Pat’s Maple Oat Bread

There was a footpath through the woods from my grandparents’ farm east of Hayward to the home of Grandpa Hopp’s friend John Frogg south of Little Round Lake.  Grandpa told me that John Frogg was a chief of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe tribe and a very good man.  Grandpa and John must have walked that path pretty often because it looked well used on both ends. Grandpa told me it was about three miles through the woods but that it was pretty easy walking, and he didn’t get tired.  I walked only the first few blocks of it following Grandpa when he cut firewood along the path.

Near John Frogg’s home the path hit a road that led to a summer estate where my Aunt Helen and Uncle Ernie were caretakers.  Grandma never said so, but she may have walked that path to visit her grandchildren and their parents.  Of course, by then you could drive there, so maybe only Grandpa and John used the path.

One winter day as we were on our way to visit Aunt Helen and Uncle Ernie and my cousins, Dad saw that John Frogg was cooking something in a big iron pot hanging over a fire.  We stopped and tumbled out of the car.

“Hi John, how ya doing?” asked my father.
“Doing good, Hans,” said John as he stirred the pot with a stick.
“What you cooking?”
“Maple syrup.  It’s maple syrup time,” answered John.
“Do you sell any?”
“You bet.”
“How much?”
“Dollar a quart.”

And so we ended up with a quart of John Frogg’s maple syrup.

I did not like it.  It was smoky and very thick.  At the age of eight I still preferred Karo in the can.  Dad said it was delicious, Mom said it was pretty good, but my two younger sisters took one small taste and poured more Karo on their pancakes.

Today I wish I could taste John Frogg’s maple syrup again.  It might not win any prizes, but it would bring back some great memories.  We get most of our maple syrup today from John Hanson who sells it out of his home near Grandview, Wisconsin. and we use a gallon or so during the year, not just on pancakes and waffles but also in baked beans, barbecue sauce, caramel rolls and Pat’s Maple Oat Bread.

One day at church our friend Pat told me about a bread she makes with maple syrup and oatmeal.  I asked for the recipe and she emailed it to me.   I made the bread first to go with a roast turkey, and it was a hit.  It is a moist sweetish bread that keeps well. It is delicious by itself slathered with butter or with roast meats or various cheeses.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup boiling water
1 package active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tsp. canola oil
1-1/2 tsp. salt
About 3-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 egg white lightly beaten
1 T old fashioned oats for topping

PROCEDURE:

Put some water on to boil.  Stir a quarter teaspoon sugar and the yeast into 1/3 cup warm (100-110º) water in a small bowl or cup.  While the yeast proofs, process the oats in a blender until coarsely ground. Transfer the oats to a bread bowl and stir in one cup of boiling water.  Add the syrup, oil, and salt and a cup of flour to the oat mixture and stir until smooth, then allow it to cool to warm.

Stir in the yeast, then add about two more cups of flour one cup at a time and stir well.  Keep adding flour until the dough starts to pull away from the side of the bowl.  Turn the dough on to a well floured bread board and knead lightly until it is smooth and elastic.  Let it rest while you grease an eight inch pie pan.  Form the dough into a ball, put it into the pie pan and cover it with a damp cloth.

Preheat the oven to 350º.  Let the dough rise until doubled in size.

Beat the egg white with a teaspoon of cold water, brush the top of the bread and sprinkle it with some rolled oats. Bake the loaf on a middle shelf for 35 to 40 minutes until it is a rich golden brown.  Tip the loaf out of the pie pan and tap on the bottom.  The bread should sound hollow when you tap on it.  If it does not, put it back in the oven for a few minutes.  Let it cool well before you slice it.

NOTE:  You may need to loosen the loaf around the edges of the pie pan with a knife.

Carole’s Tuna Casserole

When days were cool, Mom baked more than usual. Baking helped warm the house, and if it got too hot inside, she could open a window or door to take advantage of the free air conditioning supplied by God.  Like all cost-conscious housewives, she baked lots of casseroles too.  My father did not like mushrooms, but he had no choice when it came to Mom’s casseroles.  Most of them had cream of mushroom soup in the list of ingredients.

Dad would have liked Carole’s Tuna Casserole.  Carole’s creation has no noodles, tater tots, mushrooms or mushroom soup.  Instead it is a flavorful combination of garden vegetables and tuna in a savory white sauce.

Jerri got this recipe before we were married when some of her friends gave her a recipe shower.  Each friend brought some of her favorite recipes handwritten on cards, and they were filed by category in a recipe box.    These recipes include many that have become staples in our home including this one which helped earn her the title of “Casserole Queen.”

For those of you who don’t like “regular” tuna casserole, try this one.  It makes a completely different impact on the plate and your taste buds.

INGREDIENTS:

2 six ounce cans of solid white tuna
2 medium large potatoes
2 medium carrots
2 stalks celery
2 T onion
1 package (about 10 ounces) frozen green peas
3 T butter
3T flour
1/2 cup water from vegetables
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
2 slices bread
1 or 2 tsp. butter

PROCEDURE:

Peel and dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.  Wash and chop the carrots, celery and onion medium fine.  Put these vegetables in a covered pan, add 1/2 cup water and a dash of salt and steam for ten minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the frozen peas.

While the vegetables are cooking, make a roux:  Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan, add the flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper and cook over low heat for two or three minutes, stirring constantly.  Do not brown the flour.  Drain 1/2 cup of water from the vegetables into a measuring cup.  Add enough milk to total 1 3/4 cups of liquid.  Stir the liquid into the roux and cook it for 2 or three minutes until you have a smooth cream sauce.  Allow the sauce to cool slightly while you begin assembling the casserole.

Grease a 2 or 3 quart casserole with shortening or cooking spray.  Open and drain the tuna.  Spread a layer of flaked tuna on the bottom of the casserole.  Add a layer of half the vegetables, then half the cream sauce.  Repeat with the second can of tuna, vegetables and cream sauce.  Cut the bread slices into small cubes and spread them in an even layer over the sauce.  Dot with several dabs of butter.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

NOTES:  “Medium large potatoes” means potatoes about five inches long.  You want about three cups of diced potatoes.  You can make this casserole ahead of time.  An hour before dinner, take the casserole from the refrigerator and put it into a cold oven.  Turn the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the casserole is bubbling in the middle.