National Loaf Recipe

Hi Everyone,

My very first recipe I thought I'd try a recipe from www.the1940sexperiment.com.
I think Carolyn Ekins the author of that site is truly inspirational I really hope to have the guts to try the 1940's ration way of eating in the future. I'm a rather cup cakey girl...ok I'm like a ginormous tort cake and I just love how she was able to eat 1940's recipes and lose so much weight.

So today I made War Time Loaf from her site. I was trying to do some reading and learned that in England there was a National Loaf and it was made of about 85% whole wheat/whole meal flour.
This was done so there would be less waste since whole wheat flour used more of the grain than white flour did.

I would think this was hard to adapt to if you were used to white bread. I remember being a teenager and my mom switching us from white bread to multi-grain bread telling my dad and I it was healthier for us. Boy did we whine and it took us quite a while to get used to it.

Now before I share pictures and the brands of ingredients I used I just want to warn you I am terrible at baking bread, you want a cake? sure I'll make you a cake, cookies? no problem bread?.....is it no yeast?....no? you want the kind with yeast in it......ummm I'll try and promise you you won't die?

The picture below is of my second attempt at making this bread, my first attempt I used the salt Carolyn says to add but for some reason I can't get the darn dough to rise and I think maybe I killed the yeast with the salt...maybe? It never doubles in size it just goes "I can do it I can do it!....uh is 1/4 larger ok? ya I'm done growing" If any lovely bakers have any tips please let me know. I know whole wheat flour if that's the only flour you use it will make one dense loaf of bread but..I would expect to at least get some rise from the dough still.


The ingredients (along with the brands I used):


600 ml warm water (about 2 and 1/2 cups)
5 TSP quick rising yeast (Red Star Brand)
a few pinches of sugar (Domino Brand, and second time around I actually tried 3 TBS sugar to see if I could get the yeast to eat and create more gas)
2 LB whole wheat flour (Bob's Red Mill Organic whole wheat flour)
* Bob's Red Mill has a 2 pound bag of whole wheat flour which is perfect, I don't have to measure ^_^
1.5 TSP salt (I omitted this in my second attempt)
1 TBS rolled oats
Drizzle of Vegetable oil (Giant Eagle Brand)

Link to her recipe is here:  https://the1940sexperiment.com/2009/08/08/return-to-the-1940s-wartime-loaf/

I think this attempt was better than my last one, Last time it was much shorter and denser than this one. This one is still pretty darn dense but it tastes great ^__^

Now if I was around in the 1940's ration period I would so have just used up half my ration for the week in margarine but it was worth it.

I had this with a bowl of Caldo Verde which is a Portuguese soup that I think would have been able to be made in the 1940's Ration Time.  I'll post a recipe when I make it again with a step by step.

The ingredients for it are just broth, potatoes, collard greens, sausages, salt, pepper, and if you have it garlic and onion.

I hope to give you some recipes from my 1940's booklet collection soon and some pictures ^_^
Until then I hope you give Carolyn Ekins site a visit and her recipes a try.