Every time I bake {Memiere’s} Homemade Bread, wonderful memories are stirred up in my father’s mind. I can never surprise him because the amazing aroma drifts right up the stairs. Moments later he’s in my apartment looking for a taste. Memiere was an incredible cook and she was famous for her amazing homemade bread. My favorite way to eat it is right out of the oven while it’s still warm with butter melting into the nooks and crannies. My father loves to toast his in the morning for breakfast. Any way you slice it, it’s delicious! 🙂
My mother was an only child. When she married my father and became part of his very large family she was always amazed at how much her new mother-in-law could accomplish in a day. With seven children to raise and a home to take care of she still found time to run the business that she and my grandfather owned, “Henry’s Lunch”. It was a small diner-like restaurant located in the quaint little town of Sutton, Massachusetts. A place where all the locals would go to fill their stomachs, fraternize and discuss town politics. Apparently, Candid Camera even shot an episode from Henry’s Lunch once, though I’m not sure it ever aired. Whenever she made her famous Homemade Bread, that her 7 children lovingly call “Mother’s Bread”, it would be sold out by the end of the day. The restaurant sat on 78 acres on Route 146 but eventually, 70 of those acres were sold and would become part of the 350 acre home of Pleasant Valley Country Club.
Pleasant Valley Country Club is a private country club that hosted the PGA tour for several decades. Many famous names such as Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead graced the fairways of this pristine course. It became famous for hosting both the PGA and LPGA tours. Pleasant Valley Country Club ranked 3rd on the PGA tours all-time list of most consecutive tournaments ever played at one golf course! Between the PGA and LPGA tour events combined, Pleasant Valley hosted 45 events over a span of 38 years!
And it all began with {Memiere’s} Homemade Bread! 🙂
There were many stories told at these counter stools. Maybe you have some or know somebody that has some. If you knew Pepiere or Memiere or frequented Henry’s Lunch I would love to hear your story! Do you remember the scent of {Memiere’s} Homemade Bread hitting you as you entered the diner? Please leave your memory in the comments section below. My family would love to hear from you!
{Memiere’s} Homemade Bread
Ingredients
- 2 Packages Dry yeast
- 5 1/2 Cups Lukewarm water
- 2 Tablespoons Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Scalded milk
- 1/4 Cup Shortening
- 1 ,5 pound bag plus 1 Cup All purpose flour
Instructions
- In a large bowl, soak the yeast for approximately 15 minutes in the lukewarm water and salt.
- Add the sugar, scalded milk, and shortening. Sift the flour into the water mixture in batches, mixing with your hand to incorporate. (Yup! You're gonna get messy!) Continue until all the flour except for 1 cup is added.
- Remove from bowl and knead for 20-25 minutes on a floured surface. Continue to add the 1 cup of flour as needed.
- Place in a greased bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let it sit in a warm dark place for 90 minutes. The dough should double in size.
- Punch down and roll dough into a long log. Cut into 5 equal pieces. Place each piece in a greased loaf pan. Cover pans and let rise in a warm dark place for another 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F.
- Place pans in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from pans immediately and place on cooling rack. (Very important or moisture will develop and soak into the bottom of bread and ruin it)
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy {Memiere’s} Homemade Bread recipe! And don’t forget to leave a comment!
Here’s another one of our favorite recipes from Memiere! Her delicious Sucre a la Creme was Dad’s favorite sweet treat!
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Hi Nicole,
Wow this recipe looks pretty easy to make. I never tried to cook bread myself, not that I haven’t seen the mémères of my family do it. You brought back memories of each Gabrielle’s sisters to my mind. I promise I will try this recipe and will let you know how I did.
PS I just love this blog
Colette
Thank you Colette! Glad you’re enjoying it. I love making this bread. It is easy. The Most difficult part is the kneading. My son used to love making it with my Mom when he was little. He loved being able to get messy. Can’t wait to hear how you like it!
I loved smell of the bread baking and filling the house with this great aroma! And the anticipation of the bread finally coming out of the oven and feasting on it! That bread was excellent!
Being the oldest daughter it was my responsibility to make sandwiches and pack lunches before school every morning for my siblings. I remember feeling embarrassed at lunch time because the other kids had Wonder Bread which was so much cooler!
Those were the days!
Thank you For Commenting Aunt Mary Jean! I’ve heard from a few cousins via FB and we all want to hear stories. Most of us were so young or not around yet when Memiere passed away. She was such an incredible woman. That’s what I remember. Thanks for sharing Auntie!
This sounds like a wonderful and easy recipe to try. Love the story behind it too. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Erlene.
Nicole this is such a great story! You are doing a wonderful job with your stories and recipes. We all look forward to them and can’t wait for the next one!
Memere’s bread was amazing. She was too. I didn’t know her during the Henry’s lunch days, but I have heard enough stories from her children to feel like I did. Marcel still talks about her bread and I think I will surprise him and make a batch.
Gabrielle Lavoie Was my mother-in-law for only seven years and I am sorry that it was for such a short time. She treated everyone with love and laughter. She treated me like a daughter and I loved her and I will never forget her. Thank you for bring back such nice memories Nicole.
Thanks Aunt Nancy! I was so young when she passed I don’t have a lot of memories but always find it comforting when I hear someone speaking with a French accent! I think of Pepeire whittling a little figure out of wood or the way he used to say things like, “Throw me down the stairs my shoes.”or “Son of a gun” with his french accent. I loved hearing him play the harmonica or accordion. One of my fondest memories is one Christmas when Pepiere was playing the harmonica and Uncle Ray was playing the spoons on his knee. So much fun. Thanks for sharing your memory. 🙂
I loved your wonderful story and have printed out the recipe. Never made bread, so here we go…..wish me luck.
Thanks Patty! It’s pretty easy to do. You just may get a bit messy. That’s the whole fun of it though! Good luck!
Your posting the recipe of Memeire’s bread has rekindled a few memories for dad and I about her. It’s nice to take time and try to think back of loved ones no longer physically here with us. I asked dad about any specific thing he can remember about her and he remembered her having a cedar chest where she saved all her memorabilia such as birth certificates of her children, paid bills etc. I now have a few of them such as dad’s birth certificate, Church sacraments, hospital bills.. He also said that Pepeire called her “Gibby” short for “Gabrielle” but she did not like it when people would call her “Gabby”. (she certainly was not that). With such a full house she still always loved to have company , even unexpected company and always seemed to be able to stretch out any meal to accommodate. Everyone always felt welcome and part of the family. She never made you feel left out. Always had open arms. She was truly the glue that kept the family all together. We all enjoyed the family gatherings at her home for Sunday dinner. Everyone gathered around the table, all talking at the same time. And at the end of dinner and dessert everyone would quiet down to hear Pepeire read his “tea leaves” at the bottom of his tea cup. He had some great “stories” to tell . Memrire was a better driver than Pepiere. She always dressed well. She loved to go dance the Quidrille and country style dancing at a place they went to with friends in R.I.. oh, she sure enjoyed that to be able to get all dressed up and would be so disappointed if Pepeire didn’t want to go for some reason. She also loved to play cards, There were many times that us girls, (MaryJean, Madeleine, Nancy and I would play “Scat, Rummy 500 or Gin Rummy” with her.
I remember a few times when she had some concerns she would call dad on the phone.
I remember how she would recuperate herself if she got too tired….just a 5 minute little nap in her bedroom. Imagine that? only 5 minutes did the trick for her, (I suppose thats all she had time for).
She also prayed the rosary often especially for all her children including dad, I and all our families. She had a lot of faith and she put it into practice. Dad remembers how sincere she was . She never gossiped or spoke badly about anyone, she always looked for or pointed out the good/best in people.
In their early years Memeire and Pepeire had a most beautiful farm in Vermont on the shores of Lake Champlain
where I believe she took in boarders sometime. Looking at the old photographs of that farmhouse which no longer stands, I can imagine it in its day with all the lilacs surrounding it. Farming was a hard life back then. I think she really loved those days even though there were many sorrowful experiences. Like when your dad had a big pot of boiling water fall into his face and he was blinded for several months. He still has the scar at his hairline. The time his leg/foot got run over by a farming equipment and his foot was miraculously saved (it was almost completely severed) we still have photos of his leg in a cast as a boy. But the most sorrowful must have been the loss of her little son Lucien (was around 2 at the time) who was killed by a car as he ran out in the road after a ball or something. Back then and where they lived there was hardly a time to have seen a car because of the miles of remote roads. Memeire was a very strong woman whose faith kept her that way throughout her life. She was loved by all who knew her and by all her brothers and sisters (13?) They all had a love and respect for one another. They were all very close and stayed connected throughout all their lives and tried to instill that in all their children….. They were always “family”
Wow! That’s a lot of memories! Thanks Mom!
Thanks for coming and linking up at #The Weekend Social. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST on KitchenDreaming.com ! I hope to see you there! Pinned
Great story behind your bread, it’s so lovely when a recipe is dear to your heart. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!
My friend, Kenny, remembers Henry’s very well, especially as a 17 year old newlywed. He remembers the wonderful smell of homey food and baking. He often went for a milkshake and a bite to eat. He remembers “Smitty The Cop” was almost a fixture there. He could always Smitty seated on the counter stool enjoying all the Henry’s Lunch had to offer. It must have been a fantastic place!
I just can’t wait to make Memeir’s bread! Thank you for sharing the recipe Nicole!
Thanks so much Pam! And thank Kenny for me too! Love hearing the stories from the past. Wish I could have seen their little restaurant. Sounds like it was so homey. Not surprising though because Memiere was such a welcoming lady.