Mona's Bread

My great aunt Mona made wonderful bread. Her signature loaf was soft, white, sweet and made a perfect sandwich with just a little bit of butter and a slice of cheese. Whenever she gave my family one of her loaves, I was always the first to pull a slice--or three--out of the breadbox.

Mona was a a gentle woman, ladylike and devoted to her husband and daughters. A teetotaler. Baptist. Her quiet kindness stood out in a family of noisy, smoking, gregarious Danes. Mona was my grandmother's younger sister, one of the last babies born into a family of 14 children.

I always got the feeling that my great grandmother, Anna, was running out of ideas for names toward the end of her pregnancies, having exhausted all the popular Danish monikers of the day. The name Mona was inspired by the Mona Lisa. I don't know whether it was a case of life imitating art or mere coincidence, but my great aunt Mona had a enigmatic smile very similar to that of her namesake. My grandmother, was named Ingse, also an unusual name in Denmark. As my grandmother tells the story, she was very sick at birth and her mother thought that "Ingse" would look lovely on a tombstone. Fortunately for me, my grandmother would survive infancy, immigrate to America and give birth to my father.

My grandmother and aunt Mona could not have been any more different from each other. My grandmother is outgoing whereas Mona was reserved. My grandmother is a classic extrovert, making friends with everyone she meets. Mona was harder to get to know. Despite their differences, both sisters were close friends. About fifteen years ago, they took a trip to Denmark together and bonded over visiting family and eating all their favorite foods. My grandmother was delighted to discover that her proper little sister snored.

Several years ago, I mentioned to my grandmother how much I loved Mona's bread and wished I had the recipe. Somewhat indignantly, and to my surprise, she replied that it was her recipe and that she would be happy to write it out. (My grandmother is a wonderful cook, but I have never known her to bake bread. I'm not one to argue, though.) On the back of a scrap of paper she proceeded to write down a few key words and ingredients. It didn't make a lot of sense. "Milk and butter lukewarm," it read. What exactly did that mean? "Rise one hour," was the other specific instruction. But how? Being polite, I thanked her, and filed the recipe away.

Mona died in the fall, after a brave battle with cancer. Her death has been very hard on my grandmother. I have had her in my prayers and on my mind. Last Friday I decided to try the recipe for Mona's bread, despite the lack of instructions. As it baked, the house smelled wonderful and I grew cautiously optimistic. When I bit into the first piece, warm from the oven, I tasted success. It was Mona's bread.

We live on through the work of our hands.

Mona's Bread

Combine:
2 c. milk
1 stick butter
(both milk and butter should be lukewarm, my butter was soft enough to stir, slightly melted in the microwave)
2 packages of instant yeast
1 Tbs. salt
1/2 c. sugar

Gradually add 4-5 cups flour:
I used a dough whisk, but you could also use a wooden spoon, or the dough hook on your stand mixer. Your goal is to make a soft, not sticky dough. You'll know you have enough flour when the dough goes from sticky, to shaggy, to forming a rough ball.
Knead until the dough is elastic, about 8-10 minutes when kneading by hand.

Place in a greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about one hour.
Punch dough down, and knead slightly to degas. Divide the dough into two balls. Place first ball on a lightly floured surface.

Using your hands or a rolling pin shape the first ball into a 9" by 18" rectangle. The short sides should be parallel to you, the long sides vertical. Starting at the top, roll the dough toward yourself, forming a tight cylinder. Once you have rolled it all up, pinch the seam into the dough, tuck the ends under and pinch them into the dough as well. You are "sealing" the loose ends into the loaf. It will look like a log when you are done. Place into a 9x5" loaf pan.
Repeat with the second dough ball.

Cover both loaves with plastic wrap and allow them to rise until the dough just reaches the top of the pan, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees until the dough reaches an internal temperature of 185-190 degrees (check with an instant read thermometer)--it took about 50 minutes in my oven.

Enjoy.

(Recipe #20)