Chicken Little Bread

I've been on a bread baking thing this week, and one of the breads I baked was this one from Mrs. W. J. Holahan, of Chicago, Illinois, the Senior winner in the 1966 Pillsbury  bake off.  This is good with salads or soups, for sandwiches, and even toasted.

I wanted to make the Chicken Little bread while I still had fresh parsley in my outdoor garden.  I couldn’t find the potato soup mix called for, but I used some bulk potato soup mix from the Amish grocery.  I found that the packages weighed 2 ounces, so I weighed out this amount, and it made very nice loaves.

I remembered this recipe being popular for a while when I was first married, and I found it again in a Pillsbury booklet of Myrna’s.    That booklet didn’t attribute it to the winner…I found her recipe online in a newspaper article of the time.  That was the year that the famous Tunnel of Fudge Cake won only second place!  Mrs. John Petrelli of Las Vegas, won $25,000 that year for her Golden Gate Snack Bread. But here’s one of my favorites from 1966.  
(The Method is mine, not the original)  Check out our mixer bread information HERE.  Remember, you can also make this recipe by hand too, the way I did for years..

 Chicken Little Bread

  2           Packages  Instant or Active Dry Yeast

  1           Can  Chicken Broth -- 13 1/2 oz - heated to 120-125°

  1           Package  Potato Soup With Leek Mix -- (2 oz)

     ¼       Cup  Sugar

  2 ½       Teaspoons  Salt

  1           Jar  Chopped Pimientos -- 2 oz, drained

     ¼       Cup  Parsley -- minced

  2           Large  Eggs

  6 -6 1/2 cups  Cups  Bread Flour (27-29 1/2 ounces)

Set aside 1 tbsp. soup mix.  In large mixing bowl, combine soup mix, sugar, salt, parsley and pimento.  Pour hot broth slowly over ingredients, stirring constantly.  Cool to 125°.

Combine 2 cups flour and yeast; stir into mixture.  Add eggs, beat vigorously.  Gradually add remaining flour to form a soft dough. Change to dough hook and knead 6 minutes on speed 2 or knead by hand 8-10 minutes.

Cover and let rise 10 minutes. (or 45 minutes until doubled if using active dry yeast)

Punch down.  Shape into 2 loaves.  Let rise, covered, in two 9 x 5" loaf pans, until doubled, 30 minutes-45 minutes.

Bake at 375° for 45 minutes.  Remove from pans. Brush with butter, sprinkle with reserved soup mix, cool on wire racks.

2 loaves

2013 Cost per loaf:  $1.55