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The Melting Pot
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1800s-present - New England bakers around Cape Ann, Massachusetts
A lightly sweet New England loaf made with cornmeal, molasses, wheat flour, and yeast.
Difficulty
Moderate
Prep time
25 minutes plus rising
Cook time
40 minutes
Total time
About 3 hours
Servings
1 loaf, about 12 slices
Region
New England
Era introduced
1800s-present
Introduced by
New England bakers around Cape Ann, Massachusetts
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Anadama bread is a New England yeast loaf built on cornmeal and molasses, ingredients that tell a lot about early American baking. Its name is wrapped in folklore, usually involving a frustrated fisherman, a woman named Anna, and a pot of cornmeal mush transformed into bread. The legend is less certain than the flavor: a sturdy, gently sweet loaf that slices well for toast, sandwiches, and soup.
Drafted with New England background from Yankee Magazine (https://newengland.com/food/breads/anadama-bread/), Serious Eats (https://www.seriouseats.com/anadama-bread-recipe-8783221), and historical discussion from A Taste of History with Joyce White (https://atasteofhistorywithjoycewhite.blogspot.com/2015/02/anadama-bread-new-england-tradition.html).
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