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Grandma Abner’s Apocalypse Bread Recipe

Posted on February 12, 2019February 12, 2019 by Anna Abner

By Anna Abner

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)
1⁄2 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 Series 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.

<3 Anna

Grandma Abner’s Apocalypse Bread

Posted on March 12, 2014March 10, 2014 by Anna Abner

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.

Apocalypse Bread Mixing — Mixing ingredients with a spoon (and then by hand).

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.

2014-01-25 09.53.24 — The bread is rising!

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.

2014-01-25 11.06.17 — I miscalculated the sizes of the rolls so I only made 23, but there they are preparing to rise a second time.

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.

Apocalypse Bread Baked — The rolls came out of the oven warm and golden brown.

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.

Apocalypse Bread Eating — My favorite part is smelling the yeasty dough and sampling the buttery goodness.

**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

The Best Cashew Chicken Recipe

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Anna Abner

Or, Let Rachel Ray Plan Your Dinner Tonight

This is the absolute best asian style chicken meal I’ve ever made. Way better than Chinese take-out and very easy to make. It comes from Rachel Ray’s Top 30 30-Minute Meals: Kid Food cookbook. She calls it “Cashew! God Bless You Chicken with Jasmine Rice,” but I call it my family’s new favorite.

Ingredients:

1 box jasmine rice (or 2 pouches of pre-cooked, ready-to-heat jasmine rice)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced and mashed (or a couple dashes of garlic powder)

2 tablespoons rice wine, rice vinegar, or dry sherry

Black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

1 large carrot, peeled and diced into cubes

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 can (7 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped

3 heaping tablespoons hoisin sauce (from the asian foods aisle in your grocery store)

A couple handfuls of unsalted cashews

3 green onions, thinly sliced

Optional: broccoli florets

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine chicken with half the sesame oil plus the garlic, rice wine, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Set aside and let it hang out.

2. Heat remaining sesame oil in wok or large skillet over high heat until it smokes.

3. Add carrot (and broccoli) and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the marinate chicken and cook another 3-4 minutes. Toss in the bell pepper and water chestnuts. Heat through for 1 minute.

4. Add the hoisin sauce and toss to coat evenly.

5. Place chicken on a bed of jasmine rice and top with cashews and green onions. Feeds 4.

What I love best about this recipe, aside from its taste, is that with the basic chicken and sauce I can play with the veggies. We don’t like green onions, but we like broccoli. My daughter won’t eat the bell peppers, but she likes the carrots. Add or subtract until it tastes right for your family.

Enjoy!

<3 Anna