Pioneer Bread...

It appears that there are two different kinds of Pioneer Bread out there (if you do a Google Search). The first is a salt rising bread - this is a more time consuming style of bread than our current with yeast and looks light, like it would be good for sandwiches, toast, etc. The second, the kind I'm talking about, is a dense, no rise, bread that I'd consider more of a breakfast bread. If you're looking for the former, you're in the wrong place...

My sister gave me this recipe years ago and if I made it before, I'd forgotten about it. I'm guessing, though, that I didn't make it because now that I have made it, I want to have it in my refrigerator all the time for a quick breakfast or snack. She got the recipe out of a book called, America's Best Lost Recipes: 121 Heirloom Recipes Too Good to Forget. This recipe was also posted in the Chicago Sun-Times - I have tweaked ONE part of this recipe and I'll tell you where and why:

The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of corn syrup. It bother's me that that's an ingredient in PIONEER BREAD. The pioneer time period is roughly from the mid to late 1800's and corn syrup wasn't readily produced until the late 1800's. Before that time period, they used molasses. 

Now, I don't want to eat spoonfuls of molasses like I could honey and brown sugar (which, oddly, is made with molasses) but I do love the rich flavor molasses brings. For my recipe, instead of using corn syrup (which I resent but keep in my pantry for those recipes that need it - like caramel corn), I put in a 1/4 Cup of molasses and  1/4 Cup of honey (I didn't have enough molasses to do the full 1/2 Cup required and I figured there was honey around everywhere at that time).

I am no purist and don't mean to shaky my finger at anyone but I really have a problem with high fructose corn syrup (and the smarmy, ridiculous advertisements trying to convince them that HFCS is not only ok to have in EVERYTHING processed but that is actually good for you!) I try to avoid the products as much as I can because, as I just mentioned, it's in so much of what we purchase anyway. For me, it's like limiting the amount of sodium or animal by-products that you ingest. No attacking, for now, just a personal preference.

Back to the food...

This bread is really wonderful with the Cinnamon-Honey Buttercream, that I posted about yesterday. but is also really great alone or with regular butter (maybe with some jam, too, I just haven't tried that yet!). It's simple, filling and quick, I think it's perfect for you to try today...

Pioneer Bread...

Whisk flours, sugar, baking soda,
baking powder and salt in a large bowl. 

Beat egg in a medium bowl; stir in
buttermilk, honey and molasses. 

Stir egg mixture into flour until just combined
(a few streaks of flour should remain). 

Add in chopped walnuts

Add in dried fruit
(I used raisins and craisins because
that's what I had, chopped apricots,
dates, etc. would be an excellent addition).

Stir in walnuts and dried fruit
until just incorporated. 

Divide batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake for 1 hour or until it begins to pull from the pan.

Cool on rack for 10 minutes; turn out and cool at least 45 minutes.

Allow it too cool for at least the 45 minutes
or the bread will pull and tear and crumble.

Served with some Cinnamon-Honey Buttercream
Nom-Nom-Nom-Nom

Pioneer Bread

A bread made by pioneer settlers as they moved out west in covered wagons. A comforting, quick bread made originally with rye and cornmeal as wheat was hard to come by during this time (mid 1800’s).

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

3 Cups whole wheat flour

1 Cup all-purpose flour

½ Cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 large egg

2 Cups buttermilk

¼ Cup honey*

¼ Cup molasses*

1 Cup walnuts, chopped

1 Cup dried fruit (raisins, craisins, chopped dates, chopped apricots, etc.)

*The original recipe called for 1/2 Cup Corn Syrup - you can add whatever kind of liquid sweetener you'd like, I suppose. The Molasses and Honey did not make the bread super-sweet but it did make the flavor more rich and the dough darker.

Directions:

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease 2 – 9x5 pans

Whisk flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

Beat egg in a medium bowl; stir in buttermilk, honey and molasses.

Stir egg mixture into flour until just combined (a few streaks of flour should remain).

Stir in walnuts and dried fruit until just incorporated.

Divide batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake for 1 hour or until it begins to pull from the pan.

Cool on rack for 10 minutes; turn out and cool at least 45 minutes

Freezes well…