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- May 12, 2010
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- Now Florida but always a Kentuckian
Shortbreadrounds
No machine-readable author provided. AdinaB-O'B assumed (based on copyright claims). [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
We all must have sang the song, "Short'nin Bread" as children. It originated among slaves working on plantations in the early 1800s. The gist of the song is that the doctor orders short'nin bread to help heal the sick children and it does work.
Short'nin bread was a treat that plantation cooks could whip up easily. It only required butter, brown sugar and flour. The word short'nin bread is actually shortbread. It had been popular in England for hundreds of years. The difference with the plantation type and the English type is the brown sugar which gave the South's short'nin bread a distinctive flavor.
Short'nin Bread Recipe (recreated)
2 cups butter
1 cup brown sugar
4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Line a 17x 11.5 jellyroll pan with parchment, or spray with non-stick spray.
3. In a large bowl of a mixer, cream the butter; beat in the sugar until very light and fluffy.
Turn mixer down to low speed and add the flour and salt., mixing until smooth.
4. Alternately, the dough may be done by hand. Make sure the butter is very soft and mix it well with the brown sugar; work the flour and salt in by hand until smooth. ( Of course, this be way plantation cook would have done it.)
5. Press the dough evenly onto the prepared pan.
6. Using a sharp knife and a ruler, score the dough into squares, eight on the long side of the pan by six on the shorter side.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly brown.
8. Immediately use the sharp knife to cut through the score marks into squares.
9. Cool thoroughly before serving.
This is fun recipe to make with children. As it cooks, they can sing the song "Short'nin' Bread".
Lyrics to song Short'nin' Bread".
"Three little children, lyin' in bed
Two were sick and the other 'most dead
Sent for the doctor and the doctor said,
"Give those children some short'nin' bread."
Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin',
Mama's little baby loves short'nin' bread,
Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin',
Mama's little baby loves short'nin' bread.
Put on the skillet, slip on the lid,
Mama's gonna make a little short'nin' bread,
That ain't all she's gonna do,
Mama's gonna make a little coffee, too.
Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin',
Mama's little baby loves short'nin' bread,
Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin,
Mama's little baby loves short'nin' bread.
When these children, sick in bed,
Heard that talk about short'nin' bread,
Popped up well to dance and sing,
Skipped around and cut the pigeon wing.
Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin',
Mama's little baby loves short'nin' bread,
Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin',
Mama's little baby loves short'nin' bread."
Recipe for Short'nin Bread
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