Brown Bread

Christmastime is a time for sending to food to far-away relatives and close friends. My friend, Jen, bescherte mich (gave me) with her family's traditional brown bread. I'm not sure of the recipe, except I know it is a quick bread and contains Manischewitz wine, nuts raisins and baking powder. She also told me a story about Germany before WWI as handed down by her family.

Before WWI, Germany was a very repressive state, nominally democratic, but actually controlled by the Kaiser (emperor). Since human rights were not even mentioned in the Bismarck constitution, families often had to make due with little or no communication between members in different states. Jen's family communicated with Christmas care packages; if the year had been good, the brown bread was filled with raisins, nuts and even chocolate, and baked with wheat flour. Had the year been poor, rye flour bread with no extras was sent.

Jen still makes these every year to give with Christmas cards. She also keeps a few for herself to munch on through the holidays as a tactile reminder of her family's history.

Related recipes:

• Cooking Light's Brown Bread with Graham Crackers
• Cherry Walnut Brown Bread
• Date Nut Bread

Photo © J.McGavin 2008