THE FOOD ÉTUDE

School lunch brown bread has a nostalgic, molasses-forward flavor. The cornmeal gives it more texture than a typical quick bread. For a grown-up twist, pair with salted Irish butter and loose leaf tea for the perfect afternoon snack. As always, serve on a sectioned cafeteria tray for best results.

The Cafeteria Series includes recipes from the 1988 USDA’s Quantity Recipes for School Food Service. Serving sizes and instructions have been edited for the home kitchen.

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

1/2 cup (76g) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (76g) whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup (113g) cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon (scant) salt

1/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon  lemon juice or vinegar

1/2 cup molasses

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/3 cup raisins, plumped* (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Whisk together flour, whole-wheat flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt.

Combine milk and lemon juice or vinegar (to sour the milk). Let stand for five minutes.

Add molasses and vegetable oil to the milk mixture. Whisk to combine.

Add liquid mixture and raisins (optional) to dry ingredients. Mix until no dry spots of flour remain. Do not over mix. Batter will be lumpy.

Pour batter into a 4”x10” loaf pan, which has been lightly oiled.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Remove from the pan, and cool completely on a wire rack. Cut each loaf into 16 slices, about ½” thick.

*To plump raisins, cover the fruit with very hot tap water. Soak for two to five minutes. Do not over soak. Drain well before using.