Bread Baking Babes back to basics: Cottage Loaf

Well…. maybe not back to basics but back to early America.

Considering the flour shortages going on at the moment I initially thought they were going to grow and mill their own wheat.

It’s not that basic.

The recipe dates back to pioneer days and is properly called Early American Cottage Loaf, although there is an English Cottage Loaf also. It would have been done in a cast iron kettle in the fireplace in those early days. One of the Babes did hers in the barbecue grill. Close, but not quite the same…. I think it was a gas grill.

There is both a yeast version (not very early American) and a sourdough version (more authentic) so you can choose.

The original used a variety of flours and grains and all the Babes took advantage.

Too many choices – I don’t think any 2 Babes have the same recipe or used the same grains.

Try it yourself.

The look is achieved by stacking 2 balls of dough. Why not?

This meander into past bread baking was the choice of Cathy, of Bread Experience, our host kitchen for this month.

Visit  Bread Experience for both recipes as well as the details for being a Bread Baking Buddy this month.

Cathy’s Cottage Loaf

Aparna’s Cottage Loaf

Kelly’s Cottage Loaf

Tanna’s Cottage Loaf

Karen’s Cottage Loaf

Judy’s Cottage Loaf

Elizabeth’s Cottage Loaf

Elle’s Cottage Loaf

And that’s it for the Babes in the May.  Stay Safe & Healthy Everyone!

And the Babes are:

The Bread Baking Babes

A Messy Kitchen – Kelly
Bake My Day – Karen
blog from OUR kitchen – Elizabeth
Bread Experience – Cathy
Feeding My Enthusiasms – Elle
Judy’s Gross Eats – Judy
Karen’s Kitchen Stories – Karen
My Diverse Kitchen — Aparna
My Kitchen In Half Cups – Tanna
Notitie Van Lien – Lien

And me…. Thyme for Cooking – Katie