Grandma Abner’s Apocalypse Bread
Or, A Bonus Recipe From The Red Plague Trilogy
Pretend it’s the zombie apocalypse and you have only enough electricity in the generator to power the oven. The fresh milk and eggs have been substituted for dehydrated powder.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons yeast
2/3 cup dry milk with 2 cups water (or the equivalent to 2 cups milk)
4 tablespoons egg crystals with 6 tablespoons water (or the equivalent to 2 eggs)
½ cup warm water
8 tablespoons shortening
7 cups flour
6 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
Directions
Step One: Mix wet ingredients in a bowl with a spoon. Add shortening.
Step Two: Slowly add flour and dry ingredients. Mix well.
Step Three: Knead dough by hand until mixed and soft. Sprinkle extra flour on hands and counter as you knead.
Step Four: Raise the dough in a bowl (covered with a cloth) at room temperature for one hour.
Step Five: Grease inside of 13×9 glass baking dish with shortening.
Step Six: Knead dough again by hand until soft.
Step Seven: Separate dough into about 16 balls and roll smooth by hand, arranging them in greased dish.
Step Eight: Raise the dough in the dish (covered with a cloth) for another hour at room temperature.
Step Nine: Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Can be eaten warm or cold. Wrap them up and stuff them into your backpack before you set out on the open road to find other survivors.
**When I was writing the Red Plague Trilogy I wanted the survivors to make a food item that was both a little unusual but also reminiscent of home. This is a family recipe that can be found in a 1977 church cookbook of recipes handed down for generations. Read about these dinner rolls in Antidote (Red Plague #2) and Panacea (Red Plague #3).
<3 Anna