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Baking a tradition
Tradition. How many times over any holiday do you hear someone talking about their family traditions? The old ones, and the new ones that many will start this year, are very important to us.
Louis L’Amour had a quote about tradition that has stuck with me for many years:
“We must not lose touch with what we were, with what we had been, nor must we allow the well of our history to dry up, for a child without tradition is a child crippled before the world. Tradition can also be an anchor of stability and a shield to guard one from irresponsibility and hasty decision.”
Just that paragraph alone could really start a deep discussion on tradition. I am only going to touch on a baking tradition that Chip and I have had for several years. This marks our 40th year together so I would say this recipe is a deep tradition for us.
Chip’s mom, at Christmas, would always have a lady make her a quick bread that used buttermilk and cinnamon. On the original recipe card that I still read each and every time I bake this, it is called Dutch Coffee Cake; we have renamed it Buttermilk Cinnamon Bread.
The texture and taste was not like any kind of bread I grew up with so I started out on a quest several years ago to get the recipe from the lady. Now this recipe of hers, was obviously a family tradition for her family because it took some time for me to get the recipe! She would rather sell you a loaf than give you the recipe to make it on your own!
It was not too long that I did manage to get the recipe from her but I had to promise to not share! Since she was close to 90 when I got the recipe several years ago, I believe I am safe now.
With the recipe, I began to make it every year at Christmas for my family and friends. Chip and I started an assembly line; I would mix up the batter and put it in the pans, Chip was on the cinnamon and sugar duty. It was nothing for us to bake 10 plus loaves! As my nieces got married, I made a recipe card with it on for them. At that time, it was known as Aunt Donnis’s cinnamon bread.
Many of our neighbors over the years would get a loaf at the holidays. Now this bread is part of our Christmas morning breakfast tradition!
Cinnamon mixture for topping and middle: 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon. Now, this might not be the EXACT mixture, because Chip is in charge of mixing this up. He usually dumps the cinnamon until he thinks it looks “dark” enough!
1/2 cup shortening (Crisco), 1 cup sugar; and 2 eggs. Blend together until creamy.
2 cups buttermilk; 4 cups flour and 2 teaspoons soda. Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the creamy mixture. Do not over beat, mix just until combined.
You will need two loaf pans. Pour 1/4 of the mixture in each of the two pans. Smooth that out until it lays flat in the pans.
Use approximately 1/2 of the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the top. Add the remaining dough mixture to each of the pans, smooth flat and then run a table knife down the middle just to make a little row, then sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until your toothpick comes out clean.
Once you take it out of the oven, generously brush melted butter over the top to cover all the cinnamon and sugar. Eat right away or wrap up to give away. (It also freezes very well!)
This recipe has become a tradition in our family for more than one reason. It is the togetherness that happens with we get together to bake it. It is the taste we all anticipate on Christmas morning. In just one recipe this is a stability for our family, it is also an anchor.
I hope you will be able to try this recipe and possibly make a new tradition this year in this uncertain and different time.
Merry Christmas!