Raisin Bran Bread -- The Freezer Full of Loaves, the Pantry Filling for Winter

Squirrel season opened. I went out Saturday and got two. Worked at the construction company in Lexington this week. The body holds. Most days.

Connie at the vet clinic, four shifts this week. Her back is tired. She does not say so. I see it. Mama is 86. She is the toughest person I have ever known. She still cooks every day in the company house in Evarts.

Pumpkin bread. The freezer is full of loaves.

Travis called Tuesday. The landscaping company is busy. He sounds tired in a good way. Amber called Sunday. Things are good. James sends his regards.

Connie made biscuits. The biscuits were biscuits. Some things stay.

Connie cut my hair on the porch Tuesday afternoon. She has been cutting my hair for forty years. The barber in Pineville cannot do what Connie does, which is also love.

Worked on a basement remodel job in Lexington. The work was good. The pay was good. The body is tired.

Connie made jam Saturday afternoon. Wild blackberries from the patch up the hollow. Twelve jars. The pantry is filling for winter.

The dog — old Beau, fifteen years old — slept by the wood stove all afternoon Tuesday. He used to be a hunting dog. Now he is a heating pad with opinions.

I went up to Earl's grave at the Evarts cemetery Saturday. Brought a beer. Drank half. Poured the rest on the dirt. Some traditions are mine alone.

Connie read aloud from a novel Tuesday evening while I worked on the bench. Some Appalachian writer she had picked up at the library in Whitesburg. The voice was the voice of where we live. We listened together.

Drove the truck to the dump Saturday afternoon. Saw three deer crossing the road on the way back. The mountains have been giving back this year.

My back was tight after the wood-splitting Saturday. Took an Aleve. Slept eight hours. Got up.

I split a half-cord of wood Saturday. Slowly. The back does not let me work fast anymore. It got done. The wood was for the smokehouse.

I sat at the kitchen table Tuesday night working on the recipe project. Mama's soup beans. I cannot get the words right yet.

I sat on the porch with bourbon at sundown Friday. The fog rolled into the hollow the way it has every fog of every year. The porch was the porch. The bourbon was the bourbon.

The neighbor up the road — Old Roy, eighty-seven, lives alone — had a small heart scare. We took him soup beans Tuesday. Cornbread too. He cried a little when he ate. We all cry over soup beans eventually.

I checked the truck oil Saturday. The mileage on this truck is criminal.

Read the paper at breakfast Tuesday. The county news is not great. The mines have not come back and they will not come back. The young people leave. The hollows empty. We stay.

The creek was running clear Sunday afternoon. I watched a kingfisher work the riffle. Did not move for an hour. Some Sundays the watching is the worship.

Travis sent a photo of Earl Thomas riding on the mower with him at a job site. The boy is wearing a Hensley Landscaping T-shirt that's too big. Three generations on a mower. I saved the photo.

Amber sent the kids' school photos this week. Nadia is taller every year. Marcus has Amber's serious face. Little Betty has Mama's eyes.

Sunday service at Harlan First Baptist when we go. Pastor preached about Ruth and Boaz. The choir sang. Connie wore her gray dress.

Connie’s got the freezer stacked with pumpkin loaves and twelve jars of wild blackberry jam on the pantry shelf—that’s what this time of year looks like in our house, getting winter ready one batch at a time. I have been working on writing down Mama’s soup beans and I cannot get the words right yet, but bread I can do. This raisin bran bread is the kind of loaf that belongs in a house where the wood stove is going and old Beau is sleeping in front of it—nothing fancy, just good and wholesome and worth making two at a time so one goes in the freezer.

Raisin Bran Bread

Prep Time: 20 minutes + 1 hour 30 minutes rising | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes | Servings: 16 slices (1 loaf)

Ingredients

• 1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (105–115°F), divided
• 1 tbsp honey or molasses
• 1 1/2 cups raisin bran cereal
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash, optional)

Instructions

1. Proof the yeast. In a large bowl, combine yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, and honey. Stir gently and let sit 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
2. Soak the bran cereal. While the yeast proofs, pour the remaining 1 cup warm water over the raisin bran cereal in a small bowl. Let it soak for 5 minutes until softened.
3. Combine wet ingredients. Add the soaked cereal mixture, softened butter, salt, and brown sugar to the yeast mixture. Stir to combine.
4. Add flour. Stir in 2 1/2 cups flour, one cup at a time, until a shaggy dough forms. Add the raisins and mix through. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.
5. Knead the dough. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, adding remaining flour a little at a time, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky.
6. First rise. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with a clean towel. Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
7. Shape the loaf. Punch down the dough and shape it into a loaf. Place in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise again for 30 minutes until the dough crowns above the pan rim.
8. Bake. Preheat oven to 375°F. If desired, brush the top of the loaf with beaten egg for a shiny crust. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until the loaf is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Internal temperature should read 190°F.
9. Cool. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing. For freezing, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then foil once fully cooled.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 148 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Carbs: 29g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 165mg