Good morning, and welcome to a fresh week of “Cooking with Tasha Tudor!” This week I am featuring a recipe with which Tasha Tudor won first prize at the Danbury Fair when she was fifteen years old! And I am happy to report that this bread has stood the test of time! It makes three loaves of a very moist, delicious bread that can be enjoyed in ways both savory and sweet.

   With this recipe, I had some help from my son who is a very enthusiastic bread kneader! I gave it my all, and then while I rested, he gave it a go 😉 this dough makes up very wet though, so have lots of extra dusting flour on hands. Although little boys do enjoy it when it gets a little gooey….

   After all the kneading, rising, kneading and a final rising were completed during the afternoon, it was time to bake our three loaves! We made this bread to go with our Michaelmas Feast that we enjoyed with some friends. Along with the bread we had roasted chicken, carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy. My friend Joanie then made homemade apple dumplings with blackberry sauce, perfect for the feast of St. Michael and All Angels!

      We had a table full of hungry kids, and they all enjoyed Tasha Tudor’s bread! And when little boys eat something happily and hungrily, I count it as a great success!

    Since this was a ‘feast’ I wasnt sure how much bread would survive the night, but each loaf was a good size and despite eating one at dinner and sending a bit home with our friends, there was still enough bread left for me to enjoy the next morning with some butter and jam for breakfast.

   Not only that, but the next day I made chicken noodle soup with the leftover broth and meat from the birds from the feast, and the bread paired nicely as a savory addition to that! So it works in many ways! Tasha also notes in her recipe that it makes an amazing BLT sandwich as well!