Green Eggs and Ham!

Breakfast for Gentleman Farmer!

:>

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake on a vintage plate

Here's a recipe from Taste of Home

to use up some of my buttermilk ~

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake.

I put my test piece on a

vintage Homer Laughlin

Pastoral plate.

It. Was. Good.

Ingredients~
1 cup butter, cubed
1 cup water
2 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs



Frosting:
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
3-4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream



Directions

• In a saucepan, bring butter, water and cocoa to a boil. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add cocoa mixture; mix well. Combine buttermilk and vanilla; add to batter and mix well. Beat in eggs. Pour into a greased 9X13in. baking pan. Bake at 350* for 23-27 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.


• In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook and stir butter and cocoa until smooth. Remove from the heat. In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt. Add cocoa mixture and enough milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Frost cake. Yield: 12-16 servings

I thought this was a very good cake. Almost like my Auntie's German Chocolate Cake. The only thing I would do different next time is make Auntie's fabulous Fudge Frosting or Boiled Icing instead of the Buttercream.

Buttermilk Bread and Butter!

Fresh homemade butter and Buttermilk Bread.

(Bread recipe from allrecipes.com)

~*~

To use up the buttermilk after making a fresh batch of

butter, I used this recipe for Buttermilk Bread.

The bread isn't pretty, but it tastes great!

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup warm water (110*)

1/2 butter (I used homemade)

1/4 cup white sugar (I used honey)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast (I used 4 1/2 teaspoons, I don't have packages of yeast)

2 teaspoons salt

5 1/2 cups bread flour

1. Proof yeast in warm water.

2. Place the butter and buttermilk in a small saucepan. Heat slowly until butter has melted. Cool to lukewarm.

3. Place sugar (honey), salt, baking soda, buttermilk mixture, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add 3 cups flour (one cup at a time) and mix with the dough hook attachment of an electric mixer. (I mix by hand with a wooden spoon). Gradually add the remaining flour while continuing to mix. When dough is not sticky, turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead for several minutes, until the dough is soft and smooth. Place in a greased bowl, and turn once. Allow to rise until doubled in size.

4 Punch down the dough. Divide, and shape into 2 loaves. Place in two well greased 8 X 4 inch bread pans. Allow to rise until dough has risen one inch above pans. (Mine rose but fell just before baking. A few of the reviewers had similar problems with this recipe)

5. Bake in a preheated oven 350* oven for 30-35 minutes. Loaves are done when nicely brown and hollow sounding when thumped.

Serve with homemade butter and enjoy!

(When making butter from fresh, raw milk, you get faster results

using cream that is a couple of days old ~ not fresh from the cow! In my

post on making butter, I say that it takes 30 minutes or so. Using a little older

cream, it only takes a few minutes!)

Oh! You can make butter from heavy cream bought at the store ~ organic would be best!

Pulla

Finnish Cardamom Bread (Pulla)

This delicious recipe was given to me by a dear, departed

friend many years ago.

I have not made it too often, but my visiting daughter

loves this recipe and requested that it be made during her stay.

I thought you might enjoy it, too!

It is perfect with a cup of tea or hot chocolate.

Pulla

1 quart milk

2 sticks (1 cup) butter (real butter!)

1 teaspoon crushed cardamom

(I could not find whole cardamom to crush so I substituted 1 tsp. ground cardamom)

6 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons salt

3 pkgs. dry yeast (I use bulk yeast so...6 1/2 teaspoons?)

1/2 cup warm water

14/15 cups flour

~*~

Heat milk, butter and cardamom to just boiling. Cool to lukewarm.

Mix eggs, sugar & salt in separate bowl; set aside.

Combine yeast and warm water to a smooth paste.

After milk has cooled, add egg mixture.

Add 10 cups of the flour to make a thick batter.

Add yeast and continue to add more flour, mixing well.

Knead on a lightly floured surface about 10 minutes.

Place in a lightly greased bowl (butter or coconut oil).

Turn to grease top of dough.

Cover and let rise till double in bulk in a warm place.

Punch down to rise again.

Turn out on lightly floured board.

Cut into 5 even pieces (recipe makes 5 loaves ~ great for freezing or gift giving.)

From each piece, cut and shape 3 stripes approx. 16" long

by rolling dough between palm and board.

Braid, pinching ends together and tucking under.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Let rise until puffy but not doubled in size.

Brush with beaten egg; sprinkle with sugar and sliced almonds.

Bake 350* 25-30 minutes

Cool on wire rack.

Makes 5 braided loaves.