My Mother and her sister (my Aunti Toni )were fantastic bakers.
after my Mother and my Aunti Toni both died I was discussing family recipes with my cousins. We have long made a yeasted sweet lemon bread that my Mom stated came from Toni and Toni told her children it came from my mom.
it makes 4 loaves or 3 longer loves in a 9x14 pulman loaf pan with the cover off.
It starts with a sponge of 1 quart scalded and cooled whole milk
the sponge has 3 packets 2 TBSP & 1tsp yeast
3 cups of flour.
when that doubles you stir in
1/2 cup melted butter that has cooled
2 Extra Large Eggs
2 tsp lemon extract + 1 tsp vanilla
1 cup granular sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6-8 cups flour
instructions to kneed well let rise portion into 4 loaves and braid each loaf place in greased loaf pan
I like to make 3 long breads-in my long pulman pan without the lid on-the sides are taller supporting the loaf better
my recipe states bake 25 min at 35o that I know is wrong-I bake it till it reaches an internal temp of 200 degrees.
My husbands family have taken to call this bread "Freakin' Awesome" I'd love to know more about where this recipe came from
a few shots from the bread I baked today
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I have to learn how to add photos
One question, can you double check on the salt? Half a teaspoon seems low, 2 tsp sounds closer to 1% of flour amount. Thanks.
MIni Oven
I've not converted this recipe to weights or to percentages-That is the plan for the new year.
salt was 1 tsp ( checked the recipe initially it was 1 tsp I often added 1/2 due to salted vs not salted butter,I know that my Mom and Aunti Toni nearly never had unsalted butter in their homes
have you ever seen a recipe like this
I'd love to know where it appeared before my Mom and Aunti Toni started making it
judi
good point. About finding the source of the recipe. Try running a web search listing the ingredient list. That may turn up matches. Could also be listed under yeasted lemon cake due to the high amount of sugar. Good luck!
I've done a search listing ingredients-no hit
a search for sweet lemon yeast bread in all sorts of order of words again nothing like this one-
a search of the local newspaper in Worcester Ma my grandparents came to worcester form Abruzzo Italy again nothing
a search of italian baking books-Ive got quite a few again no luck
I sent a request to King Arthur on the Blog they wanted to try the recipe had not seen anything like it.
I posted here on the Fresh Loaf and have sent a request to Johns and Wales ( Local to me cullinary school)
jshea: maybe your mom and aunt invented it.
The recipe is quite similar to "Lemon Rich Tea Loaf," pages 476-477 in Bernard Clayton's 1987 _New Complete Book of Breads_. He does not say anything about its ultimate source, though.
It looks to me a lot like Portuguese Sweet Bread, though, just with the lemon flavoring increased a little. Scalded milk, butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon: see for example https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/portuguese-sweet-bread-massa-sovada-recipe. Worcester is definitely a place where you'd be exposed to Portuguese food.
The Massa sovada recipes have very little milk when compared to this recipe at tripple the flour amount when you tripple the milk it only gives a milk volume of 1 1/2 cups not 4 cups. it is more eggy I know 4 eggs would not make up the difference in the fluid volume I've made the Portuguese bread for festivals in Vineyard Haven it is not as soft a dough as this one is.
I have looked at my italian baking books and wondered if it was a Easter bread- there are many breads form different regions of Italy my grand parents were from Abruzzo (Popoli and Bussi sul turino) a co worker who's family is from the same area ( next town south of Popoli )did not know of this recipe and her grandmother who still splits her time in USA and in Italy hadn't either.
When I get back to my home tomorrow ( I commute off island to work in Pediatrics and then commute back after a few days. of concentrated work) I will look to see that lemon Rich tea loaf-I believe I own Claytons book if not that will be a shock- thanks for that hint
I no longer had my copy fo this Bernard Clayton book I did go to the library in vineyard have to check it out- It does not have the same percentages. at al but thanks for the chase....I enjoy reading cookbooks specially bread making cookbooks
Perhaps until we get two first names? :)
I found a sweet bread form Italy that would have been made at Easter
I bet but do not have proof that my godmother Aunti Toni had a recipe for Easter bread
Mom mother -whom I have found had significant taste preferences and dislikes....did not like the anise seed the glaze the colored eggs. and or the "sprinkles"...
she took a recipe that her sister gave her and then adjusted... adapted ..had fun so her sister attributed the New bread to my mother and my mother still attributed it to her sister.
if anyone finds more info I'd love it. but for now this explanation makes sense.
judi