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Dark and 'White Food' Recipes
Remember coming home from school back when school didn't let out until 4 PM? Remember the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread?
At our Eidem home, we had very little "boughten bread" and our homemade whole wheat bread was called "dark bread." After WWII, white flour was prized and using it for white bread became preferred. Although Mom occasionally made white bread, we preferred the dark variety. You'll see why when you try her recipe.
It's great with a slather of butter (not margarine) or try it as Cream and Bread, pouring fresh, thick cream over a slice and then sprinkling it with brown sugar. Yum!
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1-1/2 cups scalded milk
2 packages dry yeast (NOT rapid rise)
1/2 cup water, warm (about 110 F.).
1/4 cup lard, shortening or butter
2 cups water
4 tsp salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 T. molasses (dark is best)
white flour
whole wheat flour
- *Scald milk and put in large bowl.
- Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water and let stand 5-10 minutes.
- Melt shortening and cool.
- To scalded milk add 2 cups water, 4 tsp salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 3 T. molasses.
- Add white flour to make a soft sponge plus 1-2 cups whole wheat flour.
- Add yeast and beat well with hand mixer.
- Add cooled shortening plus both white and whole wheat flour to make a stiff dough. Stir by spoon and then by hand. Let dough rest for 10-15 minutes.
- *Knead about 10 minutes adding small amount of flour if needed.
- Place in lightly greased bowl in warm place to rise until double in bulk (about 1 hour).
- Knead down and let rise again about the same time.
- Knead down and divide dough into 4 parts. Shape into 4 loaves and place in greased 8x8x2" pans.
- Let rise again about 1 hour.
- Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees F. to brown.
- Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees F.
- After removing bread from oven, brush tops slightly with butter. Remove bread from pans to cool.
*Scald: Bring to a temperature just below the boiling point. Little bubbles should start forming around the edges of the pan.
*Knead: Work and press dough with the palms of the hand. Keep turning dough as you work. Helps produce elasticity in the dough.
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2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
- Cut the chocolate into pieces and place in a saucepan with sugar, milk, shortening and salt.
- Bring slowly to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil briskly for one minute.
- Remove from heat and let the mix cool (a short time in the refrigerator will do it).
- Add vanilla and beat until thick enough to spread.
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Cornstarch Pudding
This pudding is so much better than instant pudding mixes, cooked pudding mixes, or refrigerated pudding cups in the dairy case!
1 or 2 eggs, depending on how rich you want it (I like using 2 eggs).
2 cups whole milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
3 level T. cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
- Beat eggs.
- Mix egg(s) with milk and add remaining ingredients.
- Bring to a boil slowly over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, continue cooking and stirring until thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Pour into 4 or 5 dessert dishes.
For variation, add sliced bananas or shredded coconut.
Why this wasn't just called Vanilla Pudding I'll never know, but I've also seen other 'Cornstarch' puddings in old recipe books.
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Rice Porridge (Risgrøt)
Risgrøt is a traditional Norwegian side dish or dessert. In our home, it also was a breakfast dish!
1-2/3 cups water
1 cup rice (long-grain)
1 quart whole milk
1-1/2 T butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Salt to taste
- Boil water in heavy pot (at least 2 quart).
- Maintain boil and sprinkle in the rice, then cook gently 10-15 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed by the rice.
- Bring milk to boiling and add to rice. Cover and simmer until rice is tender and the porridge thickened (45-60 minutes). Stir occasionally.
- Stir in the butter, vanilla and salt.
Serve warm and top with sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, and/or raisins.
For the recipe in more detail, click here.
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Devil's Food Chocolate Cake
Here's another of Mom's "dark" recipes—one of the best chocolate cakes around.
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 squares melted unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups white flour
2/3 cups water
Mix in order above using electric mixer. Bake at 350 degrees F. in 9x13" cake pan, 30-40 minutes.
The recipe also would make 30 cupcakes. Allow about 20 minutes baking for cupcakes.
Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting or try Mom's Fudge Frosting recipe below.
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Speaking of dark and/or white, I'm reminded of the "old" days when I was in the 6-8 age range and had to wear long stockings with garter belts to school. We weren't allowed to wear pants so stockings were the next best thing for warmth.
Mom wanted me to wear white stockings, as I believe they were also preferred after WWII. I wanted to wear only the softer, more comfortable brown stockings.
We "compromised" with my wearing white stockings on Sundays for church and Sunday School (in the Lutheran Church basement!) and brown stockings to school.
She was the BEST Mom ever!! Can you relate?
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Now let's do a WHITE food recipe and for that let's go to the old Norwegian delicacy called FISHBALLS! Since this was available in cans and fresh fish was hard to find on the prairies, Mom would often use the canned version. Homemade fishballs are great, however, and unless one lives in Scandinavia or the Upper Midwest, canned fishballs may be hard to find.
Codfish Balls
Sounds bad but they're really good!
6 oz cod (by weight); remove any skin and bones
3 medium potatoes
1egg
1 T. butter (softened)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Dash of pepper
Flour (for hands)
Optional: safflower oil for deep-frying
- Peel and quarter potatoes; cook (about 15 minutes); then drain excess water.
- Remove any skin and bones from fish, then steam fish (3-4 minutes or until white and flakes easily). Do NOT overcook.
- Combine potatoes, fish, nutmeg, pepper; mash until smooth.
- Stir to a paste egg yolk and softened butter.
- Beat egg whites to a stiff froth.
- Combine butter and egg yolk/egg whites.
- Combine all ingredients.
- Flour hands and form round balls about 1/2" to 3/4" diameter (roll until very firm.
Cook fishballs:
FRIED: Flatten to about 1/2' thick, then fry (brown each side) 1-2 minutes on hot, ungreased, heavy non-stick pan.
DEEP-FRIED: Drop fishballs into hot safflower oil (1/2" to 1" deep) until golden brown (about 3 minutes). Oil should boil rapidly when balls are dropped in. Remove fishballs and drain on paper towels.
Preparation time: 20-30 minutes.
Makes 30-35 fishballs.
Mom usually made a white sauce for canned fishballs:
- Melt 2 T butter in a pan.
- Add 2 T flour and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt and stir well.
- Slowly add 1 cup milk, stirring until thickened.
- Add fishballs and heat.
Serve with boiled potatoes and a vegetable.
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Be gentle when you touch bread,
Let it not lie uncared for—unwanted.
So often bread is taken for granted.
There is so much beauty in bread—
Beauty of sun and soil,
Beauty of patient toil,
Winds and rain have caressed it,
Christ often blessed it.
Be gentle when you touch bread.
— from The Open Gate by David Adam
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