Anadama Bread

Chickie · 10-10-2015, 10:42 AM

There use to be a food category here but I don't see it, so am posting my question under general topics. Is there a bakery or supermarket in the area where you can buy Anadama Bread? My mother often made it from scratch, but she sometimes bought it at the grocery store, as well. It was delicious! There are many recipes for it on line, but I am really not a bread maker. Ingredients include wheat flour, cornmeal and a little molasses. It was a very popular bread a few years ago but haven't had it in years.

radioman · 10-10-2015, 12:52 PM

I spent 35 years in the baking industry and never heard of anadama bread! So I looked it up and you are correct it was a familiar term some years ago that referred to what we call now a Specialty Bread. Specialty Breads today are the products of Companies like Arnold and Pepperage Farms.
True French Bread consists of only 4 ingredients: Flour, water, yeast and salt when you embellish the formula with the addition of corn meal, molasses or any thing else you now have a specialty product. As you know, the number of formulas is unlimited.
Take some extra time in the bread isle and read the ingredient declaration, When Pigs Fly products are very special and are very good. Pannara products
out of Concord is another good choice.

Resident 2B · 10-10-2015, 01:30 PM

This bread was very popular on the North Shore of Massachusetts until about 1970. At that time, the owner of the bakery baking that bread passed away.

Info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anadama_bread

I have not seen it anywhere in years.

R2B

Rusty · 10-10-2015, 01:58 PM

La Boca in Wolfeboro makes it once in a while. I've bought it there.

Give them a call and ask when they will make it again.

67 Mill St

(603) 569-5595

radioman · 10-10-2015, 02:06 PM

Chickie: If you can find an old recipe for the bread from your mothers cook book
I will show you how to make it.

Island Girl · 10-10-2015, 05:51 PM

I made it in the 70's. I probably still have the recipe.

Slickcraft · 10-10-2015, 07:50 PM

One of my favorite breads, Ana Damn her!

Get a bread machine and use the dough cycle, about 90 min. Form a loaf, then put on baking sheet and let rise 45 to 60 min. Bake about 35 min at 375 deg. Let cool a bit, slice, add butter. You won't be disappointed.

Boil 12 oz H2O
Sift in 1/4 cup corn meal, stir short time
Put in bread machine
add 1 tsp salt
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/2 TBSP veg oil
3 1/2 cups flour (King Author)
2 tsp bread machine yeast
4 tsp gluten

Set bread machine for dough cycle, 90 min
Form load
Let rise
Bake
Cool
Eat

It takes a bit of practice to handle the dough and form a loaf. You need flour on your hands and on the pastry sheet. And sprinkle some corn meal on the cooking sheet prior to putting the loaf on to bake.

Maybe one or two trys or so and you will have Ana down pat.

8gv · 10-10-2015, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Resident 2B

This bread was very popular on the North Shore of Massachusetts until about 1970. At that time, the owner of the bakery baking that bread passed away.

Info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anadama_bread

I have not seen it anywhere in years.

R2B

My father grew up in Lanesville MA. Each year our visit to his home town included eating Anadama bread.

I had forgotten it until now.

Thanks for the memories!

How about some Swedish cruntzy (sp?).

Donzi Minx · 10-11-2015, 11:23 AM

Even in the north of Boston area a very popular staple, I remember it well!
The 60's & 70's were just so rich with things my kids will never understand.
Things like Cushman's Bakery, The Fuller Brush man, and milk deliveries right to the front door! All stuff we took for granted at the time, but now look back on with huge nostalgia.

Janet · 10-11-2015, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donzi Minx

Even in the north of Boston area a very popular staple, I remember it well!
The 60's & 70's were just so rich with things my kids will never understand.
Things like Cushman's Bakery, The Fuller Brush man, and milk deliveries right to the front door! All stuff we took for granted at the time, but now look back on with huge nostalgia.

I use to bake Anadama bread myself back in the 70's. Loved the bread but lost the recipe. Thanks Slickcraft for that recipe.

I remember Cushman's Bakery so well. Also remember the "corn lady" who delivered fresh corn from her car when we vacationed on Pinnacle Park Road in Meredith.

Chickie · 10-11-2015, 12:48 PM

Thank you for your responses. I have made bread in my younger days but never became an expert bread maker. I found three different recipes in my mother's cookbook for Anadama Bread. It is not a lack of recipes or knowledge preventing me from creating a loaf, but a medical issue which makes it difficult for me to stand for long periods of time preparing it. I don't have a bread machine. The only other option is to find a bakery or store that sells it.

I had to chuckle reading Mom's recipes. One was clipped from a newspaper, another from a brand-name flour company bag and one is in her own handwriting. She had written notations at the bottoms of two of them - the flour company's recipe "No Good", the newspaper one has no comment and the one in her own handwriting reads "Very Good." Apparently it was tried, tested and received her seal of approval. No bread machine - all done by the sweat of her brow. I note that none of her recipes have wheat flour as an ingredient - all are made with white flour only (and cornmeal, of course.) Recipes I found on line have both wheat and white flour (probably revised in recent years.) Although I have made various kinds of bread, I don't recall making Anadama myself. I certainly ate my share, though - warm from the oven, slathered with butter. Wonderful! Wonderful!

radioman · 10-11-2015, 02:33 PM

Chickie: Might I suggest that you start with Slickcrafts formula but cut it in half for your first run. You can eliminate the oil and the gluten as your main ingredient (white flour) has plenty. You will want to combine all these ingredients in a bowel and just sit down at the table and start kneading! Make certain to keep some extra flour available for your hands.
After about 15 minutes you will notice that the dough will become drier and more elastic. If the dough remains wet and sticky simply add a teaspoon of flour and continue.

Slickcrafts description of the rest of the process is spot-on.

salty dog · 10-11-2015, 05:19 PM

Hi Chickie. Wow, like others, I had forgotten how much I used to like it. My Grandmother made it; she's been gone for 45 years now so it's been awhile. In my quick research for some for sale here in the North Shore, I didn't find any but came across this website from "Glousta" that might be more than you wanted to know but is interesting...

http://www.gloucestergourmet.com/201...entic-way.html

Chickie · 10-12-2015, 02:43 PM

Salty dog: What a great website - thanks so much for posting the link. Melissa's video presentation on how to proceed in making Anadama Bread is excellent. She makes it look so easy. The history behind it goes back farther than I ever dreamed. It had to be good for people to keep the tradition going for so long. For some reason it has fallen out of favor in recent days, but I think it is high time to revive it. Bring back the Anadama Bakery!

My mother's recipe is very similar to the one Melissa gives on the website. I have a feeling my mother revised the original a bit to suit her own taste. Her recipe is a little lighter on the molasses than Melissa's. She used to brush the loaves with melted butter and sprinkle a little cornmeal on top. She usually made plain loaves, but for special occasions she would form the dough into 14 small balls and put two rows of five each in the bottom of the loaf pan. In the center of those two bottom rows, she would place the last four in a row on top. It made an attractive loaf.

8gv · 12-31-2015, 10:45 PM

Here is photographic proof that Anadama Bread exists at the Hannaford's in Gilford!

Happy New Year!

[/URL]

Chickie · 01-01-2016, 10:00 AM

I shop Hannaford's all the time and can't believe I missed it. I wonder if it is a new item or did I just overlook it? It is on my list for my next shopping trip, as I know what to look for now. I have checked out the Abigail's Bakery website in Weare, NH where it is made. Thanks so much for your investigative skills and photo, 8gv. Will let you know if it meets the standards of the Anadama my mother made.

8gv · 01-01-2016, 11:00 AM

I cannot tell a lie...

Wifey found it.

Cobalt 25 · 01-01-2016, 08:09 PM

8gv,

You mentioned Lanesville, which is a town I have never heard of in MA. Any chance you meant Lanesboro, MA? Because in nearby Williamstown a bakery there (Clarksburg Bakery) made delicious Anadama bread.

Peter

8gv · 01-01-2016, 09:16 PM

Lanesville is a coastal village that is part of the city of Gloucester. It is just to the ESE of Rockport.

I know nothing of bakeries there. When I visited each summer, aunt Bessie was the bakery.

Cobalt 25 · 01-02-2016, 09:20 PM

OK, 8gv.

It is good to know, thanks to you, that next summer I will check out Hannaford's to get some of that bread!

Peter

Chickie · 01-03-2016, 11:40 AM

To save time looking for it. Is the Anadama in the bakery section or in the bread aisle at Hannaford's?

gillygirl · 01-03-2016, 12:44 PM

Abigail's Bakery also has an online store for those far away.

http://www.abigailsbakery.com/

Also from their website:

"Join us Saturdays at Cole's Garden Market from 10am- 2pm, or the Tilton Winter Farmers' Market from 10am-2pm. We always have a wide variety of our breads available, and many options not found in the supermarkets."

Cole's Garden Market is in Concord, according to Google.

Haven't found a list of other retailers where they are located.

8gv · 01-03-2016, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chickie

To save time looking for it. Is the Anadama in the bakery section or in the bread aisle at Hannaford's?

As you walk through produce you arrive at some square specialty bread displays. It is at chest level at the 7 o'clock position (facing the rear of the store) on one of the displays on the left side.

onceMeg · 01-21-2016, 09:22 PM

Got inspired by this thread, and went out and got the cornmeal and other items that my bread machine recipe calls for. Made the anadama bread yesterday, and the lovely aroma still lingers. And yes - it tastes great too! Thanks, everyone.

Chickie · 01-22-2016, 09:06 AM

Glad my post inspired you to do some bread making, onceMeg. There is nothing like the aroma of home-baked bread permeating the kitchen. I found a quickie recipe on line made with baking powder instead of yeast. It cuts down the labor and time it takes to make a loaf, but it is not the same as the old tried and true yeast version.

I picked up a loaf at Hannaford’s last week. Definitely not my mother’s Anadama in either taste or texture. Her's was darker in color and had a bit more molasses, I believe. It is an o.k. substitute but not what I knew as Anadama in days of yore.

escaped from NJ · 01-24-2016, 11:48 AM

Made Slickcraft's recipe yesterday (cause it seemed a good thing to do being snowed in) and it was great. I have no other anadama to compare it to but we loved it. I halved the recipe and left out the gluten because I didn't have any in the pantry. Thanks to all on this thread for introducing this to me.

Chickie · 01-30-2016, 02:51 PM

Glad you enjoyed the Anadama bread. May we add you to the list of Anadama aficionados? As the recipe originated in New England, it may not have become as well known in other parts of the country. There was a time when most bakeries and supermarkets in the Lakes Region carried it and it was a favorite with many home bakers, as well. At our house, either Anadama bread or brown bread and baked beans were traditional Saturday night fare.

10-10-2015, 10:42 AM	#1
Chickie Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 368 Thanks: 0 Thanked 67 Times in 38 Posts	Anadama Bread There use to be a food category here but I don't see it, so am posting my question under general topics. Is there a bakery or supermarket in the area where you can buy Anadama Bread? My mother often made it from scratch, but she sometimes bought it at the grocery store, as well. It was delicious! There are many recipes for it on line, but I am really not a bread maker. Ingredients include wheat flour, cornmeal and a little molasses. It was a very popular bread a few years ago but haven't had it in years.

10-10-2015, 12:52 PM	#2
radioman Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Gilford Posts: 216 Thanks: 6 Thanked 75 Times in 50 Posts	anadama bread I spent 35 years in the baking industry and never heard of anadama bread! So I looked it up and you are correct it was a familiar term some years ago that referred to what we call now a Specialty Bread. Specialty Breads today are the products of Companies like Arnold and Pepperage Farms. True French Bread consists of only 4 ingredients: Flour, water, yeast and salt when you embellish the formula with the addition of corn meal, molasses or any thing else you now have a specialty product. As you know, the number of formulas is unlimited. Take some extra time in the bread isle and read the ingredient declaration, When Pigs Fly products are very special and are very good. Pannara products out of Concord is another good choice.

10-10-2015, 01:58 PM	#4
Rusty Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 2,028 Thanks: 603 Thanked 687 Times in 425 Posts	La Boca in Wolfeboro makes it once in a while. I've bought it there. Give them a call and ask when they will make it again. 67 Mill St (603) 569-5595 __________________ It's never crowded along the extra mile.

10-10-2015, 02:06 PM	#5
radioman Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Gilford Posts: 216 Thanks: 6 Thanked 75 Times in 50 Posts	Anadama Bread Chickie: If you can find an old recipe for the bread from your mothers cook book I will show you how to make it.

10-10-2015, 05:51 PM	#6
Island Girl Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Central MA Posts: 2,352 Thanks: 18 Thanked 535 Times in 179 Posts	Ananda a Bread - yummy I made it in the 70's. I probably still have the recipe. __________________ Island Girl ....... Make Lemonade

10-10-2015, 01:30 PM	#3
Resident 2B Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: North Shore, MA Posts: 1,357 Thanks: 994 Thanked 313 Times in 163 Posts	This bread was very popular on the North Shore of Massachusetts until about 1970. At that time, the owner of the bakery baking that bread passed away. Info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anadama_bread I have not seen it anywhere in years. R2B

The Following User Says Thank You to Resident 2B For This Useful Post:
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10-10-2015, 07:50 PM	#7
Slickcraft Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Welch Island and The Taylor Community Posts: 3,296 Thanks: 1,222 Thanked 2,080 Times in 952 Posts	One of my favorite breads, Ana Damn her! Get a bread machine and use the dough cycle, about 90 min. Form a loaf, then put on baking sheet and let rise 45 to 60 min. Bake about 35 min at 375 deg. Let cool a bit, slice, add butter. You won't be disappointed. Boil 12 oz H2O Sift in 1/4 cup corn meal, stir short time Put in bread machine add 1 tsp salt 1/4 cup molasses 1 1/2 TBSP veg oil 3 1/2 cups flour (King Author) 2 tsp bread machine yeast 4 tsp gluten Set bread machine for dough cycle, 90 min Form load Let rise Bake Cool Eat It takes a bit of practice to handle the dough and form a loaf. You need flour on your hands and on the pastry sheet. And sprinkle some corn meal on the cooking sheet prior to putting the loaf on to bake. Maybe one or two trys or so and you will have Ana down pat.

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Slickcraft For This Useful Post:
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10-11-2015, 11:23 AM	#9
Donzi Minx Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Melrose, Mass. Posts: 191 Thanks: 0 Thanked 183 Times in 52 Posts	Anadama Bread Even in the north of Boston area a very popular staple, I remember it well! The 60's & 70's were just so rich with things my kids will never understand. Things like Cushman's Bakery, The Fuller Brush man, and milk deliveries right to the front door! All stuff we took for granted at the time, but now look back on with huge nostalgia.

The Following User Says Thank You to Donzi Minx For This Useful Post:
chattypatty (01-26-2016)

The Following User Says Thank You to Janet For This Useful Post:
Redwing (10-11-2015)

10-11-2015, 12:48 PM	#11
Chickie Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 368 Thanks: 0 Thanked 67 Times in 38 Posts	Anadama Memories Thank you for your responses. I have made bread in my younger days but never became an expert bread maker. I found three different recipes in my mother's cookbook for Anadama Bread. It is not a lack of recipes or knowledge preventing me from creating a loaf, but a medical issue which makes it difficult for me to stand for long periods of time preparing it. I don't have a bread machine. The only other option is to find a bakery or store that sells it. I had to chuckle reading Mom's recipes. One was clipped from a newspaper, another from a brand-name flour company bag and one is in her own handwriting. She had written notations at the bottoms of two of them - the flour company's recipe "No Good", the newspaper one has no comment and the one in her own handwriting reads "Very Good." Apparently it was tried, tested and received her seal of approval. No bread machine - all done by the sweat of her brow. I note that none of her recipes have wheat flour as an ingredient - all are made with white flour only (and cornmeal, of course.) Recipes I found on line have both wheat and white flour (probably revised in recent years.) Although I have made various kinds of bread, I don't recall making Anadama myself. I certainly ate my share, though - warm from the oven, slathered with butter. Wonderful! Wonderful!

10-11-2015, 02:33 PM	#12
radioman Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Gilford Posts: 216 Thanks: 6 Thanked 75 Times in 50 Posts	Anadama Bread Chickie: Might I suggest that you start with Slickcrafts formula but cut it in half for your first run. You can eliminate the oil and the gluten as your main ingredient (white flour) has plenty. You will want to combine all these ingredients in a bowel and just sit down at the table and start kneading! Make certain to keep some extra flour available for your hands. After about 15 minutes you will notice that the dough will become drier and more elastic. If the dough remains wet and sticky simply add a teaspoon of flour and continue. Slickcrafts description of the rest of the process is spot-on.

10-11-2015, 05:19 PM	#13
salty dog Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Beverly Cove, Ma Posts: 359 Thanks: 288 Thanked 148 Times in 82 Posts	Hi Chickie. Wow, like others, I had forgotten how much I used to like it. My Grandmother made it; she's been gone for 45 years now so it's been awhile. In my quick research for some for sale here in the North Shore, I didn't find any but came across this website from "Glousta" that might be more than you wanted to know but is interesting... http://www.gloucestergourmet.com/201...entic-way.html __________________ I'd rather be relax'n at Winnipesaukee

The Following User Says Thank You to salty dog For This Useful Post:
Mirror Lake's BB (10-11-2015)

10-12-2015, 02:43 PM	#14
Chickie Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 368 Thanks: 0 Thanked 67 Times in 38 Posts	Anadama Bread Website Salty dog: What a great website - thanks so much for posting the link. Melissa's video presentation on how to proceed in making Anadama Bread is excellent. She makes it look so easy. The history behind it goes back farther than I ever dreamed. It had to be good for people to keep the tradition going for so long. For some reason it has fallen out of favor in recent days, but I think it is high time to revive it. Bring back the Anadama Bakery! My mother's recipe is very similar to the one Melissa gives on the website. I have a feeling my mother revised the original a bit to suit her own taste. Her recipe is a little lighter on the molasses than Melissa's. She used to brush the loaves with melted butter and sprinkle a little cornmeal on top. She usually made plain loaves, but for special occasions she would form the dough into 14 small balls and put two rows of five each in the bottom of the loaf pan. In the center of those two bottom rows, she would place the last four in a row on top. It made an attractive loaf.

12-31-2015, 10:45 PM	#15
8gv Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 2,092 Thanks: 64 Thanked 744 Times in 478 Posts	Here is photographic proof that Anadama Bread exists at the Hannaford's in Gilford! Happy New Year! [/URL]

01-01-2016, 10:00 AM	#16
Chickie Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 368 Thanks: 0 Thanked 67 Times in 38 Posts	Anadama how did I miss it? I shop Hannaford's all the time and can't believe I missed it. I wonder if it is a new item or did I just overlook it? It is on my list for my next shopping trip, as I know what to look for now. I have checked out the Abigail's Bakery website in Weare, NH where it is made. Thanks so much for your investigative skills and photo, 8gv. Will let you know if it meets the standards of the Anadama my mother made.

01-01-2016, 11:00 AM	#17
8gv Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 2,092 Thanks: 64 Thanked 744 Times in 478 Posts	I cannot tell a lie... Wifey found it.

01-01-2016, 08:09 PM	#18
Cobalt 25 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Cape Cod Posts: 216 Thanks: 227 Thanked 36 Times in 20 Posts	8gv, You mentioned Lanesville, which is a town I have never heard of in MA. Any chance you meant Lanesboro, MA? Because in nearby Williamstown a bakery there (Clarksburg Bakery) made delicious Anadama bread. Peter

01-01-2016, 09:16 PM	#19
8gv Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 2,092 Thanks: 64 Thanked 744 Times in 478 Posts	Lanesville is a coastal village that is part of the city of Gloucester. It is just to the ESE of Rockport. I know nothing of bakeries there. When I visited each summer, aunt Bessie was the bakery.

01-02-2016, 09:20 PM	#20
Cobalt 25 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Cape Cod Posts: 216 Thanks: 227 Thanked 36 Times in 20 Posts	OK, 8gv. It is good to know, thanks to you, that next summer I will check out Hannaford's to get some of that bread! Peter

01-03-2016, 11:40 AM	#21
Chickie Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 368 Thanks: 0 Thanked 67 Times in 38 Posts	Anadama bread To save time looking for it. Is the Anadama in the bakery section or in the bread aisle at Hannaford's?

01-03-2016, 12:44 PM	#22
gillygirl Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 760 Thanks: 767 Thanked 308 Times in 204 Posts	Online store Abigail's Bakery also has an online store for those far away. http://www.abigailsbakery.com/ Also from their website: "Join us Saturdays at Cole's Garden Market from 10am- 2pm, or the Tilton Winter Farmers' Market from 10am-2pm. We always have a wide variety of our breads available, and many options not found in the supermarkets." Cole's Garden Market is in Concord, according to Google. Haven't found a list of other retailers where they are located. __________________ GG

01-21-2016, 09:22 PM	#24
onceMeg Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Sun City West, Arizona Posts: 28 Thanks: 87 Thanked 15 Times in 8 Posts	makes the house smell Wonderful Got inspired by this thread, and went out and got the cornmeal and other items that my bread machine recipe calls for. Made the anadama bread yesterday, and the lovely aroma still lingers. And yes - it tastes great too! Thanks, everyone.

01-22-2016, 09:06 AM	#25
Chickie Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 368 Thanks: 0 Thanked 67 Times in 38 Posts	Quest for Anadama Bread Glad my post inspired you to do some bread making, onceMeg. There is nothing like the aroma of home-baked bread permeating the kitchen. I found a quickie recipe on line made with baking powder instead of yeast. It cuts down the labor and time it takes to make a loaf, but it is not the same as the old tried and true yeast version. I picked up a loaf at Hannaford’s last week. Definitely not my mother’s Anadama in either taste or texture. Her's was darker in color and had a bit more molasses, I believe. It is an o.k. substitute but not what I knew as Anadama in days of yore.

The Following User Says Thank You to Chickie For This Useful Post:
onceMeg (01-22-2016)

01-24-2016, 11:48 AM	#26
escaped from NJ Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 44 Thanks: 59 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Delicious Made Slickcraft's recipe yesterday (cause it seemed a good thing to do being snowed in) and it was great. I have no other anadama to compare it to but we loved it. I halved the recipe and left out the gluten because I didn't have any in the pantry. Thanks to all on this thread for introducing this to me.

01-30-2016, 02:51 PM	#27
Chickie Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 368 Thanks: 0 Thanked 67 Times in 38 Posts	Anadama Glad you enjoyed the Anadama bread. May we add you to the list of Anadama aficionados? As the recipe originated in New England, it may not have become as well known in other parts of the country. There was a time when most bakeries and supermarkets in the Lakes Region carried it and it was a favorite with many home bakers, as well. At our house, either Anadama bread or brown bread and baked beans were traditional Saturday night fare.