ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI: BEATEN BREAD -- THE ORIGINAL YEAST BREAD

I take my chef's hat off to the cooks who put homemade bread on the table at every meal. This practice didn't wane until the late 1960s in the South. I thought biscuits, corn bread and yeast bread belonged to one of the recommended food groups, one of the best ones at that.

Miss Iva made Beaten Bread, the original yeast bread, until she was 80 years old in 1959. The recipe for Beaten Bread will vary from cook to cook, and ingredients have slightly changed. Vegetable shortening replaced lard, milk took the place of cream and self-rising flour became an unusual ingredient. But, the no-knead ease and come-hither taste will continue to make Beaten Bread a treasured favorite.

On Beaten Bread day at Miss Iva's my job was to churn the butter in the seasoned old wood churn or in a glass jar. Because I was 8 years old, I usually chose the jar, giving me a legitimate reason to be in constant motion as the butter took form.

The newly shaped butter came to rest in the crystal butter dish etched with roses that matched so well the sworn silver butter knife with a single rose bud on the handle. At this time, Miss Iva would make the grand presentation of the hot golden brown Beaten Bread. Anticipation filled the room as thick slices of bread spread with sweet butter were passed around the table.

Beaten Bread is a treat that should be shared!

Miss Iva's Beaten Bread

1 yeast cake, or 1 package active dry yeast

1 cup warm milk

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons Crisco

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs, beaten

4 cups self-rising flour, sifted

* Reminder -- rising time is 2 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Dissolve yeast cake or package of yeast in warm milk and set aside.

2. Cream together, in mixer, butter and sugar.

3. Add flour to mixer alternatively with yeast milk and eggs.

4. Pour into well-greased tube or bundt pan. Let rise 2 1/2 hours.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Do not overcook.

6. Slice with electric knife or very sharp bread knife.

Angie Holtzhouser is author of Drop Dumplin's and Pan-Fried Memories ... Along the Mississippi. Her cookbook is available at local bookstores. In addition, it can be purchased through the mail at: Drop Dumplin's, P.O. Box 10, Lilbourn, Mo. 63862. The price is $19.95, including tax and shipping.