I had been meaning to make Rich Tea Loaf for over a year. However, it needed some kind of occasion to get it eaten. We don't entertain at tea, or even have what might be recognized as afternoon tea the way my New York aunt did. Up until late in her life, she got out the tea pot and tray and sat down in her huge, elegant but homey living room with the floor to ceiling windows looking out on the garden and had tea. Friends dropped by to chat, and one might meet all kinds of unexpected people.
But we don't do that. Desdefortunamente, as they say in Spanish. However, St. Margaret's, my husband's church, was celebrating its big Sunday, St. Margaret's Sunday, and put out a call for baked goods for the extra special post service refreshments. And since I was already making the Lizzies for my church bazaar this seemed like a good opportunity to knock off yet another recipe.
This is a hardy recipe. Even though I did a bunch of things I shouldn't have done, it turned out fine, a lovely, fine crumbed, pale yellow loaf with a subtle lemon flavor.
Instead of starting it before the Lizzies, because I knew it was a yeast bread and had to rise, I started it after the Lizzies. Then, we went out at 6:00 pm to the goodbye party for the church's interim minister. So instead of letting it rise for an hour, I let it rise for 12 hours. Amazingly even though I didn't oil the surface of the dough to keep it from drying out, it rose beautifully in the pan and didn't have flecks of crusty dried dough mixed through it.
I would say, do pay special attention to the instructions that say "Gradually stir in the flour to make a soft dough." I dumped in the two cups of flour and got a hard dough to which I had to add more milk. Also, the recipe says use the dough hook on your mixer. I don't have a dough hook on my mixer. I didn't knead it very long, not more than a couple of minutes.
This would be an excellent addition to a brunch, a breakfast buffet, or even a special afternoon tea. Altogether, it probably takes about four hours, so you could make it the day before and put it in the refrigerator, or make it in the morning for your afternoon tea.
Rich Tea Loaf
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1/3 cup milk, scalded
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg lightly beaten
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
3 cups flour, approximately
1. Dissolve the yeast in the water.
2 Place the milk in a large bowl and add the sugar and butter. Stir to melt butter and dissolve sugar and let cool to lukewarm.
3. Beat the egg and egg yolks together and add to the yeast. Stir into the milk mixture. Add the salt, lemon peel and lemon extract.
4. Gradually stir in the flour to make a soft dough. Beat in the bowl with dough hook of electric mixer or with a wooden spoon until smooth.
5. Place the dough in a clean greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about one and one-quarter hours.
6. Knock dough down and knead lightly on a floured board. Roll into a 10-by-14 inch rectangle and roll up from the short end. Tuck the ends under and place in a greased 9-by-5-by-3 inch loaf pan.
7. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about one hour.
8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
9. Bake ten minutes, reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees. and bake thirty minutes longer or until done. Cool on a rack. Makes one loaf.
But we don't do that. Desdefortunamente, as they say in Spanish. However, St. Margaret's, my husband's church, was celebrating its big Sunday, St. Margaret's Sunday, and put out a call for baked goods for the extra special post service refreshments. And since I was already making the Lizzies for my church bazaar this seemed like a good opportunity to knock off yet another recipe.
This is a hardy recipe. Even though I did a bunch of things I shouldn't have done, it turned out fine, a lovely, fine crumbed, pale yellow loaf with a subtle lemon flavor.
Instead of starting it before the Lizzies, because I knew it was a yeast bread and had to rise, I started it after the Lizzies. Then, we went out at 6:00 pm to the goodbye party for the church's interim minister. So instead of letting it rise for an hour, I let it rise for 12 hours. Amazingly even though I didn't oil the surface of the dough to keep it from drying out, it rose beautifully in the pan and didn't have flecks of crusty dried dough mixed through it.
I would say, do pay special attention to the instructions that say "Gradually stir in the flour to make a soft dough." I dumped in the two cups of flour and got a hard dough to which I had to add more milk. Also, the recipe says use the dough hook on your mixer. I don't have a dough hook on my mixer. I didn't knead it very long, not more than a couple of minutes.
This would be an excellent addition to a brunch, a breakfast buffet, or even a special afternoon tea. Altogether, it probably takes about four hours, so you could make it the day before and put it in the refrigerator, or make it in the morning for your afternoon tea.
Rich Tea Loaf
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1/3 cup milk, scalded
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg lightly beaten
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
3 cups flour, approximately
1. Dissolve the yeast in the water.
2 Place the milk in a large bowl and add the sugar and butter. Stir to melt butter and dissolve sugar and let cool to lukewarm.
3. Beat the egg and egg yolks together and add to the yeast. Stir into the milk mixture. Add the salt, lemon peel and lemon extract.
4. Gradually stir in the flour to make a soft dough. Beat in the bowl with dough hook of electric mixer or with a wooden spoon until smooth.
5. Place the dough in a clean greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about one and one-quarter hours.
6. Knock dough down and knead lightly on a floured board. Roll into a 10-by-14 inch rectangle and roll up from the short end. Tuck the ends under and place in a greased 9-by-5-by-3 inch loaf pan.
7. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about one hour.
8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
9. Bake ten minutes, reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees. and bake thirty minutes longer or until done. Cool on a rack. Makes one loaf.
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