The old saying, “the greatest thing since sliced bread” is no joke. Once upon a time bread was not only a staple food, but also a lot harder to come by. Even though we can buy great bread at the store so easily today, but when it comes to brown breads homemade is often the best. And, this New England treat isn’t even available in stores.

Anadama bread has an unusual title, with various tales about how it got its name. One version goes that a man was cursing his wife, Ana, and this is a jumble of these words when she served him this bread too many times. Another story is that a man cursed with pride at how good his wife’s bread was.

We’ll never know exactly why the bread has its weird name, but the defining feature of this recipe is the addition of molasses and cornmeal to the dough, which gives it a complex flavor.

Molasses gives the bread its dark color and the cornmeal helps the bread to rise while also giving it a toothier texture once it’s been baked. This unique flavor and texture makes this bread a real treat, even more so if you eat it with honey and butter- this was always my mom’s favorite way to have bread.

To begin making this recipe you’ll need to wake up your yeast in a small bowl of warm water with a little sugar added. Then combine this with milk, cornmeal, molasses, honey, butter, salt, and flour. This recipe calls for 7 to 8 cups of flour and this is because the moisture levels of flour can vary. You’ll also need plenty of flour for your work surface, too.

You’ll have to knead the dough until it becomes elastic and then let it rise until it reaches double in size. Then punch down the dough and divide into 3 loaves. Allow this to rise again and then you’re ready to bake.

Once this comes out of the oven you have a tender, sweet, and nutty bread that’s wonderful with tea or coffee for breakfast. It’s one treat that once you taste, you’ll be eager to make again.