bedazzled bread

I have been a bad care-taker.

I failed to feed Ebenezer during the designated two-week period. Yeppers, he went 16 whole days without eating, but did he curl up in a ball and quit on me? No, he didn’t. He forgave my mistreatment and together we made an amazing bread.

Atta boy, Eb.


The ingredients:


This was extremely simple to put together, as you can see in the recipe below. I was feeling so wiped out and wanted something easy, and this fit the bill.

I wasn’t sure if the bread would rise because of my inattention to Eb, but rise it did:


I never had a bedazzler (I wasn’t a fashion-conscious child...or adult...), but I’m sure they’re great fun.



The raisins and cranberries look like little jewels, right? Work with me here, folks.

Bedazzled Bread
2 c Ebenezer
2 T butter
½ c milk
1 t salt
2 T sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground nutmeg
½ c raisins
½ c dried cranberries
3 c bread flour

Measure Ebenezer into a large mixing bowl. Heat the butter and milk until the butter melts; add the salt and sugar and stir until dissolved. Add this mixture to Ebbie and mix well. Add the flour, one cup at a time (or, as Paula Deen says, "one cup at the time"), mixing vigorously for a minute or so between cups. Stir in the spices. Toss the dried fruit in some flour to keep it evenly distributed and add it to the batter. [I don't know if the flour-coating is completely necessary, but I've had so many bottom-heavy muffins and breads with sunken goodies that I didn't want to take a chance.] Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and spoon the batter into the pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, or until dough rises to the top of the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and cool on wire rack. Slice and revel in its bedazzled beauty.

P.S. Happy National Chocolate-Covered Espresso Bean Day.