Monthly Archives: August 2012

Hobo Bread

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Amidst my busy life, I somehow managed to find an afternoon (well, about two hours) to myself. Just me and the dog. How did that happen?! I immediately took the opportunity to bond with my kitchen and pick the next recipe from this cookbook to make.

Because I felt like being mildly lazy, I decided I wasn’t going to run out and get any ingredients. Turns out I had everything on hand to make Hobo Bread.

What is Hobo Bread? I still don’t know, but it’s tasty. Flour, salt, sugar, one egg, some raisins, water, baking soda, and shortening. Every hobo I know always has those on hand, so, maybe that’s how it got its name. The recipe called for this bread to be baked in three greased 2.5 cans. I opted for a loaf pan because unlike the church cooks of North Dakota in the 1970’s, I do NOT use ‘cream-of-something’ soup every single night, so I do not have those cans on hand. However, I’m sure that didn’t alter the taste…too much anyway.

   

My Review
Have you ever had Irish Soda Bread? If not, you’re missing out. If so, this tasted like a poor man’s Irish Soda Bread. The texture was that of a quick bread – think banana bread – and the flavor was sweet, but not overly so. It almost tasted like there was molasses or brown sugar in it, but obviously there wasn’t. The bread had a nice firm crust and was really moist (I hate the word and can’t believe I just used it) inside. A perfect snack bread if you ask me.

This Hobo Bread was so easy to make, I’ll definitely keep it on hand for those times when I have a hankering for a slightly sweet snack. Added bonus: the boys were a big fan, too! I don’t know Janice Plecity, but I thank her for this recipe 🙂

Rating
Ease: 4
Attractiveness: 3
Taste: 4

Original Recipe

 

My Tips

  • If you use a loaf pan like I did, bump up the cooking time to at least an hour. I baked mine for 60-65 minutes.
  • Let the bread cool for at least 5 minutes before removing it from the pan to finish cooling on a wire rack.

August 15, 2012

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I need to pick up the pace if I’m going to get through this cookbook! Don’t worry, I’m still committed, but life happens. It’s been a wonderful summer so far filled with family, friends, doggy playdates, and weekend getaways. Today is Julia Child’s 100th birthday, so what better time to reaffirm my commitment to a baking project?

OK, back to the church cookbook. I’ve made a few recipes now and have another observation to share. Every single recipe from this book gets better with age. I’m a constant taste tester when it comes to baking. Since I don’t measure all the time, I usually taste my through the recipe to make sure I’m doing it “right.” As such, I always taste my final product right when it comes out of the oven, once it cools, and then throughout the next couple days. Each of these recipes – especially the cookies – tasted their best a day or two after I made them.

Does anybody have any ideas as to why? Is it the shortening? Is it because each ingredient releases its best flavor at different temperature so needs to be heated and cooled before it all comes together? (It’s a real theory; I swear. Think of tempering chocolate…) And was this a common thing for the region or the time? I don’t have the answer(s). Just another observation.

Stay tuned for more church cookbook recipes coming soon. (Yes, yes…I’ll get back in my kitchen…)