Cold Bread to Our Enemies

Marjorie didn't leave a recipe for pecan bread, but she certainly used pecans. CCC has recipes for pecan cream torte, pecan patties,pecan pie and pecan souffle. Marjorie spoke of the power of bread quite often. As she said on page 19 of CCC, "Yet a part of the placidity of the South comes from the sense of well-being that follows the heart-and-body warming consumption of breads fresh from the oven. We serve cold baker's bread only to our enemies, trusting that they will never impose on our hospitality again."

At HOCS I bake pecan bread weekly in the bread machine. As someone who came to adulthood with the Tassajara Bread Book where one became " one with the dough", machines are almost sacriligious. Nevertheless, my trusty bread machine can turn out a fine loaf of warm, nutty pecan bread while I am getting a little more sleep. The aroma of the bread is guaranteed to rouse even the most reluctant of guest.

Slathered with Dora clone butter and calamondine preserves, the pecan bread is easy to make. Select any classic white bread receipe from a bread machine cookbook. Substitute 1/4 cup of ground pecan meal for 1/4 of the bread flour. Then bake according to the white bread directions. Yum!