Week 25 - Tomato Bread

 Tomato Bread

Week 25 of 52

Bread #4

So I'm behind in posting (I didn't get this post made last week). To be honest, I made the Week 26 Recipe before I made this. I had to have time for the baking and didn't have that time until this weekend. This Tomato Bread recipe comes from American Women's Bicentennial Cook Book 1776-1976. This book was published in 1975 and was "A Horizon Project of the DeSoto, Texas American Revolution Bicentennial Committee". My copy was a gift to someone named "Kathy", from her mom, on Christmas Day 1976. She said "On the occasion of our nations bi-centennial celebration. Keep it for my great grand-children's celebration of our tricentennial!". That Kathy obviously did not pass this copy on to her children and now I've used it. 

I'll be honest, this recipe was a FAIL for me. I can't remember the last time I tried making a yeast bread. I don't know exactly what I did wrong. Was it one step or more than one step, that I messed up? The bread didn't rise, but I still tasted it and it was okay. I think if it had risen the way it should have, it would have been quite enjoyable. *As I typed out the directions below, I realized that I think that last step of letting it "raise" for one hour after putting the loaves in the pan, is one step I forgot.* I am betting it would have made a good bread for a grilled cheese sandwich. Even though it didn't work for me, you should try it. I would like to try it again and make those grilled cheese sandwiches. My modification is in italics. 

Ingredients:

2 cups tomato juice

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup catsup 

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

7 cups flour, sifted

2 tablespoons butter, softened & 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning mixed together and spread on the baked loaves (optional)

Instructions:

Heat tomato juice and butter until butter melts. Add sugar, salt and catsup and cool until lukewarm. Sprinkle yeast on warm water and stir to dissolve. Add tomato mixture and 3 cups of the flour to yeast. Beat with electric mixer for two minutes at medium, scraping the bowl occasionally. Mix in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes). Place in lightly greased bowl, turning dough to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (1 to 1 1/2 hours). Punch down and divide in half. Cover and let rest for ten minutes. Shape into loaves and please in greased 9x5.3 inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise until almost doubled (1 hour). Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes two loaves. 

Tomato Bread (Oops. Failed.)