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Anadama bread is a dense, sweet, grainy New England dessert with origins dating back to before the 1940s. It can be made with cornmeal, molasses, and a mixture of wholemeal and white flour or rye flour. The recipe is said to have been invented by a fisherman who added flour and yeast to his wife’s cornmeal and treacle pudding. To make Anadama bread, combine flour, baking powder, and salt, then add water, molasses, and butter. Mix in cornmeal and flour until a soft dough forms. Knead, let rise, divide, and bake.
Anadama bread is a chewy, sweet, dense, grainy New England dessert. The exact origins of the bread are unclear, although the recipe appears to have been developed before the 1940s. Along the East Coast of the United States, many bakeries make Anadama bread that can be eaten fresh and warm or saved for toasting and eating later. It makes a great base for French toast and complements a variety of foods as well.
Local mythology in Rockport, Massachusetts has it that Anadama bread was invented by a fisherman who was tired of his lazy wife’s meager cooking. Each night he was served a bowl of warm cornmeal and treacle pudding. Craving bread, the fisherman added flour and yeast, murmuring “Anna-damn her!” while he did. The result was Anadama bread, a cornmeal yeast bread with a rich flavor of added molasses. Anadama bread can also be made with a mixture of wholemeal and white flour, or with rye flour, depending on personal taste. Whole grain Anadama bread will be richer and nuttier.
To make Anadama bread, combine four cups of flour with two tablespoons of baking powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Set aside while you heat 2 3/4 cups of water, 3/4 cup of molasses and 1/4 cup of butter in a thick saucepan. A vegan version of Anadama bread can be made with oil instead of butter. Stir well, removing from heat when mixture reaches 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius). Mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, beating until well combined before adding 1 ¼ cups of the cornmeal and two additional cups of the flour. Keep adding the flour until you have a soft dough.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until elastic. Oil a large bowl and roll up the dough, covering it with a warm damp cloth and place the dough in a warm place to let it rise for about an hour, until it has doubled in volume. Divide the dough in two, knead it briefly, and let the dough rest for 10 minutes before pressing it into pans. Cover the pans and let the dough rise until doubled in size again, about 40 minutes. Slide the pans into a preheated 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius) oven, baking for 35 minutes. When tapped, the bottom of the loaf should feel hollow.
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