 cups flour

3 bananas, mashed

½ cup walnuts, chopped

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ cup margarine

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

Directions:  Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Cream butter 

and sugar together gradually.  Add eggs, one at a time mixing each one thoroughly.  

Add bananas.  Stir in dry ingredients gradually.  When well mixed, add nuts.  Turn 

into well-greased loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees 45-60 minutes.  Let stand in pan a 

few minutes.  Remove to cool. 

Comment: