Et cetera : Phyllis Simnacher shares story of her love of baking bread

One thing leads to another. 

We started attending church and getting to know some of the folks there, learning all the names is always the biggest challenges.

Then you wish you had a chance to know folks a little better, but being the new kids on the block it’s hard to do that sometimes.

A few weeks ago on our country road we saw a guy get out of the car that had just slid into a snowbank and start walking.

It was freezing and seeing he needed some help, I hit the brakes.  I’m not normally the type to stop, especially with the kids in the car.  But this day was exceptionally cold, and obviously help was needed.

So we backed up, turned around and discovered it was an older than us couple that we attend church with!  I knew they lived in our “neighborhood” but wasn’t sure where!

We gladly gave the kind gentleman a ride home to get his pickup to rescue his wife who was patiently sitting in the car.

After we returned to the scene, the kids and I helped to dig the car out a bit, then along with the dear lady, we did the only sensible thing, sat in the warm van to wait.

Pretty soon another pickup came down the road, recognized the stranded car and turned around to go find it’s owner.

Phyllis explained that just as they finished praying together, asking God to send assistance we “happened” along.

Eventually the couple was happily on their way.

I didn’t think a thing about it, it’s just what you do.

The following week, we walked into the church, kids in tow, and was greeted with a warm greeting from the gentleman saying, “Don’t leave today before I give you something, it’s out in the car.”

They had baked the most delicious rolls!  They were the kind you find in the store, only much tastier. 

The kids thought we should then help their car into the ditch again for another round of rolls!

Instead Phyllis Simnacher voluntarily gave up the recipe, along with some other of her favorites!

 

Here’s her story below….

 

My maternal grandmother was an excellent cook whom I admired.  

When I stayed with my grandparents, Jim and Irma Bridges, of Brighton, Iowa, I would watch Grandma bake tender, flaky, baking-powder biscuits made with cream from their cows.  She didn't have a recipe, she would pour in a little of this and several hands full of that.  I couldn't pin her down to accurate measurements. Her homemade pickle relishes would fill her large house with mouth-watering aromas. No one in her family of 7 went away hungry, because they raised their own food.

Our folks, Bill and Vivian Martin and we four kids (two boys, two girls) were living on a farm about 8 miles from Washington, IA. My mother, Vivian, was a good cook, but she felt we girls needed to have more cooking skills than she could give.  

I joined 4-H when I was 10 or 11.  Our Leader demonstrated bread making, then sent us home with half a cake of yeast, and a recipe for yeast bread.  My first batch of bread impressed my family, and they urged me to make more.  

The feel of kneading the dough in my hands was invigorating.  I could imagine the way the baking bread would fill our house with mouth-watering aromas!  We put homemade butter on the warm bread, and all six of us devoured it! 

My whole-wheat rolls received a blue ribbon at the county fair at Washington, Iowa.  

A few years ago, my sweet sister, Carol offered me a bread machine, but I  gratefully declined. I don't want to miss out on making breads from scratch.  The feel of the dough is satisfying therapy.

After we moved to Vinton, Bob and I met and dated in High School.  We were here for a year, then moved back to Washington County, where I graduated from Ainsworth High.  We continued dating, whenever the "Jolly Green Giant" didn't need him to work overtime, and he could afford to drive the 92 miles to see me.  We married in 1956, and he's been eating some of my bread ever since.  I enjoy sharing bread as gifts!

I  have wondered why baking bread has always been so satisfying and concluded the gift is from the Bread of Life, Himself, Jesus!

Mom's EZ White Bread or Rolls-(uses approx. 7 C. flour)

 

2 C. slightly warm water        

2 pkg. rapidly rising yeast            Dissolve these 3 ingredients in water

2 tsp. salt

1/2 C. sugar

Pre-measure 3-1/2 C. Better for Bread ® white flour and add to mixture, beat

until smooth.

Add 1/4 C. canola oil and

1 large egg and beat in well.

Pre-measure another 3-1/2 C. flour and add, 1 C. at a time, beating in well.

After about the second cup, it gets harder to beat in. Add the last cup and a half,

a little at a time, using clean hands, work it to a smooth, not sticky dough. 

Depending on the weather, the amount of flour may vary. Don't be afraid to knead the dough smooth. Slapping it around is good therapy for your hands and nerves.

 

Roll the dough into a ball and oil the top, rolling it around to coat the inside of a large Tupperware® bowl. Cover with lid, or plate, Let rise double. Punch dough down, and form into either 2 loaves placed into well-oiled bread pans, or form into 24 dinner rolls, placed in rows on a PAM-sprayed jelly-roll pan. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise until double in a warm, draft-free place. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or loaves for 30-40 minutes. Bread is ready when it is evenly browned and it will fall out of the pan when turned over to cool on a rack.

Eat it fresh, or cool, wrap and freeze, if not needed that day. Homemade bread

has no preservatives so it gets dried out fast. Any left-overs should be put into the freezer, and can be thawed quickly in the microwave.

 

EZ Does It Oatmeal Bread

This is a variation of Mom's EZ white Bread recipe. After dissolving the 2 packages of yeast, 2 tsp. salt and 1/2 C. sugar in the 2 C. warm water (not hot, or it will kill the yeast.), add 2 C. quick oatmeal and stir in. Add 1/2 C. whole wheat flour and 1 C. white flour, beating well to develop the glutton.

Add 1 large egg and 1/4 C. canola oil, beating in well.

Add approx. 3-1/2 C. of white flour, gradually, one cup at a time. When it is too stiff to stir easily, using clean hands, work flour into the dough gradually to make a smooth dough, rubbing the sides and working that flour into the dough. If dough is still sticky, add small amounts of flour and knead it in until smooth. Pour a small amount of canola oil on top of the dough and roll into a ball, coating the sides of the big bowl. Cover dough with plastic wrap or a plate and let dough rise until double.

 

 Punch dough down, releasing the air bubbles. Cut the dough into halves and form each half into a loaf, and place them into well-oiled bread pans. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double. Remove plastic wrap and place bread in pans on lower than center shelf. Bake in a pre-heated, 375 degree oven and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes. When bread is well-browned and gives a dull thud when thumped, with oven-mitted hands, turn the pans on the side to see if the bread falls out of the well oiled pans. When they are done, let the bread cool on a rack. When completely cool, slice with electric knife. It makes yummy, nut-like flavored toast, or just eat with butter and jam. Please wrap and freeze if not needed until another day. Bread can be frozen, thawed, and the remainder returned to the freezer.

 

EZ Tea-Ring Coffee Bread

This is a variation of Mom's EZ White Bread. After making the bread dough, let rise double, covered. Punch air out of the dough and divide in half. Roll out each half separately onto a clean, lightly-floured surface, with a rolling pin. Brush each large dough rectangle with soft or melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon and raisins or chopped nuts onto the buttered surface. Then cover it with evenly sprinkled brown sugar. Pat the brown sugar down, then, starting with long side first, roll dough mixture into a tight roll, using melted butter to pinch and seal the ends of dough.

 

Cover a jelly roll pan with a sheet of parchment paper or foil, sprayed with Pam®.

Pick up the roll quickly and form into a doughnut shape in the center of the pan, sealing the joined ends with butter and pinching the ends together. Using kitchen scissors, snip the roll around the circle every inch or so, only 2/3 of the way through toward the center. Using your fingers, twist each slice on its side, all the way around the circle in the same direction. Cover the Tea-ring with plastic wrap and let rise double. Remove plastic wrap and bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for approximately 20-25 minutes. Use oven mitts and remove the Tea-Ring carefully from the pan by immediately lifting the foil or paper it was baked upon, to a cooling rack. Spread a powdered-sugar icing over the top of the partially cooled T-Ring.

Cut candied cherries in half and place on a paper towel to absorb excess juice. Decorate the frosting with cherries and/ or pecan halves. Cool completely

before wrapping for the freezer, if you're not going to eat it the same day. Enjoy!

 

Pat In the Pan Piecrust

 

1-1/2 C. flour                    1/2 C. canola oil

2 T. sugar                         2 T. milk

Mix well and pat onto the bottom and sides of a large pie plate, like when making a graham-cracker crust. Using a dinner dork, prick around the bottom and sides to prevent the crust from bubbling while baking in a 350 degree, preheated oven

for approximately 15 minutes, until it is light brown. For more food value, you may use part whole wheat flour. For a Quiche, you may want to use only 1 T. of sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt. I pre-bake dough for Quiche, then add filling. If crust is getting browned and center of filling needs to continue cooking, finish on "bake" in the microwave.

 

 

A Good Pumpkin Pie Recipe (from Reunion canned pumpkin label)

 

1-9" deep-dish pie crust               1 tsp. cinnamon

1 can pumpkin                               1/4 tsp. cloves

3 eggs, slightly beaten                 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 C.granulated sugar                   1/4 tsp. ginger

       or light brown sugar                1 C. milk or

 1/2 tsp. salt                                            or evaporated milk

 

Prepare 1 pie crust. (I use Pat-in-the Pan Piecrust, and partially bake the crust first. Then add filling. Combine eggs, sugar, salt and spices and beat well. Blend in pumpkin. Add milk and beat well. Pour into pre-baked crust, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes. If filling is not set, finish baking in microwave, to prevent burning edges of crust. Microwave a few minutes on "Bake" temp. Pie is done when knife inserted in center comes out clean.