My Newfoundland mom's bread recipe is beyond measure. Really. | CBC Life (2024)

FAQs

How to tell if bread is done without a thermometer? ›

Inserting a toothpick into the center of a baked good is a tried and true method to test for doneness. If the toothpick comes out clean, your bread is likely fully baked. It needs a bit more time if it comes out wet with dough or crumbs.

Among the suggested causes of the Great Depression are: the stock market crash of 1929; the collapse of world trade due to the Smoot-Hawley Tariff; government policies; bank failures and panics; and the collapse of the money supply. In this video, Great Depression expert David Wheelock of the St.

One of the most common staples during the Great Depression was peanut butter bread. Most bread requires yeast or at least eggs, but not this one. Every ingredient in the bread can last years on its own and is inexpensive, making it great for people living through the depression.

If you can, aim to bake your bread at 230°C (450°F). If you're baking regularly, you might consider upgrading to a Rofco oven.

In most situations, an undercooked loaf of bread can be fixed by returning it to the oven for a few more minutes. This is true for loaves where the outside of your bread may look fully set, but the inside of the bread is still gummy. Place the loaf back in a preheated oven at 350° F for 10-20 minutes.

Give the bottom of the loaf a couple firm taps with your thumb. The bread will sound hollow when it's done. If you're new to this technique, try doing this every five minutes toward the end of baking and you'll hear how the sound changes.

Many cheap foods still common among the poor today made their debut during the Depression: Wonder Bread (1930), Bisquick (1931), Miracle Whip (1933), and Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup (1934). Ragu spaghetti sauce, Kraft mac-n-cheese, and Hormel Spam all appeared during the Roosevelt Recession in 1937.

Perhaps one hobo acquired a few carrots from a charitable person, while another stole an onion off a box car, while another had a few potatoes from a farm he worked on briefly… From this concoction, a “hobo stew,” also known as “Mulligan/Mulligatawney stew” was born and became the traditional food of the hobo.

Despite all the President's efforts and the courage of the American people, the Depression hung on until 1941, when America's involvement in the Second World War resulted in the drafting of young men into military service, and the creation of millions of jobs in defense and war industries.

For hundreds of years white bread was popular for the rich people, while the poorer people ate brown, bran loaves. Technology improved the way flour was milled, white flour became cheaper and available to all.

What bread was used in Jesus time? ›

The poor ate barley bread, the rich the bread of wheat. Barley or wheat grains were ground between two millstones, almost always by women, and this was done at home. From this the flower and then the dough was made and worked in needing troughs.

Irish soda bread was first created in the 1830s, when baking soda was first introduced to the UK. At the time, Ireland was facing financial hardship and lack of resources, so they turned to soda bread out of neccessity, it was inexpensive and required few ingredients.

For the best loaves at home, I use the oven on a non-fan setting for the first 12-14 minutes. After this point the crust has risen and solidified and moisture is not so important. Then I switch the oven to fan setting for the remainder of the bake.

After all the work it takes to make bread, not to mention time (sometimes multiple days!), the last thing you want to do is stumble at the final hurdle. But that's exactly what can happen if you underbake your bread — resulting in a gummy, dense crumb — or overbake it, causing it to harden and dry out.

Let the loaf rest for 10 minutes on a cooling rack so the bread can set up before it's removed from the pan. Run a spatula or butter knife between the pan sides and the loaf to loosen the loaf. Invert the pan to remove the baked bread. Allow quick bread to cool completely before storing in an airtight container or bag.

Feel: Bread dough that has successfully risen/proofed will spring back slowly when poked and leave an indent. If it snaps back too quickly, it needs more time.

Water should be between 100 and 110°F. If you don't have a thermometer, use your wrist to test the water temperature. If it feels very warm on your wrist, it's ready. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar on top of the water and stir.

A good rule of thumb: Once your dough has reached 1” over the edge of a loaf pan, it's typically ready to bake.