Bread

I made this bread yesterday from the recipe that we got at the Family Living Center in Nauvoo.

(Tired of hearing about Nauvoo yet?)

The settlers cooked it in one of two ways. If they were wealthy and had a "bustle oven" in their home, the mother got up in the morning and built a fire in it and let it burn until it was red hot coals. They removed the coals from the oven and it was hot enough to start cooking for the day. She would make some bread, then as the oven started cooling down made other things like pies.

If you didn't have a bustle oven or pans to cook bread in, you made "ash bread." They let the fire burn down to hot coals and ashes, then put the bread on the ground of the fireplace and covered it with the coals and ashes and let it bake.

This recipe is delicious.

Nauvoo Bread (credit goes to a Sister Prince)

5 cups hot water

1/2 cup potato flakes

1/2 cup suger

1 cup powdered milk

1/2 cup oil or shortening

2 T. yeast

1-1/2 T. salt

10-14 cups flour

Combine hot water, shortening, potato flakes, powdered milk, sugar. Stir to dissolve shortening. When temperature is tepid, add yeast. Mix in 5 cups of flour and the salt. Stir to a smooth sponge. Add flour to make smooth and elastic dough. Let rise until double, about 45 minutes, punch down and let rise again. Shape into loaves, let rise. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 35 minutes.

**I used 5 cups of whole wheat flour and 5+ white. I also added wheat germ, wheat bran and 10-grain cereal to up the fiber. This recipe made 4 round loaves.

**If you are counting "points" this bread is 4 points per slice, based on cutting each loaf into 8 slices. Smaller slices would be less points!