Wild Rice & Cranberry Loaves

Friday at 2 AM Patrick called. Colleen was in labor. Or Colleen might be in labor. They were on the way to BI-Deaconess. He was driving. His voice had the specific firefighter-calm that is nine-tenths alertness and one-tenth actually-calm. I got up, dressed, kissed Sean, drove to Patrick's, picked up their dog because my mother had told me to "get the dog" as a logistical matter, and I was back in my apartment by 4 AM with a panting black lab named Maverick who does not know me well and who regarded me from the kitchen with resignation.

By 8 AM they had sent Colleen home. False alarm. Braxton-Hicks, not labor. Colleen felt sheepish. Patrick felt tired. Maureen treated the whole thing as a dress rehearsal and texted me instructions for how to respond when the "real one" happened. I returned Maverick Saturday afternoon. He was visibly relieved to be home.

The silver lining: it was MLK weekend and I had Monday off anyway. I cooked. I made five casseroles. Chicken and wild rice. Beef stroganoff. A baked ziti. A shepherd's pie. A pan of enchiladas that I will pretend does not exist when my mother asks. I labeled them and froze them. Colleen will have meals for two weeks after the baby comes, whenever the baby actually decides to come. I dropped the first three at Patrick and Colleen's Saturday night. Colleen cried. I said stop crying. She cried more. I made her sit on the couch while I put them in her freezer. Patrick was asleep on the couch in the other room. He had been asleep for four hours. The firefighter shift schedule plus the baby watch is a hell we all agreed not to discuss.

Sean took Liam to a Bruins game Sunday -- his dad got two tickets from a Boston Latin parent and gave them to Sean. First Bruins game for Liam. He wore the little jersey Sean's mother bought him last year. He lost his mind in the best way. He asked six questions per minute for the first period and then went silent for the second because he was absorbing. Sean said by the third period Liam was leaning on him with his chin on his hands watching the puck with the complete focus of a convert. I got the photo at the end. Liam grinning, Sean grinning. It is on my phone. It is on my nightstand now too -- I printed it.

Nora stayed with me. We walked to the bakery in the morning, bought a loaf of pumpernickel, came home, and spent the afternoon rearranging the kitchen drawers, which is now Nora's favorite activity. She pulls out the wooden spoons and arranges them on the floor in a row. She does not take the knives. She has been told once, and she has not tried. I note this because it suggests she can receive a "no" and hold onto it, which I did not expect at twenty-three months.

A patient this week who I will not describe in detail. I came home Friday and Sean had left out cheese and crackers and a bottle of the red we like and a handwritten note that said "take a break." I took the break. He took the kids. I sat on the couch for an hour and read a novel I had started in October and had not picked up since. The break worked. He knows.

I had wild rice on my mind all weekend — it was already in the chicken and wild rice casserole I’d labeled and slid into Colleen’s freezer Saturday night — and when I got home Sunday with Nora and the pumpernickel loaf from the bakery, something about having a loaf of bread on the counter felt like exactly the right thing. This Wild Rice & Cranberry Loaf is what I’ll make next time: hearty enough to sit alongside a casserole, good enough on its own, and the kind of thing you can wrap up and leave on someone’s counter with a note that says the baby is almost here and you are not alone.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 1 hr (plus rise time) | Servings: 2 loaves (16 slices total)

Ingredients

1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (110°F–115°F), divided
1 tablespoon honey
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup cooked wild rice, cooled
3/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg, lightly beaten (for egg wash)
1 tablespoon rolled oats (optional, for topping)

Instructions

Proof the yeast. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water with the honey. Let stand 5–10 minutes until foamy.
Mix the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, the whole wheat flour, and salt. Add the yeast mixture, remaining 1 cup warm water, and olive oil. Stir until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 8–10 minutes, adding remaining flour a little at a time, until smooth and elastic. The dough should be slightly tacky but not sticky.
Fold in mix-ins. Flatten the dough gently, scatter the cooked wild rice and dried cranberries over the surface, then fold and knead briefly — about 2 minutes — until evenly distributed.
First rise. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Shape. Punch dough down. Divide in half and shape each portion into a smooth oval loaf. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced apart. Cover loosely and let rise 30–40 minutes, until puffy.
Preheat & finish. Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush loaves with egg wash. Sprinkle with rolled oats if using. Score the tops with a sharp knife, making two or three shallow diagonal cuts.
Bake. Bake 30–35 minutes, until deep golden brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition (per slice)

Wild Rice & Cranberry Loaves — The Casserole Weekend I Cooked Through the Wait