As usual,  Wordamour’s summer vacation to do list is filling up with stuff; the Great Bear Writing Project, meetings about some new projects, writing a couple of articles, reading for the 4C’s and the Norman Mailer Nonfiction awards.  Also looking forward to some good books and family time.

Another thing Wordamour is looking forward to is a week at the Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow in Eureka Springs, where Wordamour plans to whip a third draft of the novel into shape.  Working on the second right now and relatively pleased with how it’s going–we’re getting closer, folks.  The day before Wordamour’s residency  starts she is doing a publishing workshop at the Eureka Springs library under the Dairy Hollow auspices as well (more on that as it develops), which not only sounds fun but is also paying for the entire week. Don’t you just love it when bartering works out!

Anyway, this weekend, in her garage sale travels, Wordamour actually came upon the following, for cheap, and it was actually signed by the author and legendary foodie, Crescent Dragonwagon (also children’s lit royalty, she is a children’s writer and daughter of famous editor/doyenne Charlotte Zolotow) who ran Dairy Hollow when it was a bed and breakfast.

Reading the book was great fun but the recipe Wordamour was most interested in trying out first was the Dairy Hollow Oatmeal Bread Supreme.  And oh man, was it supreme–or rather sublime.  Which is why it’s being posted here:

Dairy Hollow Oatmeal Bread Supreme

Place in a large bowl:

3 cups oatmeal, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/3 cup mild honey

Heat together until the butter melts:

1 3/4 cups heavy cream, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 buttter

Pour the hot mixture over the oatmeal and let stand till lukewarm.  Meanwhile, combine in a small bowl:

1/3 cup lukewarm water, 2 tablespoons yeast, 2 tablespoons honey

By the time the oatmeal-milk mixture has reached lukewarm, the yeast honey-mixture should be bubbling exuberantly.  Combine the two and stir in, a cup at a time

2 cups unbleached white flour

Continue adding unbleached white flour till dough is stiff enough to knead and do so, for 5 or 6 minutes, on a floured surface,until dough is smooth and elastic.  Place in a clean greased bowl and let rise until doubled in bulk–about an hour.  Punch down dough, shape into two loaves and place the loaves into greased bread pans to rise a second time.  Let rise again, this time about 45 minutes and bake for about 50 minutes at 375.  This last bit is what the recipe calls for, but I find I have to be sure to put the loaves on the bottom rack and start checking them at 40 minutes to make sure they don’t burn.  Ovens must run hotter than they did 25 years ago, when the cookbook was published.

The smell while it’s baking is absolutely heavenly and the bread itself divine. This one is definitely a keeper.

Hoping to have more time to check in now that summer’s here.

Enjoy, y’all,

SV