|
|
Leaves from a Narnian Cookbook Coming Through
the Wardrobe Return to Wardrobe
|
Narnian bread is as hearty, warm and sturdy as the dwarfs who bake it. Bread is part of Shasta’s first meal with his real father, served in classic fashion with wine and cheese. Bread is very often served toasted as Shasta found when he breckfasted with Rogin, Bricklethumb and Duffle on his first morning in Narnia. At the time Shasta didn’t even know what the “slices of brown stuff were or that the yellow soft thing they smeared on the toast was, because in Calormen you nearly always get oil instead of butter.” Hot crispy toast with butter just melting in, is surely enough to make many Calormen visitor decide not to go home. This special recipe is eaten as toast with marmalade, as a part of the large breakfast of a Centaur. Lucy and Tumnas had three different kinds of toast on the snowy winter day that they met. Sardines n toast, and then buttered toast, and then toast with honey. This particular recipe is delicious three times each meal, three times a day. It is wonderful just buttered, but especially good with honey. 1 Tablespoons yeast Please yeast in ˝ cut warm water. In another bowl, mix 5 cups hot water, salt, oil and honey. Stir in the flour. Stir together. Add more flour if needed. It will be quite a sticky dough. Put oil on your hands and mold a little. Cover the top of the dough with oil and place in a bowl in a warm place until it rises to double in bulk (30-45 minutes) Oil hands again and form loaves, place in bread pans and allow to rise again until double in bulk. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 8 minutes, then reduce the head to 350° and continue to bake for 40 minutes.
2 lbs. Seville Oranges Cut the skin into pieces about ˝ inch long. Remove the pith and seeds from the orange and divide the orange into sections. Place the orange and peel into an earthenware crock and cover with water. Let stand for 24 hours. Weigh the fruit and the liquid and add an equal weight of sugar. Put all of this into a pan and bring to a boil. Skim and simmer until the syrup stiffens at once when placed on a marble slab. Place in jars and cover. May be sealed with paraffin.
1 cake compressed yeast Dissolve the yeast and the sugar in the 85° water. Allow to stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes. Beat in egg, shortening, water, salt and sugar. Add flour. Knead until smooth, elastic and satiny. Permit the dough to rise until double in bulk in the bowl. Roll the Dough into a rectangle about 9X10 and 1/4 inch thick. Spread the marmalade thickly in the center of the rectangle lengthwise. Cut the dough on each side of the marmalade diagonally into 2 inch strips and lace them across the marmalade folding the ends inside. |
 |
reakfast
warfs
rs. Beaver’s Marmalade
Roll And finally, to round out our list of beautiful breads is Mrs.
Beaver’s own delectable Marmalade roll, “great and gloriously sticky,
and steaming hot.” Serve right from the oven with hot tea and then,
“lean against the wall and give a long sigh of contentment.” Mrs. Beaver
does all her own baking, of course, and she even makes her own marmalade.
This marmalade can also be spread on bread if you are expecting Centaurs
for breakfast.