Baking my Grandmother's Bread

I made bread today.

Whenever I make bread I think of my Grandmother.

Ora May Weddle Hickam.

My Father's mother.

Sometime in my 20's she taught me to bake bread.

My Mother taught me to bake cookies and cakes but not bread.

(Not pies either until the day before I was to get married.)

She was born 21 July 1897 in Vernon County, Missouri.

(She was always quite emphatic about it being Vernon!  

They lived just outside Rich Hill which is in Bates county-barely.)

She was the oldest of NINE children of John William Weddle and Jessie Ivy Welch.

She told me her parents began leaving her to watch her younger siblings 

at a very young age. Like 4.

Once when she was making butter she dropped it in the slop bucket.

She was terrified of her mother, so she fished it out and washed it!

She loved to read

and do jigsaw puzzles.

Taught a girls Sunday School class at First Baptist Church for many years.

She quilted, by hand until her eyes gave out 

and she let a little girl who couldn't thread a needle or knot the thread but stitches in one.

When she sewed she used a Singer treadle machine and allowed the grandchildren to string buttons from the drawers.

1943 (Back row r-l Bill, Letha, Bob.  Front row r-l Ora and Charley

She and her husband Charles Lloyd Hickam were married 

25 May 1924 after he'd asked her and been turned down THREE times!

They had three children: William Hubert (Bill), James Robert (Bob-my dad) and Letha May.

She died 21 Jan 1985, age 88.

I'm sharing her bread recipe with you!

She made 5 loves out of this.

I used to make 4 using 1 1/2 pound pans

Now I make only make half a recipe and use 1 pound pans so 2-3.

The recipe for a half batch is in ( ).

Ora Hickam's Sponge Bread

5 Tablespoons (2 1/2) Sugar

4 cups water (2) no hotter than 115F

4 teaspoons dry yeast (3 )

6 cups flour (3) 

She said use good flour and I use King Arthur Bread flour

3 Tablespoons (1 1/2) salt 

2 cups (1) milk, warmed but not hotter than 115F

3 Tablespoons (1 1/2) butter, melted

Add yeast to water then add sugar-let rise until bubbly.

Add 6 (3) cups flour, beat well, cover and let rise in warm place

 about 1 1/2 hours or until double

Add salt, warm milk and butter, beat well.

Add enough additional flour to stiffen and knead well.

Place in greased bowl cover and let rise until double, 

again about 1 1/2 hours.

Turn out, divide into loaves and put in greased pans.

Again, let rise until double.

Bake at 425F for 15 minutes  then at 375F for 30 minutes.

Brush tops with butter.

Enjoy!