Bake Homemade Herbed Breads: Marion’s Steamed Bread

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Marion Spear is a woman I met while giving a presentation in the Ozarks in Arkansas. We became great friends and I admire her for her down-home cooking. She cooks year-round on an old-fashioned wood cookstove and she often makes bread by steaming it in a big pan on top. This is an age-old way of cooking bread without an oven and Marion has perfected the process and come up with many variations over the years. Once the bread is a few days old, this bread works well for toast. Marion also will slice and dry the bread in a warm oven, then crumble it and eat it with milk, like cereal. Traditionally, this bread often was baked in cans, but a ring mold works well.

The basic recipe is below. You can add other chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds. Often raisins are added, but if you prefer, try dried cherries or other dried finely chopped fruits such as dates, prunes, apples, pears or apricots. When using dried fruits, dust lightly with flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom. Experiment with different herbs; this version uses thyme, but lemon thyme, cinnamon basil and marjoram all work very well. To make a savory loaf, try sage with onions. To clabber the milk, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to it and stir. Makes one bundt-sized cake 

• 1 cup unbleached flour or 1⁄2 cup unbleached flour with 1⁄2 cup bran
• 1 cup rye flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sorghum molasses
• About 2 cups clabbered milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1⁄2 cup currants dusted with flour
• 1⁄2 cup chopped pecans

1. Bring water to a boil and pour it into a pan or kettle large enough to hold the ring mold or coffee cans. Use enough water to fill the pan halfway. Oil the inside of the ring mold or coffee cans.

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