Gail's Bread

I met Gail Blakely back in the late 80's when I owned a gourmet food shop in Falmouth. She was, and still is, the food writer for the Falmouth Enterprise. Gail has what I would call an insatiable interest in how food is prepared, grown, served and enjoyed. This is a good thing! She interviews local chefs, home cooks, cookbook writers, fishermen and friends in her weekly column sharing their love of food and commitment to their craft. Gail also writes about the latest food trends, and she's an avid cookbook collector and reviewer. While this would be enough to keep most people busy, it's not so for Gail. She also runs the culinary program up at Highfield Hall and teaches the ever popular bread making classes. If you'd like to learn how to make delicious bread this is the place to go. Gail will take you from bread making 101 right through to artisan bread classes where you'll turn out loaves like this.

Gail's Semolina Bread

And if you don't feel like making your own bread you can purchase one of her tasty loaves at Fancy's Market in Osterville, or Jack in the Beanstalk in Falmouth.  The Bread Lady, as she's known in these circles, also takes custom orders.

Gail stopped by for a visit the other day and brought us a freshly baked loaf of cranberry walnut bread. The crust was golden brown and crispy with a nice chewy center. We enjoyed it au naturel that day, and for toast the following morning. Every bite was a reminder of how special bread is when prepared by a skilled baker who also happens to be a dear friend. You can feel the love in every bite.

Gail's Cape Cod Cranberry Walnut Bread

Gail's Artisan Breads

thebreadlady09@comcast.net

508.930.7718

Asiago: grated cheese and black pepper

Cape Cod: chopped walnuts and dried berries

Cheese: cheddar and jack mix

Garlic: nuggets of roasted garlic 

Pepita: shelled pumpkin seeds

Italiano: dried tomatoes topped with dried herbs 

Mediterranean: rosemary and lemon zest

Meze: kalamata olives and roasted garlic 

Oatmeal: steel cut oats with raisins

Coconut: unsweetened coconut flakes 

Rustic: country bread with a touch of rye and cornmeal

Rye: with caraway seeds 

Semolina: topped with toasted sesame seeds

Chocolate: with dark chocolate chips

Ukrainian Egg Bread

Visiting my Ukrainian great-grandmother, on her small farm, was truly one of the highlights of my youth. My older sister and I often stayed over school vacations and Nanny prepared delicious homemade food for every meal. Breakfast started with oatmeal and eggs cooked to order. She sat us at the table and pretty much waited on us hand and foot. It seemed that whatever we ordered, she was happy to make it. One morning I whispered to my sister that I was going to order coffee, which I did at the ripe age of about 8 years old, and she served it to me. I loaded it up with milk and sugar and it tasted pretty delicious to me. Later I learned that Nanny did in fact make a great cup of coffee, and her secret was adding egg shells to the grinds. 

Her egg bread is probably my most favorite food memory, and when I make it I'm transported back to my childhood. This light egg bread, with golden raisins, is just  slightly sweet and typically made at Easter time. It's delicious served warm from the oven, and it also makes scrumptious toast. Thankfully, my mother documented her recipe so I've been able to reproduce it exactly as she made it. The first time I did I shared it with my uncle, who lived with Nanny, and he confirmed it was true to the original. When I smell it cooking I close my eyes and I'm back on the farm...

Nanny's Ukrainian Egg Bread

2 1/4 cups of warm water

2 packages of  yeast (1/2 oz)

5 cups of flour

4 eggs, beaten

4 tbs melted butter

2 tbs sugar

1 tbs salt

Vegetable oil

Golden raisins

Start with a good bread bowl:

Add 2 1/4 cups of warm water to the bowl, then pour in two packages of yeast:

 

Stir until well combined and the yeast has dissolved:

Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour, mixing until you have a sour cream consistency:

 

Placing bowl in a warm spot, allow to rise to double its size. Cover with a kitchen cloth:

This is what it looks like about 1/2 way through:

This is what it looks like when it's risen to double its size:

Add beaten eggs, sugar, salt, melted butter and additional flour (2 1/2 cups) to achieve an elastic consistency. This is a sticky dough, but you should be able to form it into a ball:

Add a little more flour, if needed, and knead it just enough to form into a ball:

 

Allow it to rise again to about double its size. Place dough in an oiled pan (I use an All-Clad) and allow to rise one more time to about double its size:

 

 

Place in a 400 degree oven (375, if using convection) and bake for about 10 minutes. Then brush the top with egg wash, and return to the oven for another 25-30 minutes. It should be golden brown and sound hollow when you tap the top:

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and remove from the pan. Cool on a wire rack:

Decorate and use as a centerpiece:

Enjoy!

Guest Post: Michael Vincent Bushy makes Pea Soup

Michael is the son of my cousin, Peggy. He is an artist as you'll see if you follow that link, or catch him on facebook at: I Am An Artist. Yes, he's very talented, and he took me up on my offer of a guest post, so I'm thrilled to be introducing both his artistic and culinary talent to you.

(Disclaimer: Photo was pinched from Michael's facebook fan page)

We arrived back home in the Berkshires an hour before the snow hit. The house was cold, we were cold, Becca curled up on the couch and I set to work on some cold weather comfort food. Chicken soup, pot roast or beef stew would all be fine choices, but we commandeered the ham bone from Christmas dinner on our way outta town from my parents. So, pea soup it is:
Bring 8 cups of water
2 lbs. split peas and
1 ham hock to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
Scoop out all the ham you can get, and reclaim all the meat (there’ll be plenty), discard the bone and any fat left over; return the meat to the soup, along with:
1 chopped carrot
1 chopped onion
1 minced clove of garlic
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt and
1/2 tsp pepper
Simmer for another 3 hours, stirring regularly.
It’s a thick, rib sticking kind of soup, and pairs well with some hearty Beer Bread, which I always have on hand:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a bread pan.
Mix in a bowl:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup any combination of other flours (barley, spelt, millet, oat, etc...)
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp wheat germ
1 tbsp flax meal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Pour in 1 1/2 cup (or one bottle) of beer, anything but stout will do, but I prefer a darker beer, like a lager or amber ale (I’ve never tried it with Bud Light, because Bud Light is not allowed in my house).
Mix until all the dry ingredients are coated, but don’t whip it.
Pour batter (it will be runny) into the bread pan, and sprinkle with rolled oats and honey on top. Place in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean (try a few places, sometimes the honey sinks into the batter and makes an area seem unbaked...)
Remove the pan from oven, place on a cooling rack and let cool for at least 1/2 hour before removing bread from pan.

The snow hit 4" as we were tucking in to eat.